Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones have had a music player app since their introduction. In Google Play, look for Samsung Music from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Today, however, the music player app is no longer pre-installed on all Samsung devices, but can be found in both the Google Play Store and Samsung’s Galaxy Store (if your phone is running one of its operating systems).
The music player app has been offered for quite some time. However, it’s important to note that it will not always be available. While Android 5.0 and above should support installation, older Galaxy devices are not guaranteed compatibility.
This article describes how to install and use Samsung’s Music app, with a focus on local files.
What does the Samsung Music app offer?
If you already have an SD card or USB storage device containing audio tracks, those audio files may appear within the Music app without any additional steps being taken by you. Otherwise, save the audio files to your device; the app will automatically find them when opened, once storage access is granted.
However, there are a few things worth knowing before proceeding:
Lawfully obtained audio that you’ve saved on your device will automatically enter the Music library when you open the app, provided it has file access. You need to grant that permission when prompted on first launch.
When you ask for file access, it will be done for the purposes of storing and playing music and audio files, reading SD card data, etc.
Every time the app opens, it searches your saved device files, automatically adding any music that it finds to the library.
Playback controls and playlists
You’ll begin playback by tapping a track, with basic playback controls located at the bottom of the screen. If you tap the name of the track, it opens the full music player. Swipe left or right to see what playlists are available; if none are displayed, there should be a “+” icon that you can tap to create a playlist. You can create one through Playlists, give it a name, select the tracks you want, and tap Done to save it.
There are also named playback formats that can be used, such as MP3, AAC and FLAC, though this list is not exhaustive and supported file formats depend upon your device. The app offers a number of different options, depending on how your device has been configured. It’s possible that your version will be different.
Missing songs and playback problems
If your device doesn’t find the song you’re looking for, or doesn’t play back properly, there might be several reasons for that. It could be that the file wasn’t actually saved on the device, that it’s locked down via file access permissions, that the device doesn’t support that particular file format, or that the app itself has a bug that needs to be resolved.
It’s best to check for each possibility before assuming that it’s a problem with the app itself. A simple update may resolve things. This isn’t guaranteed to recover lost audio, but it’s worth checking out.
Spotify recommendations and your local library
Finally, don’t confuse the Spotify tab with the actual library of audio files you’ve stored on your own device. Spotify playlist recommendations are available through a separate tab — one which is only available in countries where Spotify operates. Your own collection of music files, by contrast, will appear as part of the main library, and is automatically discovered every time the app is opened.
[Note: This article was published earlier, prior to the availability of the latest software updates to the Galaxy series. Please refer to Samsung’s official support page for updated details regarding app availability.]