The rollout is happening server-side
The new sorting feature in action | Image by Android Headlines
The new feature isn’t widely available just yet, as it appears to be rolling out gradually from the server-side. As first spotted by PiunikaWeb, a few lucky users on Reddit have started seeing the new toggle options.
The report notes that the sorting options popped up on YouTube Music version 9.20.52. However, because other users on that exact same version still don’t have it, we’re looking at a phase release, meaning it might take a couple of days before the feature becomes available to all YouTube Music users.
YouTube Music is trying to match Spotify
While adding a few alphabetical filters might seem like a minor tweak on paper, this could prove to be a very important and useful feature in reality.
Competitors such as Spotify and Apple Music have had alphabetical sorting for quite a while now. Many YouTube fans have been vocal about the missing feature on forums and chats, saying it should’ve been there from day one. But let’s not live in the past, the feature is coming as I type this, so YouTube Music should become easier to use.
For every new feature, a new bug…
Well, this might seem like a comic relief bit, but the annoying bug where YouTube Music fails to start the next song and leaves you in awkward silence is quite real.
There are a couple of things you can do. A classic reboot of the system has been reported to cure the issue for some users.
Then there’s a deeper fix you could try. Go to Settings and toggle the switch Stream only via Wi-Fi. Then force close the app and launch it again.
If none of the above fixes work, waiting for an official fix is the best (and the sole remaining) strategy.
