The ShurePlus PLAY Mobile Listening App is a high-resolution music player with advanced EQ controls. Play uncompressed audio files with your iOS or Android mobile device using the music tab. Use built-in Shure EQ presets to customize the sound, or create your own EQ presets in the settings tab. Unlock environment mode and ANC features by connecting to Shure wireless and True Wireless products in the device tab.
View and sort your music library with categories like playlist, artist, album, song, genre, composer or compilation in the Music tab.
① Search
Tap the icon and search your music library by artist, album, playlist, or song title. Tap Clear to remove saved searches.
② Edit
Tap Edit to add or remove music library categories from view. See Sorting Your Music Library for information on the variety of ways that you can view your collection.
③ Recently Played
View the albums containing songs you have played the most recently. Tap Show All to view your listening history from most recent to earliest.
④ Recently Added
View the newest additions to your music library in the Recently Added row. Tap Show All to view the recently added albums in a list from the most recent to the earliest additions.
⑤ Mini Player
Displays the currently playing song. Play or pause the music. Tap to display more detailed track information.
⑥ Navigation Bar
Tap to access the device connection tab, the equalizer, the app settings tab and to return to your music library.
Sort and view your audio files by playlist, artist, album, song, genre, or composer categories. Tap Edit on the Music screen to select the categories you want to view. Tap Done when finished.
Within categories, items are organized alphabetically. Tap the Filter icon to view alternate sort options within categories.
Tap the filter icon in the upper right corner to view all your sort options. Playlists can be sorted alphabetically by name or by the date they were created.
Artists are sorted alphabetically.
Display all available albums or filter to display only the albums located within the PLAY library. Sort by name or by year of release.
The Songs category displays all available tracks or can be filtered to display only the tracks located within the PLAY library. Sort by name, date that song was added to the library or by artist.
ShurePlus PLAY can play files that are stored locally on your device. Every time that you launch PLAY, a dot appears on the Settings sprocket icon to show that new audio files have been found on your device and are being added to the PLAY music library. Allow a few moments for the songs to appear in the music library. Every time that you open PLAY, the music library syncs with the files on your device. Any changes made to the audio files, for example a song title change, remains consistent across the device.
Tip: For best results, keep the app open to allow for a complete, uninterrupted music library sync. Load time is dependent upon device type and library size. If sync becomes interrupted, simply reopen PLAY and sync will resume.
Note: Tracks that are stored in the cloud will not appear in the PLAY app and cannot be played. Files are playable when they have been downloaded to your device and are DRM free. PLAY will not stream music from another app or from the cloud.
Important: ShurePlus PLAY will not add a track if the file is corrupted and unplayable. Also, PLAY will not add duplicate tracks.
You can copy music to the PLAY app from other apps on your device if those apps support file sharing.
Important: ShurePlus PLAY will not add a track if the file is corrupted and unplayable. Also, PLAY will not add duplicate tracks.
Music files that have been purchased from the iTunes Store are DRM free and playable on the PLAY app.
On your iOS device, sync by opening . Turn on "Allow PLAY to access Media and Apple Music." The next time you open the PLAY app, the green sync dot will appear on the Settings tab, and your files will be added to the PLAY music library automatically. The newest files will be visible in the Recently Added row in addition to the Music Library. If the files do not appear, open the Music app, download the purchased songs, then return to the PLAY app and look for the green sync dot.
Note: PLAY can play most files that have been purchased and downloaded from iTunes because they will not have DRM (digital rights management).
On your iOS device, enable iCloud Music Library sync by opening . Turn on "Allow PLAY to access Media and Apple Music." The next time you open PLAY, the app will automatically find files that have been purchased and downloaded to your device.
Note: All music from the Apple Music subscription service, whether streamed or downloaded, has DRM (digital rights management) and will not be available on ShurePlus PLAY.
Some Android devices require you to activate file sharing before you can transfer files into ShurePlus PLAY. When a mobile device is connected to a computer with a USB cable, the device will automatically begin to charge. Follow these steps to allow file transfers.
Important: ShurePlus PLAY will skip a track if the file is corrupted and unplayable. Also, PLAY will not add duplicate tracks.
ShurePlus PLAY will automatically display audio files found in other apps that have been downloaded and stored to your device. When purchasing music online, make sure that you are purchasing an actual audio file. Streaming services will allow you to download links to music files stored on their streaming service, similar to an app shortcut on your computer desktop. These shortcuts will not show up in the PLAY app. PLAY only recognizes audio files that have been downloaded to the device.
