Can I play music from phone to PS4?

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) console offers various options for playing music. While the PS4 does not have a built-in music player app, you can pair Bluetooth devices like headphones or speakers to stream music directly from your phone or tablet. Alternatively, you can play music files stored locally on a USB drive or media server. Some third party apps like Spotify also allow music streaming on PS4. Overall, with the right setup, the PS4 provides flexible options for listening to your music library and streaming songs.

Pairing Bluetooth Devices

To pair your phone with the PS4 via Bluetooth, you first need to ensure your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on. On your PS4, go to Settings > Devices > Bluetooth Devices (https://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps4/settings/bluetooth.html). Here you will see the option to add a Bluetooth device. Put your phone into pairing mode, and it should then show up in the available devices list on your PS4. Select your phone to initiate pairing. You will get a pairing code on your PS4 and need to confirm this on your phone as well. Once confirmed, your PS4 and phone will be paired via Bluetooth.

Some key things to note about PS4 Bluetooth pairing:

The PS4 only supports certain Bluetooth profiles, like headsets and audio devices, so you can’t pair keyboards or controllers via Bluetooth.
Your phone needs to support the A2DP Bluetooth profile for audio streaming.
The PS4 can only have up to 7 paired Bluetooth devices at once.

Make sure your phone and PS4 are within close range, around 30 feet, when pairing.

Once paired, you will be able to stream audio and music playback from your phone to your PS4 seamlessly via Bluetooth. Just make sure to go into your PS4 audio output settings to select your phone as the audio source.

Playing Music via USB

One of the easiest ways to play music from your phone on your PS4 is by connecting it directly via USB. Here are the steps to play music files from your Android or iPhone using a USB connection:

Connect your phone to your PS4 using a USB cable. For iPhones, use the charging cable that came with your phone. For Android, use a USB cable that supports data transfer.
On your phone, swipe down from the top and tap the notification that says “USB charging this device”. Change it to “Transfer files” or “Transfer photos (PTP)” mode. This allows the PS4 to access your media files.
On your PS4, go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices and select your phone.

Go to the Music section on your PS4 and you’ll now see albums/artists from your phone. Select a song and it will start playing.
You can now play music from your phone’s library while gaming or using other apps on the PS4.

The main benefit of using a direct USB connection is sound quality. Music files will transfer uncompressed over USB for the best audio quality on your PS4. The downside is you have to keep your phone connected to the PS4 via cable. Make sure your phone doesn’t lock its screen or it may interrupt playback.

For more details, check out Sony’s guide on listening to music on a USB device.

Streaming Apps

One of the most popular ways to play music on your PS4 is through streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and YouTube Music (PS4 entertainment | Stream TV, movies and music from …). These apps allow you to access millions of songs that you can stream directly through your PS4 without needing to store them locally.

Spotify is one of the best options for streaming music on PS4. Once you connect your Spotify account to your PlayStation Network account, you can access your playlists, recommendations, and Spotify’s entire catalog of over 70 million songs. Spotify offers ad-supported free streaming as well as Premium paid subscriptions for enhanced features like higher audio quality, offline listening, and no ads. The Spotify app on PS4 makes it easy to find and play music while gaming.

For those subscribed to Apple Music, the Apple Music app is also available on PS4. You can access your library of saved music as well as Apple Music’s catalog of over 75 million songs. Apple Music’s subscription plans are very similar to Spotify in terms of features and pricing. The Apple Music interface on PS4 provides playlists, recommendations, and access to exclusive content.

Other music streaming apps like Pandora and YouTube Music are also downloadable on your PS4. Pandora offers free ad-supported radio streaming while YouTube Music provides both free streaming and Premium subscriptions. Having multiple music apps installed allows you to switch between them and take advantage of each of their unique features and libraries.

Media Server Options

One popular way to stream music from your phone to your PS4 is by using a media server like Plex. Plex allows you to store your music library on a server and then stream that music to devices like your PS4. To use Plex, you’ll need to:

Install the Plex app on your phone and PS4
Set up the Plex Media Server on a computer, NAS device, or other server
Add your music library to the Plex Media Server

Make sure both your phone and PS4 are on the same network as the Plex Server

Once set up, you can use the Plex app on your phone to browse your music library and start playing a song. That song will then stream from the Plex Server to your PS4. Plex also has handy features like syncing your playback position between devices so you can start listening on your phone and pick up where you left off on your PS4.

