Smart & Connected Life iPods & MP3 Players 47 47 people found this article helpful How to Control the 3rd Generation iPod Shuffle The remote control on your headphone cable does all the work for you by Sam Costello Writer Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Sam Costello Updated on February 08, 2021 Tweet Share Email iPods & MP3 Players Working From Home Headphones & Ear Buds Smart Home Smart Watches & Wearables Travel Tech Connected Car Tech iPods & MP3 Players What to Know The status light on the top of the Shuffle gives visual feedback to confirm actions.The 3rd generation Shuffles uses the inline remote control built into the included headphones.The remote includes three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a center button. This article explains how to control the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Additional information covers how to use it within a podcast or audiobook. Want to know more about the 3rd Gen. Shuffle than just how to control it? Learn virtually everything there is to know from Apple's iPod Shuffle manuals. Get the right manual for your Shuffle model here. How to Control the Third Generation iPod Shuffle The status light on the top of the Shuffle gives visual feedback that confirms your actions. The light turns green to provide most feedback, though it also turns orange in a few cases. Rather than using buttons on the body of the iPod, the 3rd Generation Shuffle uses the inline remote control built into the included headphones (other headphones with remotes also work). That remote includes three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a center button. While three buttons may seem limited, they actually provide a good set of options for the Shuffle, since it doesn't have too many features anyway. Use a headphone remote to control the Third Generation iPod Shuffle in these ways: Raise and Lower iPod Shuffle Volume Use the volume up and down buttons to adjust volume. The status light blinks green when the volume is changed. It blinks orange three times when you hit the highest or lowest volume to let you know you can't go any further. Play Audio Click the center button on the remote once. The status light blinks green once to let you know you've succeeded. Pause Audio While audio is playing, click the center button once. The status light blinks green for about 30 seconds to indicate the audio is paused. Fast Forward Within a Song/Podcast/Audiobook Double-click the center button and hold it. The status light blinks green once. Go Back Within a Song/Podcast/Audiobook Triple-click the center button and hold it. The status light blinks green once. Skip a Song or Audiobook Chapter Double-click the center button and then let it go. The status light blinks green once. Go Back to the Last Song or Audiobook Chapter Triple-click the center button and let it go. The status light blinks green once. To skip to the previous track, you must do this within the first 6 seconds of a new song starting. After the first 6 seconds, the triple click takes you back to the beginning of the current track. Then, another triple click will return you to the last song. Hear the Name of the Current Song and Artist Click and hold the center button until the Shuffle announces the name. The status light blinks green once. Move Between Playlists on the iPod Shuffle This is probably the trickiest thing to do on this Shuffle model. If you've synced several playlists to your Shuffle, change the one you're listening to by clicking and holding the center button, and keep holding even after you hear the name of the artist and song. When a tone plays, you can let go of the button. You'll hear the name of the current playlist and its contents. Click the volume up or down buttons to move through your list of playlists. When you hear the name of the playlist you want, click the center button once. Leave the Playlist Menu After following the previous instructions to access the playlist menu, click the center button and hold it. The status light blinks green once. How to Control Other iPod Shuffle Models The Third-Generation iPod Shuffle is the only Shuffle model that is controlled only by a remote on the headphones. Reaction to this model was generally lukewarm, so Apple re-introduced the previous button-wheel interface to the 4th generation model. On that model, you can either use the buttons on the iPod itself or any buttons on an inline remote control on the headphones. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit