How to reorder Playlist items using Downcast and VO

By peter, 14 February, 2016

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

I have been trying to reorder items in my Mix Playlist using the Downcast app with VoiceOver but can't seem to be able to do it successfully.

here are the steps I am using:

1. Go to the Playlist tab and get into one of my Mix Playlists.
2. Hit Edit
3. Now on the screen I see each item in my playlist and underneath each item another button which says "reorder" followed by the name of the podcast item.
4. The "reorder" button says to double tab and hold until you hear the sound and then you can drag the item to a new location in the playlist.
5. Unfortunately, even after doing this, the item does not move.
6. I've also tried a double tab and hold on the item name right above the "reorder" button for that item, but that doesn't work either.

I'm wondering if there is some other trick here or if this functionality is just broken using VoiceOver. Oh yes, I am also using an iPhone 6 running iOS 9.2.1 and the latest version of Downcast.

Note: I am able to reorder items in other apps such as in the settings app where one can reorder items in the Rotor. That seems to use the same paradigm to move items as the Downcast app does and moving items works in the Rotor settings, so I suspect something might be broken with Downcast.

Thanks for any suggestions or help.

--Pete

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Comments

By dvdmth on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 - 16:37

I just tried manually sorting my playlist in Downcast, and I had no problems. I'm not sure what to suggest, because the process is identical to rearranging items in other lists.

When you hit the edit button, a series of icons appear to the right of each item in the list. These icons are announced by VoiceOver as reorder buttons. A user drags this icon up or down on the screen, which causes the attached list item to move up or down in the list. You must drag the icon, not the list item itself, because normally a drag operation causes the entire list to scroll. When using VoiceOver, a double-tap and hold gesture is necessary so that the drag gesture is passed through to the app instead of being interpreted by VoiceOver.

Again, I really don't know why you are having problems in Downcast, especially since you can do this successfully in other apps. I am assuming you are dragging in the right direction. That is, you drag the icon upwards to move the item closer to the beginning of the list and downwards to move toward the end of the list. VoiceOver should give feedback as the item moves above or below other items in the list while you drag.

Incidentally, you might also check the playlist sorting options that are built into Downcast. If you hit the playlist settings button, you can choose from various methods of sorting, including by date, title, time remaining, and other things. If one of the sorting options matches the order you are trying to get the podcast episodes sorted in, then this may be easier than trying to arrange the items yourself.

By peter on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 - 16:37

Thanks for your very clear response.

Yes, those are the steps I am following. After I hit the Edit button from within the Playlist dialog I even see an item at the bottom right of the screen that says "manual sort enabled". Still, after I double tap and hold the "reorder" button for an item and hear the sound, VO does not announce any movement of the item as I drag it. Can't imagine what is wrong.

Which iOS device are you using? I am using an iPhone 6 with iOS 9.2.1.

Thanks.

--Pete