Reddit users report success using Plex on PS4 to stream music while gaming. One limitation is that PS4 Plex does not currently support background music playback, so the Plex app needs to be open on your PS4 screen.

DLNA Streaming

One convenient way to stream music from your phone to your PS4 is using DLNA. DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, and it’s a standard that allows devices on the same network to share media with each other.

To use DLNA, you’ll first need to make sure both your phone and PS4 are connected to the same WiFi network. On your phone, you’ll then need to install a DLNA server app such as BubbleUPnP. This will enable your phone to act as a media server.

On your PS4, go to the Settings menu, select “System”, and enable “Enable DLNA”. This will allow your PS4 to detect DNLA devices on your network. You should then see your phone show up as a media server within the PS4’s Media Player app.

From there, you can browse and play music files stored on your phone through the PS4’s Media Player. The Media Player app will allow you to select music by playlist, artist, album etc. And you’ll be able to control playback right from your PS4.

The benefit of using DLNA is that it does not require any cables or pairing between devices. As long as they are on the same network, your PS4 can seamlessly stream media from your phone over WiFi.

Using a USB Drive

One of the easiest ways to play music from your phone on your PS4 is by saving your music files to a USB drive.

First, connect a USB drive to your computer and locate the music files you want to transfer. These can be MP3, WMA, or AAC audio files. Copy the files over to your USB drive.

Next, safely eject the USB drive from your computer and connect it to one of the USB ports on your PS4. Go to the Settings menu, select Devices, then USB Storage Devices. Your PS4 should recognize the drive.

Now go to the Music section on the PS4’s main menu. You should see an option to play music files from your USB drive. Navigate to your tracks and you can create playlists or shuffle songs just like you would on your phone.

The benefit of using a USB drive is that you don’t have to stream the music, so you can listen ad-free and without internet. This method also doesn’t compress audio quality. As long as your files are high quality MP3 or AAC, they will sound great on your PS4 and entertainment system.^[1]

One thing to note is that the PS4 has limited USB drive support compared to PCs, so you may need to reformat drives to a compatible format first. Overall though, a USB drive is a quick and easy way to bring your personal music library to your PS4.

Playstation Music App

The official PlayStation Music app allows you to stream music from Spotify on your PS4 (1). After downloading the free app from the PlayStation Store, you can use your Spotify account to access playlists, albums, songs and more (1). The PlayStation Music app connects directly to your Spotify account, so you can browse recommendations, New Releases, and other sections from within the app.

Features include the ability to play Spotify playlists in the background while gaming, control playback via the PS4 controller, and select from different audio visualizations on your TV screen (1). You can also share songs and playlists with friends through the PlayStation Network.

One limitation is that the PlayStation Music app only works with Spotify, so you cannot directly play from other streaming services like Apple Music. However, Spotify does give you access to over 70 million tracks, making it one of the largest music catalogs available (1).

Audio Quality Considerations

When playing music wirelessly from your phone to your PS4 via Bluetooth, the audio quality may not be quite as good as playing music directly through a wired connection. Bluetooth audio quality has improved over the years, but wired connections still have some advantages.

According to a review on The Gadgeteer, “Bluetooth vs wired audio quality is getting closer every year. Audio quality is quite good—for Bluetooth headphones. I’ve been listening to music on the MH40 and it sounds very nice over Bluetooth.”^[1] While decent, Bluetooth audio is compressed to allow for wireless streaming, so it won’t be quite as pristine as wired audio.

If audio quality is your top priority, using a wired connection from your phone or streaming device directly into the PS4 will provide better results. However, for casual listening, Bluetooth provides sufficient audio quality from your phone to PS4 in many cases.

Summary

There are several ways to play music from your phone to your PS4. The most straightforward methods are pairing your phone via Bluetooth or connecting it directly with a USB cable. This allows you to play music files stored locally on your phone.

You can also stream music from apps on your phone to your PS4. This includes apps like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other streaming services. Enabling media server options like DLNA allows your PS4 to discover and play music from media servers on your phone or computer.

Using a USB drive is another convenient way to play music files by copying them from your phone to the drive and then connecting it to your PS4. The PlayStation Music app provides another option if available in your region.

No matter which method you choose, be aware that audio quality can vary depending on the format of your music files and limitations of the PS4 hardware. We covered the main ways to get music from phone to PS4—choose the option that best suits your needs.