How to create a playlist in AIMP on Android: a complete guide with pictures and life hacks

Music playlists in AIMP on Android are not just a list of tracks, but a powerful tool for organizing your collection. Unlike standard players, AIMP offers flexible settings, support for formats without conversion and even synchronization between devices. But many users encounter problems: either the playlist is not saved, or the tracks disappear after a reboot, or it is not clear how to add music from the cloud.

In this article we will look all methods of creating playlists in AIMP for Android - from basic adding tracks to advanced features like dynamic playlists and automatic updates. You'll learn how to avoid common mistakes (for example, why playlists in *.m3u format may not open on some versions of Android 13+), how to transfer your collection from your computer, and how to set up autoplay when you connect headphones. And at the end - answers to frequently asked questions and a life hack to speed up the application.

1. Installation and initial setup of AIMP on Android

Before creating playlists, you need to properly install and configure the application itself. AIMP for Android available in Google Play and on the official website of the developer. Please note: the version from Play Market may lag behind the latest beta version on the site, which often adds new features for working with playlists.

After installation:

• 📱 Launch the application and grant access to Storage (required!) and Media files (optional, but recommended for automatic scanning of music).
• ⚙️ Go to Settings → Folders and add paths to folders with music. AIMP will scan them and create a database of tracks.
• 🔄 In the section Settings → Playlists select the saving format: .m3u (standard) or .aimppl (with support for additional tags).

⚠️ Attention: If you use Android 11+, the system may restrict access to folders. In this case, add music folders manually via Settings → Storage → Advanced.

AIMP's media scanner is faster than standard players, but if you have a large collection (10,000+ tracks), the first launch may take 5-10 minutes. To speed up the process:

• 🚀 Disable cover scanning in Settings → Library → Covers.
• 📁 Exclude folders with podcasts or audiobooks from scanning (they are not needed in music playlists).

2. Ways to create a playlist in AIMP: from simple to complex

There is AIMP for Android There is 4 main methods creating a playlist. The choice depends on whether you need a temporary collection or a permanent collection with synchronization.

Method 1: Quick playlist from current tracks

The simplest method is to create a playlist from tracks that are currently are playing:

1. Start playing any track.
2. Click on the three dots next to the track name → Add to playlist → New playlist.
3. Enter the name and click Save.

Such a playlist will be saved in the section Playlists and will be available even after the device is rebooted.

Method 2: Manually selecting tracks from the library

If necessary collect a playlist from different albums:

1. Go to the section Library → Tracks.
2. Hold your finger on the first track, then mark the rest.
3. Tap on the playlist icon at the bottom of the screen → Create a new one.

Method 3: Importing ready-made playlists (.m3u, .pls)

AIMP supports importing playlists from other players. To do this:

1. Copy the playlist file (for example, myplaylist.m3u) to the folder AIMP/Playlists on your phone.
2. In the application, press Playlists → Import and select the file.

⚠️ Attention: If the paths to the tracks in the imported playlist are absolute (for example, C:\Music\...), AIMP will not be able to find them. Use relative paths or edit the file manually.

Method 4: Dynamic playlists (automatic update)

This is an advanced feature that allows you to create playlists according to rules, for example:

• 🎵 All tracks with a 5 star rating.
• 🕒 Songs added in the last 2 weeks.
• 🎤 Only tracks from a specific artist.

To create a dynamic playlist:

1. Go to Playlists → Create → Dynamic playlist.
2. Set filtering conditions (click + Add rule).
3. Save and update the playlist - the tracks will be pulled up automatically.

Update AIMP to the latest version

Grant all file permissions

Scan your music library

Check the format of imported playlists (.m3u or .aimppl)

Create a backup copy of important playlists (export to file)

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3. Editing playlists: sorting, deleting, moving

Creating a playlist is half the battle. Often you need edit. itto change the order of tracks, remove duplicates or add cover art.

How to change the order of tracks

There are two ways:

• 🔄 Manual sorting: hold the track and drag it to the desired location.
• 📊 Auto sort: click on the three dots in the playlist → Sort by → select a criterion (title, artist, album, duration).

Remove duplicates

If in the playlist contains identical tracks:

1. Open the playlist.
2. Click on the three dots → Tools → Remove duplicates.
3. Select by what parameters to identify duplicates (title, artist, duration).

