Playlists in folders won't stay custom sorted

[digger5150]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Pixel 5

Operating System

Android 11

My Question or Issue

I can no longer keep my playlists custom-sorted in folders on the android app. Whatever sorting I do in Windows doesn't transfer over to Android as it normally does. Instead, I get default alphabetical, even though I've chosen "Creator". I think there used to be a choice for Custom, but that seems to be gone.

Using the latest version of the app (May 25).

I completely uninstalled the app and re-installed it and the issue is still there. It was not an issue prior to the May 25 app update, but could also be a server-side problem. It is damn annoying though. Please fix it.

[digger5150]

Hey @siibert,

Thanks for posting here.

We've heard back from the right team and we can confirm that this is indeed the expected behavior. 

We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us as we always strive to improve our app. We'll make sure to pass it on to the right team.

We also invite you to post an idea about saving the sorting order of playlists in folders on our Exchange. 

You can learn how to do this here. The Idea Exchange is a great way for us to see what our users are interested in and how many people like a certain idea. You can read more about it here.

The Community is here for you if there's anything else!
 

[Jeremy]

Hi there @digger5150,

Thank you for reaching out to us in the Community.

Can you let us know which version of the app you have? 

Once we have that information we'll pass this information to the right team.

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

Cheers!

[digger5150]

version 8.6.28.700

Also occurred on the version currently in the Play Store: 8.6.30.889

It either started in .700 or it's server side issue. 

[Jeremy]

Hi again @digger5150,

Thank you for your reply and for the information you've provided.

We've now forwarded this information to the right team.

The Community is here for you if there's anything else!

Cheers 🙂

[autoanorak]

Plan - Premium

Country - Canada

Device - Google Pixel 3

Operating System - Android 11

My Question or Issue:

Ever since upgrading to the newest version of the Spotify mobile app, all of my playlists that are housed within folders are sorted by recently played / alphabetical order, with no option to sort the playlists by "custom" order.

It seems that by default, all playlists within folders are sorted by ascending alphabetical order, and then once you play a playlist, that playlist gets bumped to the top of the folder list.

Unlike the homepage of my library, where I'm able to a.) filter by Playlist/Album/Artist etc, and b.) sort all items by Recently played/Recently added/Alphabetical/Creator/Custom order, there exists no such option to sort playlists within a folder.

[Eni]

Hey there @autoanorak,

Thanks for getting in touch about this.

We're afraid there's no sorting option available within a folder. 

However, if you're referring to the sorting option missing after filtering by playlists, could you send us some screenshots of what you're seeing on your end so we can take a closer look? Make sure not to send any private info. 

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[digger5150]

Hi, 

I've tracked this down to the removal of "custom" as a sort option and it's replacement with "creator". This is both in the app and server-side driven. It goes back several versions now and that's how I know it is server-side as well as app-based.

I had to revert back to a version of the app from March to get back "custom" as an option and now my folders have playlists properly sorted as they are on my PC. 

[Jeremy]

Hi again @digger5150,

Thank you for your reply.

As mentioned above, we've passed along your information to the rightful team so that they can have a closer look into this.

Let us know if we can help you with anything else 🙂

Take care!

[autoanorak]

Hi Eni, thanks for the reply.

After filtering by playlists in the "Your Library" tab, all of the sorting options are available to me. It's only after I click into a folder that my sorting options become restricted to just "recently played".

Is there any place where I can submit a petition for Spotify to revert to sorting playlists within folders by custom order? 😂

[lxndrfchs]

Hi,

It's similar for me.

For about two weeks, my android app hasn't been showing - for example - the folders within my folder "Hip Hop" in alphabetical order, as it had always done before.

This issue occurred after an update a few days/weeks ago.

Is this issue already under investigation?

Best,

Alexander

[siibert]

This is also happening on iOS update 8.6.30.

This was a really useful feature we no longer have on mobile.

Thx

[Ver]

Hey @siibert,

Thanks for posting here.

We've heard back from the right team and we can confirm that this is indeed the expected behavior. 

We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us as we always strive to improve our app. We'll make sure to pass it on to the right team.

We also invite you to post an idea about saving the sorting order of playlists in folders on our Exchange. 

You can learn how to do this here. The Idea Exchange is a great way for us to see what our users are interested in and how many people like a certain idea. You can read more about it here.

The Community is here for you if there's anything else!
 

[unclnis]

Hi Ver,

Can you clarify how is this the expected behavior, when it's acting differently from Spotify on Windows?

When I  choose "custom order" I expect everything to follow this setting - playlists and playlists inside folders. This is exactly what happens on Windows. Why would anyone want this to work only half-way on mobile platforms?

[Novy]

Hey @unclnis, 

Thanks for your reply. 

Keep in mind that the expected behavior might change and that's why the experience is different depending on the device you're using. 

Once again, we appreciate your comments regarding this and will forward them to the folks in charge. 

Take care 🙂

[ohocus]

Using version 8.6.36.1070, Android

I'm a little confused - is the expected behaviour that there is no way to view playlists inside a folder with the custom order?

I would imagine the sorting inside the folder would always be in custom order, or follow the sorting used for the playlists (recently played, recently added, custom order etc)

Like others have said - Spotify on Windows desktop maintains the custom order inside folders. Surely there must be a way to access this on mobile?

[Novy]

Hi @ohocus, 

Thanks for your message. 

Keep in mind that the app experience is different depending on the device where you're using it, and some features might not be available. 

We'll make sure to forward your comments to the teams in charge. 

Take care 🙂

[lxndrfchs]

Dear Spotify team,

Since an update a few weeks ago, I've been facing the following issue, regarding my library folder sorting/order on my Android Spotify app, not on my laptop app:

On my highest folder level, I've still selected "order alphabetically". Thus, on this highest folder level, these folders (Hip Hop, Pop, etc.) are sorted accordingly, that is alphabetically.

However, on the folder level one stage below – that is, for example, among the folders within the higher folder "Hop Hop" – my folders automatically get re-sorted/-arranged, based on which is playing right now/has been played last.

Could you please fix this, so that all my folders on my Android app are sorted just like on my laptop, that is in customized order, which is alphabetical among genres and artist, and then according to release dates of albums within the respective artist?

Best from Hamburg, Germany,

Alexander

[lxndrfchs]

It's been exactly the same problem for me.

It's very inconvenient, since I'd sorted my library into genres, then artist, then albums (sorted by release date). This is no longer possible on my Android app and respective albums folders automatically jump up, getting sorted by "last played"

[Novy]

Hey @lxndrfchs, 

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. 

We understand where you're coming from. However, keep in mind that it's currently expected that the content inside your folders on mobile won't be sorted in the same way it is sorted in the desktop app. 

If anything else comes up, the Community will be here 🙂

Cheers.

[djeboe]

Have you considered that "the experience might be different across different platforms" is NOT the correct response, nor the correct programming method? When I go to a McDonald's in Florida, I want a Big Mac to taste the same if I order it in the drive through as it would if I order it in the actual store in Oregon. Why would I possibly want your app to sort my METICULOUSLY ordered Playlists inside a folder to some "recently played" order simply because some programmer there in the "mobile experience" got a wild hair and thinks that is how it should be, REGARDLESS of which option I choose for playlist order, custom, creator, alphabetical, recently played or recently added.

I've attached the setting that I had it on when I played the playlist in question, and as you can see, the order of the Playlists in question, which go in date order. They are in nested folders, which is a option on your app and one of the reasons I prefer your service, but if you continue to make these irrational decisions in your programming department (no subtractive random play, automatically sorting Playlists no matter what your setting is, etc), what is the point of having good features if they are rendered useless by inane decisions?