Friday 6 January 2012

Adding Music to RunDouble

A common question we get at RunDouble is "How do I add music to the app".

Use RunDouble to play music from your phone

RunDouble uses the music stored on your phone, that is available in the Android Music player. It will also use any playlists you have created in the Android Music player. Other players, such as Google Music, often store playlists in different locations, and RunDouble is not able to read these playlists, however, it can use the music, so long as it is stored on the phone or SD card.

First of all, you have to get the music onto your phone. This varies from phone to phone, so you should consult with your device manufacturer, or phone manual. There are typically two ways you can do this:
  1. Remove the SD card, and put it in a card-reader. Then copy the music onto it. 
  2. Plug the phone in to your PC, using a USB cable. Sometimes this will automatically mount a drive, or Android will give you the option to mount it as a drive (depending on version). Copy the music to the drive.
No put the SD card back in, or unplug the phone. Open your music player and make sure you can play music.

Now, go into RunDouble. Click the "Edit Playlists" button at the bottom of the screen. The tabs at the top show Albums, Artists, Songs and Playlists. Using the first three tabs, browse for the tracks you want to add to your running playlist. Now, add them to a playlist:
  1. Tap and hold a track.
  2. Select "Add to playlist"
  3. Either choose and existing playlists, or tap "New" to create a new one.
  4. If a new playlist, enter the name, and press "Save"
  5. Continue to add songs to the playlists. 
You can also add whole albums and artists to a playlist at a time.

Now return to the RunDouble main screen. You should see your new playlist listed in the drop-down. Select it.

Using an external player

If you prefer to use a player such as DoubleTwist, Last FM, or Pandora Radio, then RunDouble will work in conjunction with these music apps. Simply open up your desired music app, either before, or immediately after starting your run, and start the music playing.

RunDouble sends a signal to music apps, requesting them to pause, or dip the volume during the announcements. Most recently updated music apps will honour this request.