How to Use Shake to Shuffle on iPhone and iPod

A fan favorite, vanished on modern iOS devices

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
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.
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Updated on January 31, 2020

What to Know

  • Apple removed Shake to Shuffle starting in iOS 8.4. Shake to Shuffle is an option for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th generation iPod nano.
  • Go to Settings > Playback or Music. For the 4th and 5th generation, use the center button to select Playback, then turn on Shake to Shuffle.
  • On 6th and 7th generation models, move the slider on. To use it, give your nano a shake while it's playing music to play a new, random song.

This article explains how to enable Shake to Shuffle, which was an iPhone feature that was discontinued in iOS 8.4. Shake to Shuffle is still an option for some iPod Nanos.

Use Shake to Shuffle on iPod nano

Shake to Shuffle is an option for iPod nano users. It's available on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th generation iPod nano models. To enable or disable the feature on your nano, follow these steps:

If iOS 8.4 or higher is installed on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can't use Shake to Shuffle.

  1. From the home screen, select Settings.

  2. In Settings, select Playback (on the 4th and 5th generation models) or Music (on the 6th and 7th generation models).

  3. On the 4th and 5th generation models, use the center button of the clickwheel to select Playback, then turn Shake to Shuffle on and off. On the 6th and 7th generation models, move the slider to on or off.

If you turned the feature on, give your nano a good shake while it's playing music to play a new, random song.

There Is No Shake to Shuffle on iOS 8.4 and Up

Every iOS device features accelerometers, but these versions of iOS no longer support using them to shuffle music. Apple removed Shake to Shuffle starting in iOS 8.4, and it hasn't come back. Given that there have been several major versions of the iOS released since then, it's probably safe to assume Shake to Shuffle is never coming back. So, you can shake your phone all you like, but it's not going to shuffle your songs.

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