① Audio Output
② Play queue (You can also swipe up to view the play queue.)
③ Track artwork
④ EQ information, Volume level
⑤ Track information: Track title, Artist, Album
⑥ Track waveform
⑦ Playback controls: Loop, Previous track, Play/Pause, Next track, Shuffle on/off
Shuffle takes all the songs in a playlist, songs connected to an artist, songs in an album, or your entire song library and plays them in a random order. As the songs get played, they are removed from the shuffle play queue. Turn shuffle mode off to continue playing the songs in the original queue order, minus the songs that have already been played.
Play Next and Play Later are options for adding songs to the play queue.
Tap the loop icon for repeat play of all songs in the album, playlist or play queue that you are listening to.
Tap again to repeat a single song.
Tap once more to return to single play with repeat off. In normal play (repeat off), play will end once all of the songs have been played.
Tap on the album that you'd like to play. Tap the first track to hear the whole album.
You can also listen to the album in Shuffle mode. Shuffle plays all of the songs on the album in a random order and stops when all of the songs have been played.
The play queue is the collection of song queued up in the order that they will be played. Once a song is played or skipped, it is removed from the queue.
View the play queue: Open the track view screen. Tap and swipe up to bring up the queue. Or tap the play queue icon in the top right corner to reveal or hide the play queue.
Clear the play queue: Pressing play on a song in a new album or playlist will clear the queue and add the selected track and songs that follow. Before the play queue is cleared, you will be asked to confirm the selection to avoid accidental changes. Play will continue from the newly selected track.
Press and hold on any artist, album, or song to bring up the menu of available options.
Previous Track/Next Track: In Track View, swipe left or right to navigate the queue.
Play Next: Adds a song, artist, or album to the top of the play queue.
Play Later: Adds a song, artist, or album to the bottom of the play queue.
Add to Playlist: Adds a song, artist, or album to a playlist that you select.
View Artist: Artist library opens.
View Album: Album opens.
Delete: Delete the song, artist, or album.
While listening to PLAY, the app will continue to play your queue even when navigating to the home screen on your device and after the display has dimmed.
Note: It is possible to have multiple playlists with the same playlist name.
When you delete the PLAY app, any songs that you have uploaded to the app music library are also deleted. Songs stored in other apps are unaffected.
Delete a playlist Long press the playlist you want to remove and tap Delete Playlist. The playlist will be deleted but the songs will remain in the PLAY library.
Delete an artist Long press the artist you want to remove and tap Delete Artist. All songs and albums by that artist will be deleted from the device.
Delete an album Long press the album you want to remove and tap Delete Album. Only that album will be deleted from the device.
Delete a song Long press the song you want to remove and tap Delete Song. The song will be deleted from the device. Or long press a song within a playlist and tap Delete Song to remove the song from the device.
Use the playlist queue to remove a song from a playlist without deleting it from the music library. From the Playback window, swipe up to reveal the play queue. Tap the red circle with the line through it and tap Delete. This will keep the song on the device, but delete it from the playlist.
Use the PLAY equalizer to fine tune your music in the PLAY app. For a flat, unchanged frequency response, power the equalizer off and it will be bypassed. Any EQ change will be retained in your connected AONIC device and will affect all audio. This will persist until changed in the PLAY app.
Use presets to quickly access commonly used listening scenarios. Seven selectable 4-band presets optimize settings for gain, equalization, and compression. Play a song and find the preset that you think suits the song best, and then adjust levels as needed.
| Preset | Application |
|---|---|
| Bass Boost | Increase low frequencies |
| Bass Cut | Decrease low frequencies |
| Treble Boost | Increase high frequencies |
| Treble Cut | Decrease high frequencies |
| Vocal Boost | Increase vocal clarity by emphasizing the vocal range |
| De-ess | Decrease vocal hiss/ sibilance in speech |
| Loudness | Clarity for listening at low volume. Both the bass and treble frequencies are boosted to make the overall sound feel louder. |
You can duplicate both Shure and custom presets. Duplicating a preset is convenient if you like the way a preset sounds but you want to make and keep adjustments to the sound.
Hold your device in portrait mode to enter numerical EQ parameters. Rotate to landscape mode for a close-up view of the curve.
Use portrait mode to easily select and adjust frequency, gain, and bandwidth.
Use landscape for a close-up view of your EQ curves.
