Feature Request: Add Search Option When Selecting Playlist During Video Save

[njdjakt]

Checklist

• I made sure that there are no existing issues - open or closed - which I could contribute my information to.
• I have read the FAQ and my problem isn't listed.
• I'm aware that this is a request for NewPipe itself and that requests for adding a new service need to be made at NewPipeExtractor.
• I have taken the time to fill in all the required details. I understand that the feature request will be dismissed otherwise.
• This issue contains only one feature request.
• I have read and understood the contribution guidelines.

Feature description

🧩 Feature Request: Search Option When Adding Videos to Playlists (and Inside Playlist Section)

Description

When users have many saved playlists, it becomes difficult to find the correct one while adding a new video.
Currently, NewPipe shows all playlists in a long scrollable list without any search option — both during sharing and inside the app.
This makes it slow and confusing, especially for users who store educational or devotional content (lectures, bhajans, etc.) in many playlists.

Expected Behavior

Add a search bar or filter box wherever users can select or view playlists, so they can type part of the playlist name to find it instantly.

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🧭 Suggested Implementation – 3 Practical Use Points

1️⃣ When sharing a YouTube link → choosing “Add to playlist”
Example Android share menu:

NewPipe
Show info
Video player
Popup player
Background player
Download
Add to playlist
JUST ONCE / ALWAYS

After selecting “Add to playlist”, NewPipe displays all playlists — but users must scroll manually.
Adding a search bar above this list would allow users to type and quickly find the right playlist.

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2️⃣ During video playback → tapping the “Add to Playlist” icon
Inside the app, when watching a video, the Add to Playlist icon also shows a full list without search.
If Android sharing integration is technically harder, at least provide the search option here inside the app (during video playback).

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3️⃣ Inside the main “Bookmarks → Playlists” section
A search or filter option here would help users organize their saved playlists more easily.
This is already useful, but it only helps with library management, not real-time adding, so ideally all three areas should support it.

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Actual Behavior

Currently, users must scroll manually through potentially dozens of playlists, making it hard to organize or add videos efficiently.

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Additional Context / Implementation Notes

• Simple text filter bar above the list.
• Real-time filtering as the user types (case-insensitive).
• Should work in both light and dark themes, and support localized titles.
• If adding it in all three places is complex, developers could start with one (e.g., the “Add to Playlist” inside player), then extend it later.

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Environment

• App: NewPipe
• Source: newpipe.net (official download)
• Platform: Android 14
• Version: 0.28 (latest from official website as of October 2025)
• Additional note: Tested on Android 14, NewPipe v0.28 (from newpipe.net). No third-party modifications or forks used.

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Why do you want this feature?

Because currently there is no way to search playlist titles when saving a video, and this makes it difficult for users with many playlists to add videos quickly or find them later.
A simple search bar would solve this and make playlist management smoother.

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Additional Information

Mentioned related issues for reference:

• Ability to search in playlists Feature request  #9365: Ability to search in playlists (older request, closed)
• [FEATURE REQUEST] A simple search and categorization mechanism for playlists and videos inside the playlists #11644: [FEATURE REQUEST] A simple search and categorization mechanism for playlists and videos inside the playlists (similar idea, not fully addressing this use case)

This request covers both adding videos to playlists and searching existing playlists.
Tested on Android 14, NewPipe v0.28 (from newpipe.net).

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Appreciation

🙏 Thank you to the entire NewPipe team for this amazing open-source app.
This small improvement would make playlist management and saving videos much smoother for dedicated users.

Why do you want this feature?

Because currently there is no way to search playlist titles when saving a video, and this makes it difficult for users with many playlists to add videos quickly or find them later. A simple search bar would solve this and make playlist management smoother.

Additional information

Mentioned related issues for reference:

• Ability to search in playlists Feature request  #9365 (older request, closed)
• [FEATURE REQUEST] A simple search and categorization mechanism for playlists and videos inside the playlists #11644 (similar idea, not fully addressing this use case)

This request covers both adding videos to playlists and searching existing playlists.
Tested on Android 14, NewPipe v0.28 (from newpipe.net).

[njdjakt]

Note on prior related requests and real-world reports:

I’ve reviewed earlier GitHub issues that asked about playlist/search features: #2977, #4150, #5902, #9365, and #11644. I also found user reports on r/NewPipe about playlist/search limitations.

Those older requests explain the long-standing demand for search and organization. This issue (#12745) is intentionally focused and practical: it requests search specifically at the moment of adding a video (Android share → "Add to playlist", and the in-player Add to playlist flow) in addition to a search in Bookmarks→Playlists.

That workflow difference (search during the add/save action) is not fully addressed in the older issues, which mostly target general playlist searching or sorting. I hope this clarifies why I opened a new focused request.

If you support this specific workflow enhancement, please 👍 the issue or leave a short comment — greater community interest will help prioritize it. Thank you! 🙏

[jstetten]

Not high priority, but this would be a wonderful feature to have some time. Some of us have dozens of playlists and it gets confusing.

For reference, the forked PipePipe project lacks this exact feature, but it does add search filters to almost every other place in the app that makes sense.

[njdjakt]

@jstetten
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I totally agree — this would be really helpful for users with many playlists.

Just for context, I also submitted a similar feature request for the forked PipePipe project a while ago, since it faces the same issue of large playlist management: InfinityLoop1308/PipePipe#1803

To be clear, this feature hasn’t been implemented yet in either app. The idea in both cases is to add a search/filter option when adding videos to playlists or browsing existing ones, so users can quickly find what they need without scrolling endlessly.

[playwithinfinity]

Feature description

Is it possible to filter and sort the private playlist in way and further to search within it for one list, song or artist?

Sorry, if anything went wrong, my excuse is, I'm new here and a bit lost.
Have a good day!
Why do you want this feature?

As I only use NewPipe to listen to music online, it would be very handy to get rid of the chaos in my playlists folder.

[njdjakt]

@playwithinfinity
Welcome, and no worries at all — your question makes sense 👍

This issue (#12745) is focused specifically on finding playlists themselves more easily, especially when adding a video to a playlist or browsing the Bookmarks → Playlists screen. The main problem is having many playlists and needing to scroll through them without any search or filter.

Searching inside a playlist (for a song/artist/video) is a slightly different feature and would probably need its own dedicated request, since it involves filtering playlist contents rather than the playlist list itself.

That said, the underlying pain point you mentioned — playlist chaos when using NewPipe mainly for music — is exactly why this request exists. A search/filter for playlists would already make managing large music libraries much easier.

Thanks for sharing your use case, and welcome to the project 🙂