Adding a playlist cover

To make the playlist look beautiful in the library:

1. Open the playlist.
2. Click on the three dots → Properties.
3. Select Change cover and upload an image from the gallery or download from the Internet.

Action	Method 1	Method 2
Delete a track from the playlist	Swipe left on the track → Delete	Hold the track → click on cart
Copy tracks to another playlist	Select tracks → Copy to → select playlist	Drag tracks in the side menu to the desired one playlist
Export playlist	Three dots → Export → select format (.m3u or .aimppl)	Via PC: copy the file from AIMP/Playlists

4. Synchronizing playlists between devices

One of the strengths AIMP is the ability to synchronize playlists between Android, Windows and even iOS (via cloud). This is convenient if you listen to music on your phone, tablet and computer.

Synchronization via cloud services

AIMP supports Google Drive, Dropbox, Yandex Disk other clouds. To set up synchronization:

1. In the AIMP settings, select Synchronization → Cloud storage.
2. Log in to your cloud service.
3. Specify the folder for synchronizing playlists (for example, AIMP/Playlists).
4. Enable the option Auto-sync when changing.

Synchronization via local network (Wi-Fi)

If you have a home server or NAS:

• 🖥️ On a computer c AIMP for Windows enable Server → Web server.
• 📱 On your phone in the AIMP settings, add the network path to the folder with playlists (for example, \\192.168.1.100\Music\Playlists).
• 🔄 Enable automatic updating of playlists when connected to this network.

⚠️ Attention: When synchronizing via the cloud paths to tracks in the playlist must be relative (for example, Music/Rock/...), otherwise AIMP will not find files on another device.

What to do if the playlist does not sync?

Check the Internet connection on both devices.

Update AIMP to the latest version (older versions had bugs with the cloud synchronization).

Make sure there is enough space on the cloud disk.

Try to manually export the playlist to a file and upload it to the cloud.

If you are using Wi-Fi synchronization, check that the computer and phone are on the same network.

5. AIMP and their solutions

Even in such a reliable player as AIMPsometimes there are problems with playlists. Here are the most common errors ways to fix them:

Problem 1: The playlist is empty after reboot

Causes and solutions:

• 📁 The path to the music folder is not saved: check the settings Settings → Folders and add the folders again.
• 🔄 Cache failure: clear the AIMP cache in Android settings (Settings → Applications → AIMP → Storage → Clear cache).
• 📱 Limitations of Android 13+: provide AIMP permission to manage all files (Settings → Applications → Special access → Manage all files).

Problem 2: Tracks in the playlist do not play

Most often this happens due to:

• 🔊 Wrong paths: if the playlist is imported from another device, the paths to the tracks may be incorrect. Correct them manually via Playlist → Properties → Edit paths.
• 🎵 Unsupported formats: AIMP supports most formats, but if the track is in a rare codec (for example, APE or FLAC 24-bit), conversion may be required.
• 📵 DRM restrictions: some tracks from streaming services (for example, Tidal or Qobuz) are not played in third-party players.

Problem 3: The playlist slows down when scrolling

This is relevant for large playlists (1000+ tracks). Solutions:

• 🚀 Disable animations in the interface settings.
• 🗑️ Clear playback history (Settings → History → Clear).
• 📵 Reduce the number of displayed columns in the playlist (leave only the title, artist and duration).

6. Advanced features: dynamic playlists, hotkeys, etc. automation

AIMP on Android supports functions that many users are not even aware of. Here are a few life hacks for experienced users:

Dynamic playlists by rules

You can create a playlist that automatically updated according to specified criteria. For example:

• 🌟 "Best of the month": tracks with a rating of 4–5 stars, listened to in the last 30 days.
• 🎧 "For training": tracks with a tempo of 120–140 BPM (indicated in file tags).
• 🕒 "Evening chill": tracks with genre Ambient or Chillout, lasting more than 5 minutes.

To create such a rule:

1. Go to Playlists → Create → Dynamic playlist.
2. Add conditions (for example, Genre → Contains → Chillout).
3. Save and enable automatic updating.

Hotkeys and gestures

AIMP supports gestures and hardware buttons to control:

• 🎵 Double tap on the screen: switching tracks (configurable in Settings → Controls → Gestures).
• 🔊 Volume buttons: can be assigned to rewind or change the playback tempo.
• 🔄 Shaking the phone: to switch tracks (enabled in gesture settings).

