Summary
Yes, you can download music purchased from Apple Music to listen offline, but there are some limitations. When you buy music on Apple Music, you are not actually purchasing ownership rights – you are purchasing a license to access and download that song within the Apple ecosystem. Downloaded songs are protected by Apple’s DRM and can only be played within Apple apps and devices. They cannot be transferred to non-Apple devices or burned to a CD.
Licensing vs Ownership
When you purchase a song on Apple Music, you are not buying the copyright or master recording rights. You are purchasing a license that gives you access to stream or download that song from Apple’s servers. This license is governed by Apple’s terms of service.
Essentially you are “renting” access to that song rather than buying it outright. This is an important distinction from services that sell permanent downloads like iTunes, where the files are DRM-free and can be used flexibly across devices.
With an Apple Music download, you are dependent on Apple’s ecosystem. If you ever cancel your Apple Music subscription, you would lose access to those downloads.
Downloading your Apple Music purchases
To download a purchased Apple Music track for offline listening:
1. Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
2. Tap on the Library tab at the bottom.
3. Select Songs. This will display all of the music in your Apple Music library.
4. Find the song, album or playlist you want to download and tap on the download icon next to it (a downward arrow).
5. The song will now download to your device so you can listen offline.
Where are my downloads stored?
On iPhone or iPad:
– Downloads are stored in the Apple Music app. There is no standalone downloads folder.
– You can find your music by opening the Apple Music app and selecting the Library tab, then tapping on Downloads.
On Mac:
– The Downloads folder is located inside the Music folder. For example: Macintosh HD > Users > [Your Username] > Music > Downloads
– You can also find downloads in the Apple Music app under Library > Downloads.
How many times can I download a song?
There is no limit to the number of times you can download a song purchased from Apple Music. You can download it to all of your authorized devices including iPhones, iPads, Macs and Android phones.
However, you can only have a song downloaded on a maximum of 5 devices at the same time. If you try to download it to a 6th device, you’ll be prompted to delete it from another device first.
Listening offline
The main advantage of downloading from Apple Music is being able to listen offline when you don’t have an internet connection. This is great for situations like:
– Listening on airplanes in flight mode
– Using your phone while traveling without incurring roaming charges
– Having music available in remote areas with no reception
– Saving on mobile data when you have a limited plan
As long as the song is downloaded on your device, you can play it from your Apple Music app library without needing an internet connection.
Time limits offline
Downloaded songs will stay in your Apple Music app indefinitely, until you manually delete them. There is no time limit for listening offline like there is with streaming.
However, you can only play downloaded songs as long as you have an active Apple Music subscription. If your subscription lapses, you will lose download access until you renew.
Restrictions: What you can’t do
There are some restrictions to be aware of with Apple Music downloads:
– **No transferring to non-Apple devices** – Downloads are encrypted with Apple’s DRM protection and cannot be transferred to non-Apple products. You cannot, for example, burn a CD or sync the downloads to an Android phone.
– **No editing metadata** – You cannot edit the metadata like song title, artist, album name, etc. That information is locked.
– **No separate files** – Downloads do not exist as separate files accessible outside of the Apple ecosystem. You cannot, for example, find them in your computer’s file system without breaking encryption.
– **No uploading to other services** – Downloaded songs cannot be uploaded to other cloud music services like Google Play Music or Spotify. They remain locked into Apple’s ecosystem.
Essentially, Apple Music downloads give you basic offline listening capabilities, but with more restrictions compared to downloads from services like Amazon MP3 or Bandcamp. The DRM protection gives Apple control over how the files are used.
Sound quality
Apple uses the AAC audio format for its downloads. AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding.
At best quality, Apple Music downloads are 256 kbps bitrate AAC. This delivers excellent sound quality, but is slightly below CD quality which is around 1400 kbps.
In practice though, 256 kbps AAC is virtually indistinguishable from CD quality for most people listening on consumer headphones or speakers. The sound clarity is superb.
Streaming audio from Apple Music tops out at 256 kbps AAC. So downloads are the same audio bitrate as the highest quality streams, just saved locally for offline listening.
Will it match the original source?
Apple says they master the files specifically for the 256 kbps AAC format, aiming to preserve the overall sound experience of the original source material.
However, very high resolution formats like DVD-Audio, SACD, or 96 kHz / 24-bit masters will be compressed down to 256 kbps AAC. There may be some very minor quality loss.
But for standard CD-quality music (44.1 kHz / 16 bit), the 256 kbps AAC files should sound identical to the original CD.
Using downloads on your devices
Once downloaded, here’s how to access and play your music on different devices:
iPhone and iPad
On iOS devices, downloaded music can be played from the Apple Music app:
1. Open the Apple Music app
2. Tap on the Library tab at the bottom
3. Select Downloads to see your music
4. Tap a song to play it
You can also access downloads in the regular Music app on your iPhone or iPad by going to Library > Downloads.
Mac and MacBook
On Mac, your downloads are stored in the Apple Music app and the Music app:
– Open the Apple Music app, go to Library > Downloads
– Or, open the Music app, go to Music > Downloads
Select a song and double click to play.
Apple Watch
You can sync downloads to your Apple Watch by:
1. Opening the Watch app on your iPhone
2. Going to the Music section
3. Turning on “Sync Library” to transfer downloads
Then downloads will be available from the Music app on your Watch for offline listening.
