Katarzyna Petru
YouTube Music started testing an option that should have been in the app since day one — searching within playlists. A simple thing, yet it has been one of the biggest shortcomings compared to the competition for years.
The first signals appeared on Reddit. A user from India discovered in version 8.45.3 on iOS a new option "Find in Playlist", finally allowing users to search their own playlists. Unfortunately, the feature does not yet include saved "radios".
And here is where the fun begins: even though we are talking about the official version of the app, most people — both on Android and iOS — do not see this option at all. We also checked the same version in India and… nothing. Zero. Google typically launches a very narrow A/B test before showing something to the world.
The feature that should have been in the app a long time ago
Sounds trivial? Probably. But if you have playlists with hundreds or thousands of tracks, you know how frustrating it was to manually sift through them.
Until now, the only method of searching in playlists was… browser extensions on desktop. In the mobile app, it wasn't even possible to create the simplest filter.
That's why this move is a true "finally" for many users.
How is it supposed to work when it finally reaches everyone?
After full implementation, the “Find in Playlist” option should appear in the menu with three dots next to each playlist. You click, type in the song, artist, or phrase — and that's it.
Zero endless scrolling, zero guessing where a particular track is “hiding.”
It's a small feature, but for people with large playlists, it can completely change the way they use YouTube Music.
