How do I skip songs with volume buttons on Android?

This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to skip songs by pressing the volume buttons on Android devices. The goal is to explain how to enable and customize this useful feature so you can easily control music playback without turning on your phone’s screen.

Prerequisites

To enable volume button skips on your Android device, there are a few prerequisites:

You’ll need an Android phone or tablet running Android 7.0 or higher. Older versions of Android do not support customizing volume button actions in this way. According to the Android 11 Compatibility Definition, volume button customization was first introduced in Android 7.0 Nougat.

Make sure your device is updated to the latest Android version available. Some volume button customization features may only be present in newer Android releases.

You’ll also want to check that your music or audio app supports in-app volume button control. Apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and others allow volume buttons to control playback.

Enable Volume Button Controls

To enable the ability to control media playback and volume using your Android device’s volume buttons, you first need to enable the Volume Key Shortcut feature in your Settings app. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device. This is typically accessed by tapping the gear icon on your home screen or app drawer.

2. Tap on Accessibility.

3. Select Dexterity and interaction.

4. Find the setting labeled Volume key shortcut and tap on it to open the menu.

5. Toggle the switch for Volume key shortcut to the ON position. This enables the functionality.

Now your Android device’s volume buttons can be used to control media playback when you are in a media app. The specific actions can be customized as outlined in the following sections.

Source: Change volume, sound, & vibrate settings – Android Help

Set Up Single Press Action

To set up the volume buttons to skip songs with a single press, first go to Settings > Accessibility. Under Interaction and dexterity, select Volume key shortcut. Under Single press action, select Media controls.

This will allow you to use the volume up button to skip to the next track and the volume down button to go back to the previous track with just a single press. According to Google’s Android Accessibility help page, selecting Media controls under Single press action is the key setting needed to enable volume button song skipping.

Set Up Double Press Action

To set up double tapping the volume button to skip songs in Android, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings > Sound.
• Find and tap on Volume button shortcuts.
• Under Double press action, select Next track.

This will allow you to double press either the volume up or volume down button on your Android device to skip to the next song in your current music app. It works whether the screen is on or off (as cited from this Reddit post). It’s a quick and convenient way to skip tracks without needing to wake your device.

If you want to customize or change the double press shortcut action later, simply return to the Volume button shortcuts menu in your device’s Settings.

Set Up Long Press Action

To set up the long press action for the volume buttons to skip tracks in Android:

1. Open your device’s Settings app and go to Sound & vibration > Volume keys shortcuts.
2. Under Long press action, select Play/Pause (according to Volume Long Press – Tasker Userguide). This will allow you to skip to the next track when you long press the volume buttons.

By selecting Play/Pause under Long press action in your Android device’s settings, you can now use a long press of your volume buttons to skip tracks while listening to music or other audio.

Test Volume Button Skips

Once you have enabled the volume button controls in your Android settings, you can test out skipping tracks with the volume buttons when playing music:

When playing through a music app like Spotify, pressing the volume up button will skip to the next track while pressing the volume down button will skip to the previous track. According to this Spotify help article and this Reddit thread, the volume buttons should control skipping as they normally would with headphones or when connected over Bluetooth.

To play or pause the current track, you can long press either volume button. Once music is playing, long press volume up or down to toggle between play and pause. This is outlined in this Sonos community thread.

So in summary, to skip forward or back in your playlists and control playback:

• Single press volume up: Skip to next track
• Single press volume down: Skip to previous track
• Long press either button: Play/pause music

Customize Volume Skip Interval

The default skip interval when long pressing the volume buttons on Android is usually set to 5 seconds. This means you need to hold the volume button for 5 seconds before it skips to the next track. If you want to customize this interval to be shorter or longer, you have a couple options:

Some Android skins like Samsung One UI allow you to adjust the skip interval in the Settings. Look for an option like “Volume key shortcut” where you can change the long press duration. Not all devices have this built-in setting though.

Alternatively, you can install third-party apps from the Play Store that offer more customization over the volume button skips. Apps like Volumee and Button Mapper allow you to set a precise long press duration, along with other volume button shortcuts.

So if you want more granular control over how long to hold the volume buttons to skip tracks, third-party apps provide the most options. Just search for “volume button” apps in the Play Store and test out a few to see which one works best for your needs.

Troubleshooting

If the volume button skips are not working properly, try some troubleshooting steps:

– Restart your Android phone: Sometimes restarting the device can resolve temporary software issues. Simply turn your phone fully off, then back on. Then test the volume button skips again. [1]

– Check app permissions: Make sure apps like your music player, audio streaming service, and Android system apps have the proper permissions to change audio playback and access the media player controls. Enable all relevant permissions related to media, audio, and hardware control. [2]

– Test with wired headphones: Try connecting wired headphones or earbuds and testing the volume button skips. In some cases, it’s an issue with the phone’s internal speakers and the controls will work properly with wired headphones connected directly to the headphone jack.

If you have tried the above solutions and are still facing issues, you may need to contact the device manufacturer for further troubleshooting help tailored to your specific phone model.

Conclusion

In summary, you can easily use your Android device’s volume buttons to skip tracks when listening to music. Just go into your phone’s settings or install a third party app like Button Mapper to enable media controls for the volume buttons.

Set up single, double, or long presses to skip forward or back by various intervals. Test it out in your favorite music player app to dial in the controls to your liking.

If you have any trouble getting volume button track skipping to work properly, try toggling other media control options off and restarting the device. As a last resort, you can reset app preferences.

With everything correctly set up, you’ll be able to seamlessly skip songs without ever taking your phone out. Just use those handy volume buttons! It makes music control much more convenient.