YouTube Music is quietly testing one of the most requested features in the history of music listening: searching for songs within a playlist.
Initial sightings indicate that the experiment is live for a very small number of iOS users, with the feature denoted as “Find in Playlist.” It sounds more like a limited, server-side rollout to an app update than an entirely new app from Google.
What’s emerging, where and when for YouTube Music’s test
Several reports across Reddit’s various music communities suggest the feature can be found via the overflow menu on playlist pages in the YouTube Music app, labeled “Find in Playlist.” One user mentioned version 8.45.3 on iOS, and another noted seeing it in India.
Other users on both iOS and Android say they do not yet have the toggle, suggesting the test is enabled via a server-side flag rather than a specific app version.
For now, the control appears to be limited to playlists—radio stations or auto-generated mixes don’t seem to be included. That difference is significant: Radios are assembled dynamically, but playlists are static lists that can be read quickly. If the test follows Google’s typical Android test gauntlet, a broader release would come after performance tracking and feedback, possibly expanding to Android during a later wave.
Why playlist search matters for YouTube Music listeners
For heavy playlisters, “search” is no longer a convenience layer—it’s table stakes. “Playlists can include up to 5,000 videos,” says YouTube’s own Help documentation, and power users frequently run up against that ceiling with saved tracks, live performances, or user-uploaded versions. Without in‑playlist search, it often means scrolling forever for that remix or collaboration, or outright giving up the chase.
Competitors have set expectations here. Spotify allows in‑playlist filtering by track and artist; Apple Music has a “Filter” field for big lists. YouTube Music’s absence has long felt at odds with its audience size. Google said earlier this year that subscriptions to YouTube Music and Premium exceeded 100 million globally. Hitting that scale involves smoothing out everyday tasks—such as quickly surfacing a song you know is buried in your “gym” or “deep cuts” playlist.
Previously, desktop users could rely on third‑party browser extensions to fill the void, and mobile listeners had no native option. A first‑party search in playlists provides feature parity and less dependency on workarounds that can break with changes to the website’s layout.
How it probably works under the hood on YouTube Music
Something as straightforward as search within playlists isn’t so straightforward; the catalog of material on YouTube Music is what makes it complicated. Playlists can include official label content, user uploads, regional variants, as well as live performances. A good filter should index multiple metadata fields (title, artist, album, etc.) and, at minimum, cope with partial matches.
Google could approach this in two directions. A device‑side index would mean searching is always lightning‑fast, even without an internet connection, and it could cache metadata for every item in the playlist. A server‑side index is easier to maintain and share between clients but always depends on network latency and connectivity. A hybrid approach—light local cache, heavy lifting in the cloud—would likely optimize for speed and scale, given YouTube’s common architectural scenario of very large libraries.
Another complicating factor is deduplication and alternate versions. YouTube Music often surfaces numerous uploads of the same song. Smart search might lift official tracks while still showing fan uploads and live takes if that’s clearly what a user types. Even small tweaks could help the service deliver better precision when users know what they want, without inundating them with the most commercial results that lack erudition.
How to know if you have it in your YouTube Music app
If you’re enrolled in the test, open any playlist within the YouTube Music app and tap the three‑dot menu. Look for “Find in Playlist,” then type a song, artist, or keyword to narrow the results.
If you don’t see it, updating to the newest version of the app could help, though as is often the case with server‑side rollouts, there’s no single switch guaranteed to flip. Force‑quitting the app or signing out and back in might refresh eligibility, but success may be inconsistent during A/B tests.
Some Android phone owners say they have yet to see the feature. In the past, Google has launched mobile products in stages, beginning with one platform or region to gather insights and then adjusting its plans. If performance and engagement numbers are good, expect a slow ramp into the product.
What this test means for the future of YouTube Music
Playlist search is part of a larger trend toward quality‑of‑life improvements on YouTube Music, which has introduced new features like live lyrics, a redesigned Library, and fresh discovery tools. As the service matures—it has introduced playlists specifically for barbecues, studying, and other activities—attention is turning from marquee launches to careful fixes that make listening easier for ordinary people.
The test is tiny, but the signal it sends is not: Google is finally working to close a gap that power users have pointed out for years. If a wider rollout goes well, then searching the gargantuan lists of tracks for that one demo or rare cut will finally be as simple as typing and playing—no extensions, no guessing.