Playlists & Playback
Build custom playlists, control how your music plays, and download tracks so the music keeps going even if your WiFi drops out.
At the top of every track list you'll see two buttons — Shuffle and Continuous. These are the key to keeping music playing all day without touching your phone.
Shuffle
Randomises the play order so your customers don't hear the same sequence every day. Tap it once to turn it on — the icon highlights when active.
Continuous
Plays every track automatically with no gaps, then loops back to the start when it reaches the end. No dead air, ever — from open to close.
Turn both on for the best experience. Shuffle + Continuous means your music plays non-stop in a different order each time — your regulars won't notice it repeating.
There are two ways to create a playlist — start with an empty one, or create one on the fly while browsing. Playlists hold up to 2,000 tracks.
Go to the Playlists tab and tap the + button at the top of the page. Give your playlist a name (e.g. "Morning Vibes" or "Lunch Service") and it's ready to fill. The cover art will automatically update to the artwork of the first track you add.
Found a track you love while browsing Radio, Genres, or another playlist? Tap the + button next to the track and select Create New Playlist. Name it, and the track is added automatically.
Head to Radio, Genres, or any existing playlist and browse the track lists. You can add tracks from anywhere in the app.
Next to any track, tap the + button. You'll see a list of your playlists with their current track counts — tap the one you want to add it to. The track is added instantly.
When browsing a genre, radio station, or playlist, tap Add All to Playlist to bulk-add everything in one go. Select your target playlist and all tracks are added instantly — a confirmation shows how many were added. This is the fastest way to build a large playlist.
Duplicate tracks are allowed. You can add the same track more than once — useful if you want a particular song to come up more frequently. If a playlist is full (2,000 tracks), it will appear greyed out with a "(Full)" label when you go to add to it.
You can drag and drop tracks into any order you like. This is especially useful if you want to control exactly when something plays — like placing a voice announcement at a specific point in the queue.
Open a playlist and tap the reorder icon (three horizontal lines) in the header. The screen switches to reorder mode — each track now shows a drag handle on the right side, and the header shows Cancel and Save buttons.
Press and hold the drag handle on a track, then drag it up or down to your desired position. Repeat for as many tracks as you need to move.
Tap Save (checkmark) to apply the new order, or Cancel (X) to discard and revert to the original order. Changes are only saved when you explicitly tap Save.
Use reordering to control voice announcement timing. Voice announcements can be added to a playlist just like any other track — find them under Genres → Announcements. Once added, drag them into the exact position you want them to play. You can also add the same announcement multiple times if you want it to appear at several points in your set. See the Voice Announcements guide for more.
Tap the edit (pencil) icon on a playlist card in the Playlists screen, or tap the edit icon in the header when inside a playlist. Enter a new name and confirm.
Open a playlist, then long-press on any track (or swipe right on mobile). Confirm the removal in the dialog that appears. If the same track appears more than once, only the first occurrence is removed.
Tap the trash icon on the playlist card or in the playlist header, then confirm. This permanently removes the playlist. The tracks themselves remain in Melodial's library — only the playlist is deleted.
If your WiFi is unreliable or you'd prefer not to use data, you can download individual tracks to play offline.
Next to any track, tap the download icon. The track saves to your device and will play even without an internet connection. There's no limit on how many tracks you can download.
Downloaded tracks play exactly the same way — Shuffle, Continuous, and all the same controls work. Voice announcements also play between downloaded tracks if you have any active. The only difference is they don't need WiFi or data.
Don't close the app while offline. If you close the app without a connection, it may need to reconnect to log you back in. Keep it running in the background and you'll be fine.
Tips for the best playlist experience
- Aim for 50–100+ tracks per playlist so your regulars don't hear the same sequence each visit.
- Use "Add All" to build playlists fast — browse a genre that suits your venue and add everything in one tap, then remove any tracks that don't fit.
- Create playlists for different times of day — a calm morning playlist and an upbeat afternoon one keeps the atmosphere fresh.
- Add voice announcements into your playlist — find them under Genres → Announcements, then drag them into the exact position you want them to play.
- Download your key playlists for offline playback as a safety net in case your WiFi has a bad day.
- All tracks are volume-levelled so you won't get jarring loud-quiet jumps between songs. Set your speaker volume once and leave it.
Need a hand?
Our team is here to help you build the perfect playlist. Drop us a line and we'll sort it out.
Email info@melodial.com