How to Create Smart Playlists in Apple Music (iPhone and Mac)

Quick Tips

• Smart playlists help automatically organize your songs into playlists based on your specified criteria.
• Use the Shortcuts app to create smart playlists in Apple Music on iPhone or iPad.
• On Mac, open Apple Music > File > New > Smart Playlist > set the criteria > click on Done to complete.

Create a Smart Playlist on iPhone and iPad

You can share playlists on Apple Music on your iPhone and iPad. However, the option to create Smart Playlists is unavailable for iPhone and iPad users. This is where the Shortcuts app comes to the rescue. Here’s how to use the Shortcuts app to create a Smart Playlist on your iPhone and iPad. The steps remain the same for both platforms.

Step 1: Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone and iPad. Tap the + icon at the top-right corner to create a new Shortcut.

Step 2: Tap on New Shortcut at the top and rename it.

Step 3: Tap on Add Action, search for Music, and select it.

Step 4: Under Action, tap on Sort By and select Play Count.

Step 5: Tap on Order below the Sort By option and select Biggest First.

Step 6: Tap the toggle next to Limit to enable it. Use the Plus and Minus icons to decide the number of songs to add to the Smart Playlist.

Step 7: Tap the Search Bar at the bottom and type Music. Scroll down and select Create Playlist from the search results.

Step 8: Tap on Playlist Name to assign a name to your playlist.

Step 9: After typing the playlist name, swipe left on the keyboard toolbar and select Ask Every Time.

Step 10: Tap on Done at the top-right corner to create the shortcut.

Now, each time you run the Shortcut, you will be asked to change your Smart Playlist’s name to make it easier to find in your Apple Music library. You can also share your Smart Playlist like a regular playlist with your friends. Whenever you add new songs to your music library, the Smart Playlist will update automatically based on the criteria you have mentioned in the Shortcut.

Create a Smart Playlist on Mac

Unlike the Shortcuts app, the Apple Music app on our Mac provides a dedicated option to create a Smart Playlist. Ensure that you are using macOS Catalina 10.5 or more on your iMac or MacBook to use this feature.

Step 1: Open Apple Music on your Mac.

Step 2: Click on File at the top-right corner and click on New.

Step 3: Select Smart Playlist. The Smart Playlist window will open your screen.

Step 4: To specify the criteria of your Smart Playlist, click the pop-up menus to select the Genre, contains, and artist’s name.

Step 5: To set a limit for including the number of songs, click the checkbox for Limit > select the dropdown menus > choose the number of items.

We suggest enabling the Live Updating feature to automatically update your Smart Playlist as you add more songs to your library.

To create another rule, click the Plus icon on the right and set the criteria.

Step 6: After setting the criteria, click on Ok at the bottom-right corner.

To delete the Smart Playlist, right-click on it and select Delete From Library. You can also refer to our post if your Apple Music playlists are not syncing between Mac and iPhone.