I just want to listen to mp3s on my phone; what's the best app?
May 29, 2017 1:55 PM Subscribe
Which mp3 player provides the following? (1) easy functionality for adding and removing music from my device or desktop's music library, (1) uploads music to the phone so that I can use it offline, and (3) is easy to search by song, artist, or album.
I just moved over to Android (Moto 5), and while I'm happy with the move, I have found Google Player to be really frustrating. Specific complaints:
1. It is impossible to remove or download music from your library to your album by song or artist - you either add or remove the whole album, or not.
2. It is impossible to find which music you've downloaded to your phone and which is just in the cloud.
3. The interface appears to rely entirely on large image thumbnails, while I prefer simple text, in a list, maybe with a small thumbnail option.
Basically I'm looking for something that works the way iTunes worked over a decade ago, when it was just an easy-to-use music database:
1. I want to deal only with music that I have uploaded to my phone. I don't want to look at a cloud with my entire music library and then try to figure out which of it I have downloaded from the cloud.
2. I want to be able to remove and add music easily, by song, album, or artist. (If I have to plug it into my computer and work with a desktop app, that is fine or even preferable.)
3. I want the device interface to have a list option, instead of just thumbnail tiles.
4. I don't want it to try to sell me music or advertise things to me. (Standard pop-up Android-app ads like you find in Stitcher are fine; I don't want it to try to sell me music or a subscription to anything. Computers and apps are not and will never be how I discover new music.)
5. I don't want a streaming app or anything that interfaces with a streaming app automatically.
Happy to pay for an app if it's a good app. Thanks!
I just moved over to Android (Moto 5), and while I'm happy with the move, I have found Google Player to be really frustrating. Specific complaints:
1. It is impossible to remove or download music from your library to your album by song or artist - you either add or remove the whole album, or not.
2. It is impossible to find which music you've downloaded to your phone and which is just in the cloud.
3. The interface appears to rely entirely on large image thumbnails, while I prefer simple text, in a list, maybe with a small thumbnail option.
Basically I'm looking for something that works the way iTunes worked over a decade ago, when it was just an easy-to-use music database:
1. I want to deal only with music that I have uploaded to my phone. I don't want to look at a cloud with my entire music library and then try to figure out which of it I have downloaded from the cloud.
2. I want to be able to remove and add music easily, by song, album, or artist. (If I have to plug it into my computer and work with a desktop app, that is fine or even preferable.)
3. I want the device interface to have a list option, instead of just thumbnail tiles.
4. I don't want it to try to sell me music or advertise things to me. (Standard pop-up Android-app ads like you find in Stitcher are fine; I don't want it to try to sell me music or a subscription to anything. Computers and apps are not and will never be how I discover new music.)
5. I don't want a streaming app or anything that interfaces with a streaming app automatically.
Happy to pay for an app if it's a good app. Thanks!
Best answer: I'm not sure you even need an app. It seems like you could easily accomplish what you want to do just by connecting your phone to your computer and using Windows Explorer. Once the phone is connected to the computer, you can look at what's in the Music folder on your phone just the way you would look at the contents of any folder on your computer. You can view the mp3's in list form and sort by artist or album. If you have mp3's on your computer, you can easily add them just by copying and pasting and you can easily delete anything that's already on your phone. Just use Windows Explorer to manage your music files and use Google Play only as a player. That's what I do. No need to buy or install anything. (If you have a Mac, I imagine it has the same functionality.)
(In case you haven't tried connecting your phone to your computer yet, one thing you need to know is that you'll need to pick the file transfer option for your USB connection when you first connect or you won't be able to see the phone from Windows Explorer.)
posted by Redstart at 2:43 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
(In case you haven't tried connecting your phone to your computer yet, one thing you need to know is that you'll need to pick the file transfer option for your USB connection when you first connect or you won't be able to see the phone from Windows Explorer.)
posted by Redstart at 2:43 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Fwiw you can still download good old winamp for Android. Same as it ever was. Works a treat. Transfer files using Windows explorer.
posted by chasles at 4:05 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by chasles at 4:05 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Media Monkey has a great Android app that can transfer wirelessly from the Media Monkey desktop program. The free version lets you organize by all the usual groupings (artist, album, playlist, etc.) and the pay version also gives you folder view. I've never had any problem with it.
posted by irisclara at 4:34 PM on May 29, 2017
posted by irisclara at 4:34 PM on May 29, 2017
I just use vlc like I do for media on desktops/laptops. I move files with a cable and am otherwise low tech about my phone, though.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:39 PM on May 29, 2017
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:39 PM on May 29, 2017
As the owner of an Android phone and an iPad, both occasionally syncing to a Windows machine, I have found DoubleTwist the best way to keep Android in sync with iTunes.
Without the need for iTunes sync, Poweramp is my favorite. If not for my desire to keep playlists easily in sync I'd be using it still.
posted by lhauser at 6:46 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Without the need for iTunes sync, Poweramp is my favorite. If not for my desire to keep playlists easily in sync I'd be using it still.
posted by lhauser at 6:46 PM on May 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
VLC or MX player
posted by AugustWest at 8:45 PM on May 29, 2017
posted by AugustWest at 8:45 PM on May 29, 2017
Seconding Mediamonkey. You can choose what syncs based on artist, album, genre, playlist, or even star rating. Works with music on an SD card, too. And it will sync back play info (# of plays, last play time) and some tag edits - ratings especially. Playlists too.
And the only kind of streaming it does is if you have an UPnP server. Otherwise it's all downloaded music.
posted by timepiece at 5:56 PM on June 1, 2017
And the only kind of streaming it does is if you have an UPnP server. Otherwise it's all downloaded music.
posted by timepiece at 5:56 PM on June 1, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
On my Windows desktop, I use MusicBee. I can use MusicBee to transfer mp3s to my phone, or just File Explorer. Because I only want to copy some of my music to my phone and tablet, I use MusicBee's ratings to identify which files I want. Then sort the songs by rating, select all the ones I've given the appropriate rating to, and pick send to device. I can even use different ratings for the phone and the tablet. I'm using a pretty old version of MusicBee, but it does everything I want, so I'm not motivated to upgrade.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:11 PM on May 29, 2017 [3 favorites]