Did Apple Music remove your library unexpectedly? Have songs you believed were securely stored in iCloud mysteriously disappeared? Here’s a course of action to consider.
Apple Music serves as an excellent tool for enjoying your music library seamlessly across all Apple devices. Its capacity to stream both new favorites and cherished classics on all your devices ensures a continuous soundtrack to your life.
If, like many users, you encounter the frustration of missing songs in your Apple Music library, explore the following recommendations for restoring your music collection.
1. Re-Sync Your Library
Apple Music, despite its vast music library, isn’t immune to synchronization issues. The service relies heavily on iCloud to sync a user’s music library across devices. This can sometimes lead to various issues, from the unexpected deletion of your music to playlists appearing empty or containing duplicate songs.
These discrepancies in your music library often surface when you first subscribe to Apple Music, particularly when enabling iCloud Music Library. This feature allows you to create a library of streamed music that remains synchronized across all your Apple devices. Apple Music scans your music library, replaces “known” songs with its versions, and uploads unfamiliar tracks to its servers.
If you notice that files have vanished from your iOS device, like an iPhone or iPad, especially when you can’t easily re-add them from Apple’s Music Library, you can resolve this by re-syncing on a computer.
To re-sync your Apple Music library, follow these steps:
– Ensure a stable internet connection on your device.
– Open the Apple Music app and access your Account.
– Select “Check for Available Downloads.”
– If prompted, enter your Apple ID and password.
– Any purchases not already present on your device will be automatically downloaded.
2. Download Specific Titles You Are Missing
If you discover that a recent purchase is missing from one of your streaming devices, you can rectify the situation by directly downloading the content using the Apple Music app. Here’s how to do it:
– Launch the Apple Music app on your device.
– Navigate to the iTunes store in the left sidebar.
– Click on “Purchased” on the right side of the iTunes window.
– For the content you want to download, click on the Download Cloud icon.
3. Check for Apple Service Issues
If you’ve tried the above steps and your music is still missing, it’s a good idea to verify if Apple is currently experiencing any service-related problems. This can sometimes be the cause of missing music in your library.
If you’re facing a situation where your Apple Music library is not functioning as expected, it’s possible that this issue extends beyond your individual experience and affects the entire platform. To investigate, you can check the status of the Apple Music service on the Apple system status page.
4. Additional Troubleshooting Options
If you’ve let your Apple Music subscription lapse, resulting in the loss of past libraries or curated playlists, there are some troubleshooting suggestions to help you regain access to your content:
– Ensure your Apple Music settings are correctly configured. To verify that your library is set to sync, navigate to the Settings menu and enable the Sync option.
– Make sure you are running the most up-to-date version of Apple Music. Check for software updates under the General tab on your Apple device.
– Examine the available storage on your device. Insufficient space on your chosen device could hinder proper music synchronization.
– Check all your devices, including a Mac or Windows computer running iTunes, for a copy of your previous library. You may need to manually copy it, and you might want to consider disconnecting the device from the internet to prevent unwanted updates.
– If you’ve shared playlists with friends, request a link to those playlists (found under the share button on iOS devices or by right-clicking on a computer). This way, you can access and duplicate the playlist on your desired device.
– If all your music has disappeared, inspect your Followed artists in your Account settings. By default, Apple Music follows all the artists you add to your collection, and any songs you add to playlists are included in your collection. If you haven’t modified these settings, you may have a list of every artist you’ve ever added to your library, which could help you locate lost albums and songs.- If all else fails, consider reaching out to Apple Support. Visit Apple Support and arrange for a call or chat to see if they can assist you in restoring your content.
Back Up Your iCloud Music Library
Some users have reported issues where Apple Music unintentionally deletes files from their primary library. According to Apple, their scan, compress, and replace policy should not affect original files.
A reliable way to safeguard your downloaded music is to regularly back up your device. The most effective method for recovering your lossless files, years of metadata, rare recordings, personally created music, and voice memos is by restoring a backup.
It’s unwise to assume that your data is perpetually secure in the cloud, as content can be removed without notice by services like Spotify, Netflix, and Apple Music. In the case of iCloud Music Library, years’ worth of collected songs can be lost. Fortunately, you can back up your library using a third-party tool.
One such tool is “Free Your Music,” a cross-platform application for transferring music between services, including Apple Music. Notably, it allows you to export your library to a .CSV (comma-separated value) file, which can also be used to restore your library if any issues arise.
The more frequently you back up your library, the better. Since .CSV files are essentially text-based (they contain instructions to locate songs rather than the music itself), they occupy minimal storage space. You only need to pay for the service once, and if you decide to switch to a different music service like Google Music or Spotify, this tool can facilitate that transition.
Return to enjoying your music without interruption by troubleshooting your Apple Music library using these guidelines.
