Home

How to Turn Your iPad or iPhone into a Wi-Fi Party Jukebox That Anyone Can Add Songs To

I've had the thankless duty of choosing the music for far too many get-togethers, and no matter how good you think your music taste is, or how many new tracks you have on your iPhone or iPod, you will never—ever—satisfy everyone.

You're more likely to hear, "What the heck is this?" or "Isn't this song like 10 years old?" than a simple "Good choice."

So, in order to avoid ever being stuck in this terrible position again, you can download GrouPlay from the App Store and crowdsource your playlists so it's everybody's fault when someone doesn't like what's playing!

Mobile app interface for joining a social network with a play button graphic.

Image Credit apple.com

Add music to your SnugPlay list from your iTunes library.

Image Credit apple.com

With GrouPlay, everyone can contribute to music inventory. Of course, in order for this to work, anyone who wants to contribute will also have to install the app.

GrouPlay allows a user to create a session over a Wi-Fi connection. All phones on that same Wi-Fi network can now join that session and add their own music to the music already listed. Songs can be sent to the device that created the session and added to the playlist. It's kinda like creating a small file-sharing network.

The great thing about using this method is that you will have more than enough music for your next party. Plus, people in the group can actually vote for the next song. This way, you never have to hear anyone complain since they can pick the songs themselves. The phone that started the session will be the phone that is plugged into the speakers.

Settings menu of a mobile application with options for removing ads, session name, session password, help, and support, along with version information.

The app is free but does contain ads. If you want to have zero interruptions you can get an upgrade for $1.99.

A nice alternative for those who don't have an Apple device, or simply would rather use Spotify for music, is Spartify.

How to Turn Your iPad or iPhone into a Wi-Fi Party Jukebox That Anyone Can Add Songs To

Spartify is a web app that uses your Spotify account to host a playlist. Other friends with Spotify can join your party and add their own songs into the playlist queue. All they need to know to join is the party code, which is given to you once you create a group.

Know of any other great music apps for groups? Let us know in the comments below.

Cover photo by Novac Florin/Shutterstock

You already know how to use your phone. With our newsletter, we'll show you how to master it. Each week, we explore features, hidden tools, and advanced settings that give you more control over iOS and Android than most users even know exists.