How do you skip songs on Samsung?

Samsung devices provide several easy ways to skip songs while listening to music. Whether you’re using the stock music player, a streaming service, or another audio app, there are methods to quickly skip tracks without interrupting your listening experience. From shortcuts on the lock screen and now playing interface, to gestures and hardware controls, Samsung gives you options to skip ahead.

This guide will cover the main ways to skip songs on Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets. We’ll look at skipping from the lock screen, now playing screen, notification panel, as well as with Bixby voice commands and buttons on wireless earbuds. With so many options, you can choose the skipping method that works best for you.

From the Lock Screen

One easy way to skip songs on Samsung devices is directly from the lock screen, without having to unlock your phone first. When music is playing, the lock screen will display the song title and artist name, along with playback controls.

To skip to the next song from the lock screen, simply double tap on the song title or artist name. This will advance you to the next track in the playlist or album (1).

You can also swipe left or right anywhere on the lock screen with two fingers to change tracks (2). This allows quick skipping without having to precisely tap the text.

This feature works with apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and others. It provides a handy way to skip songs without turning on your display or navigating through menus.

From the Now Playing Screen

You can easily skip songs directly from the Now Playing screen in the Samsung Music app. When a song is playing, tap the album artwork at the bottom to open the Now Playing screen. Here you will see playback controls like play/pause, previous track, and next track.

To skip to the next song, simply tap the skip forward icon on the right side of the playback controls. The icon looks like two arrows pointing to the right. Tapping this will advance you to the next song in the playlist or album.

You can also tap the skip backwards icon on the left side to go back to the previous song. The backwards skip icon is two arrows pointing to the left.

So when you want to skip songs and move ahead in your playlist, just open the Now Playing screen and tap the skip forward icon. It provides a quick and easy way to skip tracks right from the main playback interface of the Samsung Music app.

Using Gestures

One of the easiest ways to skip tracks on your Samsung device is by using gestures. Most Samsung devices allow you to simply swipe left or right on the screen to skip to the previous or next track.

When music is playing, swipe your finger from left to right across the screen to skip to the next song. The track will immediately advance to the next song in the playlist or album.

Likewise, you can swipe from right to left to go back and replay the previous song. The track will skip back one song.

This gesture works from anywhere on the screen, so you don’t need to precisely swipe on the album art or music playback bar. Just swipe broadly across the display.

Gestures make it quick and easy to skip around in your playlist or album without needing to wake your device or open any apps. As soon as you swipe, the song will change.

Note that you need to use a light quick swipe rather than a slow drag. Also, this feature must be enabled in your device settings for it to work.

Using Hardware Buttons

Most Samsung Galaxy devices have dedicated hardware buttons that can be used to control music playback and skip tracks.

The volume keys on the side of the device can be used to skip tracks when the screen is off or when you are in another app. Simply press the volume up key to skip to the next track, and the volume down key to go back to the previous track. This allows you to easily skip songs without needing to unlock your phone or open the music app.

According to Samsung’s support article “Control Media and Devices on your Galaxy phone,” “You can use the Volume key to play, pause, or skip tracks when the screen is locked or turned off” https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00084723/

This useful hardware feature makes it quick and convenient to skip around your music library while on the go, without fiddling with the touchscreen.

From the Notification Panel

When music or other media is playing on your Samsung device, a media notification appears in the notification panel. To skip tracks from the notification panel:

Expand the media notification by swiping down from the top of the screen to fully open the notification panel. Then tap on the media notification to expand it.

This will reveal playback controls. Tap the skip button, which is an icon of two arrows pointing right, to skip to the next track in the playlist or queue.

The media notification allows quick access to skipping tracks without needing to open the music app. It’s useful when you want to skip songs while using other apps or when the phone is locked.

To customize the media notification behavior, open Settings and go to Notifications > Advanced settings. Here you can toggle whether the media playback notification appears and customize its appearance.

With Bixby

One way to easily skip songs on Samsung devices is by using the Bixby voice assistant. Bixby comes pre-installed on most Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets, and can be activated by pressing the Side key or saying “Hi Bixby”. You can then issue voice commands to control music playback.

To skip to the next song, simply say “Next song”, “Play next song”, or “Skip song”. Bixby will move ahead to the next track in the playlist or album. You can also skip multiple songs by saying “Skip 3 songs” or “Fast forward 5 songs”.

According to Samsung’s support page^[1], you first need to activate Bixby and then say a command like “Pause music” to stop playback. After that, you can say “Next song” or “Skip song” to move ahead.

On Reddit^[2] users mention using Sound Assistant to customize the Side key to skip tracks when pressed twice. This allows easy skipping without needing to speak to Bixby.

Bixby makes it quick and convenient to skip songs hands-free using only your voice. It works with compatible music apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and others. Just activate Bixby and say “Next song” to easily skip ahead.

With Third-Party Apps

Many users choose third-party music streaming apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, etc. instead of using the default Samsung Music player. However, some users have reported songs skipping sporadically when using these apps on certain Samsung devices.

One commonly reported culprit is the battery optimization feature in Samsung devices. When enabled for music apps, it can sometimes kill the app in the background causing playback to stop. Go to Settings > Apps > Special access > Optimize battery usage and make sure to disable battery optimization for Spotify, YouTube Music and other streaming apps you use.

Issues have also been noted with the Exynos chipset used in certain regions. There are complaints of regular skipping and inconsistent playback with Exynos models (source). Using a different music app like Spotify instead of YouTube Music may help in this case.

Trying a different high quality pair of headphones or speakers can also resolve skipping problems. Disable any audio enhancements or sound effects applied by the streaming app or phone as well. Overall, third-party music playback works well on Galaxy devices but app-specific settings and hardware differences can lead to hiccups.

On Smartwatches

When listening to music on a compatible Samsung Galaxy Watch, there are a few ways to skip songs directly from your smartwatch without needing to take out your phone.

If you are using the default Music app on your Galaxy Watch, you can press the forward or back buttons on the watch to skip to the next or previous track. The exact location of these controls may vary by watch model, but they are typically found as physical buttons on the side of the watch case.

You can also skip songs by swiping left or right on the Music app screen on your Galaxy Watch. Swipe left to skip to the next song, or swipe right to go back to the previous song. This provides a quick gesture-based way to skip tracks.

If you are using a third party music app like Spotify, the app may also include on-screen skip buttons within the watch app interface itself. Look for skip track buttons on the Spotify app screen. Pressing these will move you forward or backward in your playlist or queue.

Finally, if you are using wireless Bluetooth headphones paired to your Galaxy Watch, pressing the hardware controls on the headphones can also skip tracks. Consult your headphone manual, but there are often buttons to skip forward or back.

So in summary, using the physical buttons, on-screen controls, gestures, and third party apps, you have many options to easily skip music tracks directly on your Samsung Galaxy Watch without needing to handle your phone.[1]

Conclusion

There are several methods to skip tracks on Samsung devices. From the lock screen, you can double tap the clock and use the media controls. When a track is playing, you can skip from the Now Playing screen by tapping the next or previous icons. Gestures like swiping or tapping can skip tracks in certain apps. Hardware buttons like the volume keys often have skip functions too. The notification panel has media controls to skip tracks. Bixby voice commands let you tell your phone to skip the current song. And third party apps like Spotify have their own skip options. Lastly for smartwatches, you can skip from the playback screen or with buttons.

In summary, whether using the built-in controls, gestures, voice, or third party apps, Samsung devices offer various convenient ways to skip unwanted tracks and move on to the next song.