iOS: How to Edit a Playlist’s Image

By default, playlists within the Music app use the albums’ artwork as their identifying image.

iPhone Music app Playlists Screen

If that’s not very awesome to you, switch it up! You can take a picture to use there or grab one from your Photos library, so here’s all you’ve gotta do. (This walkthrough is for the iPhone, but the iPad instructions are similar.)

First, open the Music app, and then click on the “Library” tab so that you can visit the “Playlists” section:

Choosing Playlists from the Library Tab in Music on the iPhone

Once you’re there, touch the one you’d like to change the picture on…

Playlists Screen on the iPhone in Music showing album covers

…and then tap the “Edit” button on the subsequent screen.

Edit Button in a Music Playlist on iPhone lets you choose photos for custom thumbnail art

If you make fun of the music in this playlist, I’ll…well…I won’t be able to do anything. There’s probably nothing that can justify my musical tastes, anyhow.

Anyway, within this editing mode, you’ll see a small photo icon appear on the playlist’s image, so touch that.

Tap the Camera Icon when editing a Playlists album art to change the image

And you’ll be given an option to either take a photo or choose one from your library.

You can take or choose a photo to replace the Playlist album art in the Music app

I personally am gonna select one from my library, because why on earth would I want a picture of my face or my apartment as the image for one of my playlists?! I dunno. Once I’m done with my picking, though, I’ll see my chosen photo as the new playlist icon, and I can click “Done” to finish the job.

Tap the Done Button after selecting a custom Playlist image to set the album art in the Music app

Then I’ll be able to enjoy my new fancified playlist out on the main screen.

Music Playlist Screen Updated with new custom album art

Let’s pretend that rocks are just what I was looking for with this playlist, all right?

When you’ve finished, know too that the change will sync to your other devices if you’re using iCloud Music Library. This, for example, is on my Mac:

Playlist on Mac showing custom album art synced from iPhone

Yup. Rocks. Perfect. Am I trying to say that this playlist rocks? Or was my choice totally random because this was the first nonembarrasing picture I ran across? You decide.

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