Automation with Tasker

Using the application Tasker you can automate the work of AIMP. Examples:

• 🎧 Automatically launch a playlist "For running" when connecting Bluetooth headphones.
• 🚗 Pause playback when connected to the car's Bluetooth (and resume when disconnected).
• 🕒 Reduce the volume at night (from 23:00 to 7:00).

To do this, create a task with an action Tasker create a task with an action Media Control → Play/Pause/Stop and specify package com.aimp.player.

7. computer on Android

If you already have a collection of playlists in AIMP for Windows, you can transfer it to your phone. Here 3 proven methods:

Method 1: Through the cloud storage

The simplest method:

1. On your computer, export playlists in the format .m3u or .aimppl (via File → Manage playlists → Export).
2. Upload playlist files and the tracks themselves to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox).
3. On your phone in AIMP, press Playlists → Import and select files from the cloud.

Method 2: Direct synchronization via Wi-Fi

If the computer and phone are on the same network:

1. On the computer in AIMP, enable Server → Web server.
2. On the phone, enter the IP address of the computer in the AIMP settings (Settings → Synchronization → Local network).
3. Select playlists to synchronize and wait for completion.

Method 3: Via USB cable

Suitable if you have a lot of music and slow Internet:

1. Connect your phone to the computer via USB.
2. Copy the music folder and playlist files (.m3u) to AIMP/Playlists on the phone.
3. In AIMP on the phone, press Update library.

⚠️ Attention: When transferring playlists from a computer be sure to check the paths to the tracks. If the music was in D:\Music\on the computer, and in /storage/emulated/0/Music/on the phone, the playlist will not work. manually in a text editor.

8. Optimizing AIMP for large playlists

If you have a collection of 10,000+ tracks, AIMP may start to slow down:

Performance settings

Open Settings → Performance and:

• 🔄 Disable Automatic update of covers.
• 🗑️ Reduce Cover cache to 50 MB.
• 📁 Disable scanning folders with podcasts and audiobooks.

Optimizing playlists

For large playlists:

• 📋 Break them into several smaller ones (for example, by genre).
• 🔍 Use playlist search instead of scrolling.
• 📵 Disable the display of covers in the track list.

Clearing the cache

Regularly clear the AIMP cache:

1. Go to Settings → About → Clear cache.
2. Also clear the cache via Android settings (Settings → Applications → AIMP → Storage → Clear cache).

Problem	Cause	Solution
AIMP slows down when opening a playlist	Too many tracks (5000+)	Split into several playlists of 1000 tracks
Covers take a long time to load	Slow Internet or large images	Disable loading of covers or reduce their size
Playlist is not updated	Automatic synchronization is disabled	Enable in Settings → Synchronization
Tracks are played in the wrong order	Default sorting (by title)	Change sorting in playlist properties

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about playlists in AIMP on Android

🔍 How to transfer playlists from Poweramp to AIMP?

Poweramp saves playlists in the folder Poweramp/playlists in the format .m3u. Copy these files to AIMP/Playlists on your phone, then in AIMP press Playlists → Import and select the files. If the paths to the tracks do not match, correct them manually in a text editor.

🎵 Is it possible to create a playlist from tracks from YouTube?

Directly in AIMP - no, but you can:

1. Download tracks from YouTube via Snaptube or NewPipe (in the format .mp3).
2. Add them to the AIMP library.
3. Create a playlist in the standard way.

Please note: downloading music from YouTube may violate copyright.

📱 Why do playlists disappear after updating AIMP?

This happens if:

• The update was interrupted (playlist files are damaged).
• The paths to the music folders have changed.
• Reset application settings.

Solution: restore playlists from backup (AIMP/Backups) or create them again.

🔄 How to make a playlist autoplay when headphones are connected?

Enable this function in settings:

1. Go to Settings → Playback → Autoplay.
2. Select When connecting headphones.
3. Specify a playlist for autorun.

If the function does not work, check the permissions for AIMP in the Android settings (access to Bluetooth devices).

📁 Is it possible to save the playlist to an SD card?

Yes, but you need to:

1. In the AIMP settings, specify the path to the folder on SD card (Settings → Folders → Add folder).
2. When exporting a playlist, select saving to an SD card.

Please note: on some Android 11+ devices, access to the SD card is limited. In this case, use internal memory.