Android
On Android, downloaded Apple Music songs can be played from the Apple Music app. Just tap on Downloads in your library.
Note that the Apple Music app on Android does not allow you to sync downloads to an Apple Watch.
Apple TV
It is not possible to sync Apple Music downloads directly to your Apple TV. You can only stream music on an Apple TV, not store it locally.
However, if you play a download on your iPhone/iPad while it is connected to your Apple TV via AirPlay, the downloaded audio will stream to your TV speakers.
HomePod
Similarly, you cannot transfer Apple Music downloads directly to the HomePod smart speaker. It is a streaming-only device.
But you can play downloads from an iOS device to the HomePod via AirPlay just like the Apple TV.
Using Downloads on Multiple Devices
Each Apple Music download counts as 1 of your 100 allowed song downloads per device.
So if you want to sync a download across multiple devices like a phone, tablet, and computer, it will quickly use up your allotment.
Here are some strategies to maximize downloads across devices:
– Choose small playlists instead of full albums to minimize downloads used.
– Download only your most-listened songs to each device. Avoid duplicating your entire library everywhere.
– Download different genres/moods on different devices rather than your whole music taste.
– Rotate songs on your devices – delete some downloads from Device A before adding new ones, then later swap in different downloads. This will allow you to cycle more total songs through limited device slots.
– Turn on iCloud Music Library on all devices you want to share downloads with. Just downloading a song on one device adds it to your whole iCloud collection.
Sharing Downloaded Music with Family
With Apple’s Family Sharing feature, you can share your Apple Music subscription and downloaded music with family members.
To do this:
1. Set up Family Sharing via iCloud on your home screen.
2. Add family members to the plan.
3. Make sure “Share my Music” is checked under Apple Music.
Now when you download a song, album or playlist, it will be accessible to other family members from their own Apple Music library.
They can stream the songs you downloaded, or download them again directly on their devices (using one of their own 100 allotted downloads).
This is a great way to share music among family without needing to download multiples copies of everything.
Backing up your Downloads
Since Apple Music downloads only work within the Apple ecosystem, you’ll want to make sure you have backups in case you ever lose access to your library.
Here are some backup options:
– **iCloud Music Library** – Having this enabled in Settings will automatically sync your Apple Music collection across devices. If your primary device fails, you can still access the downloads from another device logged into your iCloud.
– **Hard drive backup** – Manually back up your iPhone or iPad locally to your computer. This will create a full backup of your device including Apple Music downloads.
– **Third party apps** – Some apps like iMazing can backup your downloads to your computer for extra redundancy.
– **Burn CDs** – As a last resort, you can play downloads on a computer and record them to an audio CD for safe keeping outside of Apple’s ecosystem. This breaks DRM though.
Burning Downloads to a CD
As mentioned above, you cannot directly burn downloads to a CD because they are encrypted with DRM protection. However, there is a workaround:
1. Install third-party software like Audacity on your Mac/PC
2. Open Audacity and set Recording Device to your computer’s internal sound card
3. Play the Apple Music download on your computer (Mac or iTunes) while recording in Audacity
4. Stop recording after the song finishes
5. Export the recorded audio from Audacity as a WAV file
6. Burn the WAV file to a blank CD-R disc
This will let you bypass Apple’s DRM by essentially re-recording the song as it plays on your Mac or PC. The CD will then contain standard CD-quality audio files that can be played anywhere.
Note that this workaround breaks Apple’s DRM and Terms of Service. You cannot legally share the burned CD or digital files with others. It is just for personal backup use in case you ever lose access to Apple Music.
Downloading Music Videos
In addition to audio tracks, you can also download music videos from Apple Music on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.
To download a music video:
1. Find the video you want in the Apple Music app.
2. Tap the download icon next to it (the downward arrow).
This will save the music video locally so you can watch without internet.
There are no limits on how many music videos you can save offline. However, music videos take up a lot more storage than audio tracks. Just 16 GB of music videos could fill up all the storage on a 128 GB iPhone for example.
Downloaded videos can be accessed in the Apple Music and TV apps on your devices. Tap Library > Downloads to see videos you’ve saved for offline viewing.
Is Apple discontinuing music Downloads?
There have been reports suggesting Apple plans to discontinue its iTunes music download store in the near future.
The move makes sense given the rapid growth of music streaming, which now accounts for over 80% of total music industry revenue.
However, Apple has not yet made any official announcement about shutting down music downloads. The iTunes music store still remains online.
It’s likely that the iTunes music store will remain open as long as there is sufficient demand. There are still audiophiles and traditionalists who prefer buying permanent downloads over renting streaming access.
But it’s clear that streaming is Apple’s priority now. The Apple Music streaming service continues to improve while the iTunes downloads store languishes without major updates.
If Apple does decide to shut down music downloads, customers would likely be given ample notice to download any remaining purchases for offline use before the shutdown date.
But again, Apple still offers downloads today with no announcements about future plans. Customers can continue buying downloads which will remain accessible in your Apple Music library.
Conclusion
While not as flexible as downloads from other retailers, Apple Music purchases give you high quality audio files that can be downloaded for offline use across your Apple devices.
Just be aware of the DRM restrictions around transferring files or burning CDs. And make sure to back up your downloads in case you ever lose access to your Apple Music account.
For most listeners though, Apple Music downloads provide a convenient way to take your music on the go and enjoy your favorite songs without an internet connection.