The 4-band parametric equalizer is used to adjust the volume of independent, adjustable frequency ranges, to precisely shape the frequency response. The equalizer can be bypassed for a flat frequency response.
| Frequency | Select the center frequency of the filter to cut/boost. |
| Gain | Adjusts the level for a specific filter. |
| Bandwidth or Q | Adjusts the range of frequencies affected by the filter. The value is represented in octaves. |
Treble boost for improved speech intelligibility: Add a high shelf filter to boost frequencies greater than 1 kHz by 3-6 dB
Ambient HVAC noise reduction: Add a low cut filter to attenuate frequencies below 200 Hz
Reduce flutter echoes and sibilance: Identify the specific frequency range that "excites" the sound:
Reduce hollow, resonant sound: Identify the specific frequency range that "excites" the sound and lower it:
“To turn on the equalizer, active noise cancellation will be reduced from Max to Normal. Or you can keep ANC set to Max and use In-app EQ.”
The name above the Equalizer tab indicates whether AONIC 50 or PLAY In-app EQ is being used.
AONIC 50 EQ: Save your PLAY EQ presets to the headphones, leave the PLAY app, and continue to hear your EQ settings in the other apps on your device. This equalizer affects everything you hear coming through the AONIC 50.
Note: If ANC is set to Max, the AONIC 50 EQ is turned off.
PLAY In-app EQ: Works with ANC set to Max; however, the EQ will only affect files in the PLAY music library. The In-app EQ affects everything being played from the PLAY app.
Note: If you enable the LDAC codec on Android, the AONIC 50 EQ is disabled, but you will be able to use the PLAY In-app EQ with files downloaded to your PLAY music library. The LDAC codec will remain enabled until turned off.
Use the device tab to connect to Shure wireless products and access features that are available to your device, like environment mode and ANC, and to personalize prompts and tones. Equalize audio in the PLAY app and your sound will be retained in your AONIC device.
Ensure that you are selecting the correct accessory model so that the PLAY app supports the appropriate sensitivity level. Your device will appear in the display with corresponding features.
Warning! Failure to select the appropriate earphone can lead to increased sound pressure levels. Overexposure to excessive sound levels can damage your ears resulting in permanent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Please consult the safety guidelines in the users guide for your earphones for additional information.
For True Wireless earphone users, note that phone calls use only one adapter (right or left) to send audio. The selected side is based on the adapter with the strongest signal connection. You can check the device tab to determine which side is active for each phone call.
Tap the Settings icon to access the PLAY app Setting tab. Here you can configure app features, and access the user guide and equalizer settings. Use PLAY equalizer presets to shape the sound, or create your own custom presets. See Create Custom Presets for more information.
Phone calls use only one adapter to send audio. Check the settings tab to see which adapter is currently in use. This way you can make sure to not remove that adapter or accidentally block the microphone during a call.
To take advantage of additional features and design enhancements, connect your AONIC product to a mobile device running the ShurePlus PLAY app, available for Android and iOS.
Contact Shure Service and Repair if you experience any issues.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Audio tracks from the cloud do not appear in the app. | Only tracks downloaded to the device will be visible. |
| PLAY isn't syncing with my music library. | Close and reopen the app to re-establish sync with audio files on the device. |
| My file does not play in the app. | To ensure that PLAY will be able to play the audio, make sure that the file:
|
| Audio sounds too high or too low. | Check equalization settings. Turn off the Equalizer to ensure that you aren't making unwanted adjustments to the audio file. |
| No noticeable change in Equalization. | Make sure that the Equalizer is on. Equalization only applies to music that has been downloaded to the device and is played from the PLAY app. |
| Headphones won't connect to Bluetooth. | On the Device page, scroll to the bottom and select to reset your wireless headphones. This will restore voice prompt language, voice prompt volume, and clear the list of paired devices. |
| General troubleshooting |
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There are two ways to perform a factory reset:
Will work with any Android device with:
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
| FLAC | Up to 352 KHz |
| MP3 | 32 to 320 kbps, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz |
| MP4 Audio | Audio file extensions: .mp4, .m4a, .m4p, .m4b |
| AIFF | Audio file extensions: .aiff, .aif, .aifc |
| AAC | Up to 352 KHz |
| PCM/WAV | Up to 352 KHz |
| ALAC | Up to 384 KHz |
| FLAC | Up to 352 KHz |
| M4A | Up to 352 KHz |
| MP3 | 16 to 320 kbps, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz |
| MKV | Up to 352 KHz |
| PCM/WAV | Up to 352 KHz |
| OGG Vorbis | Up to 352 KHz |
Publications