iCloud and iTunes Match are cloud-based services from Apple that allow you to access your iTunes music library from anywhere. With these services enabled, you can stream or download your music on demand without needing to store it locally on each device. There are several benefits to keeping your iTunes library in the cloud:
- Access your full library from any device – Stream your music from any iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC as long as you have an internet connection.
- Save local storage space – Store your music in the cloud rather than filling up your device storage.
- Automatic syncing – Any changes you make to your library such as new purchases or edits are updated across all devices.
- Back up your library – Keep your music collection safe and retrievable even if you lose local copies.
- Higher quality – Stream high-quality 256kbps AAC audio files matched from the iTunes catalog.
With the right iCloud and iTunes Match settings enabled, you can conveniently access your iTunes music library anywhere while saving local storage space.
What is iTunes Match?
iTunes Match is a cloud-based music service that lets you store your music library online and access it from any device. It scans your iTunes library and matches the songs in it to songs already available on the iTunes Store. Any song iTunes Match can’t find in the iTunes Store is uploaded into iCloud so you can access it anywhere. This allows you to keep all your music available without having to store it physically on each device.
With an iTunes Match subscription, you can store up to 25,000 of your own songs in iCloud that aren’t already in the iTunes catalog. Songs you purchased from iTunes don’t count towards this 25,000 song limit since Apple already has a copy of those. Any playlists or music metadata like song rating or play count is synced across all your devices too.
Overall, iTunes Match lets you keep your entire music library available in the cloud rather than limited to the storage on your device. It leverages Apple’s huge catalog to avoid uploading any songs they already have a copy of. You can stream your music on demand or download songs for offline playback when you need them available without an internet connection.
Enabling iTunes Match
To enable iTunes Match on your devices and set up syncing between them, follow these steps:
On your Mac or PC:
- Open iTunes and go to Account > View My Account. Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Under Settings, check the box for iTunes Match and click OK. (1)
- Wait for iTunes Match to finish scanning and matching your library. A progress bar will appear.
- Once completed, your entire music library will be available in iCloud. New music added will be automatically scanned and matched.
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:
- Go to Settings > Music and turn on iCloud Music Library.
- Sign in with the same Apple ID used for iTunes Match. (2)
- Your music library will sync from iCloud. New music added on any device will now be available everywhere.
That’s it! iTunes Match is now enabled and your music library is synced via iCloud across your devices.
iCloud Music Library
iCloud Music Library builds on the functionality of iTunes Match by allowing you to sync your entire Apple Music library, including songs imported from CDs or purchased from other stores, across all your devices. With iCloud Music Library enabled, any song you add to your library is automatically uploaded to iCloud and made available on your other devices logged into the same Apple ID.
The key difference compared to iTunes Match is that iCloud Music Library syncs your full library, not just your purchased iTunes content. This includes any music you’ve downloaded from Apple Music’s streaming catalog. iTunes Match is limited to songs purchased through iTunes, whereas iCloud Music Library handles your full collection.
So in summary, iCloud Music Library takes the matched syncing functionality of iTunes Match and expands it to encompass your entire Apple Music collection across all your devices. This provides a seamless way to access all your music whether you’re online or offline. Any additions or edits sync across all linked devices automatically.
Source: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251949622
Enabling iCloud Music Library
To enable iCloud Music Library and begin syncing your iTunes library to the cloud, follow these steps:
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 13.4 or later, open the Settings app and tap on your Apple ID banner at the top. Then tap on Music. Turn on the switch for Sync Library (cite: Apple Support). This will begin uploading your iTunes music library to iCloud.
On your Mac, open the Music app and go to Preferences. Go to the General tab and check the box for “Sync Library”. This will also start syncing your iTunes music to iCloud (cite: Apple Support).
The upload process can take some time depending on your library size. You can track the progress in the Music app. Once completed, your entire music library will be available from any device using the same Apple ID, even if you don’t have all the songs downloaded locally.
Downloading Music for Offline Playback
With an Apple Music subscription or iTunes Match, you can download songs, albums, and playlists to your devices for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection. Here’s how to download music for offline playback:
On an iPhone or iPad, open the Apple Music app and tap on a song, album, or playlist you want to download. Tap the download icon next to each song or album to download it. To download an entire playlist, tap the three dots next to the playlist name, then tap “Download All”.
In iTunes on a Mac or PC, find the music you want to download in your Library. Right click on a song, album, or playlist and select “Make Available Offline”. The downloads will start automatically.
On an Apple Watch, open the Apple Music app, tap “My Music” and select a playlist. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Make Available Offline”. Tap “Download” next to individual songs to download them.
The songs, albums or playlists will now be available to play offline. You can see your offline music by tapping “Downloaded” in the My Music tab in Apple Music.
Keep in mind there are limits on how much you can download based on your subscription. You may need to manage your storage and downloads from time to time.
Sources: Add music to iPhone and listen offline, Do I have to download the song to my devi…
Adding New Music
When you add new music to your library, how it gets added depends on whether you have an Apple Music subscription enabled. If you do have Apple Music enabled, any new music you add will first go to your Apple Music library. Apple Music will attempt to match the tracks you’re adding to existing songs already available through the Apple Music catalog. If a match is found, it won’t need to upload your local file and will just add it to your iCloud Music Library from Apple Music.
If you don’t have Apple Music enabled, or if you add music that isn’t matched with the Apple Music catalog, the tracks will be uploaded to iCloud and added to your iCloud Music Library. This allows you to access music you own locally through iCloud on all your devices.
To add new music on a Mac, you can simply drag and drop tracks into your iTunes library or use the import option. On Windows, you can use the import button in iTunes. On an iPhone or iPad, you can use the Files app to transfer music files, or connect to your computer and sync new music over.
No matter how you add the new music, as long as you have iCloud Music Library enabled, the new tracks should sync across devices. Just give it some time to finish uploading and matching. The upload progress can be monitored in iTunes on a computer.
Limits and Restrictions
Both iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library have limits on library size and restrictions on file types and quality. iTunes Match allows storing up to 100,000 songs in iCloud, while iCloud Music Library allows storing up to 100,000 songs purchased from iTunes or uploaded to iCloud Music Library (1). Songs purchased from iTunes don’t count against the 100,000 song limit in either service (2).
In terms of file type, both services support common audio file formats like MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF. However, ALAC, WAV, and AIFF files are converted to 256 kbps AAC files when stored in iCloud to save space. There are also some restrictions when it comes to audio quality. iTunes Match is limited to songs up to 256 kbps bitrate and 200 MB file size (3). Any songs exceeding those limits will be converted to 256 kbps AAC when uploaded. iCloud Music Library has no specific bitrate or file size limits.
Troubleshooting iTunes Match
Here are some common troubleshooting tips if you are having issues with iTunes Match:
If your songs aren’t properly matching iTunes Match, try deleting the iTunes library on your device and re-adding the music. This will cause the matching process to start over and usually resolves incorrect match results (source).
If your iTunes Match library isn’t syncing properly across devices, make sure iCloud Music Library is enabled on all devices. Go to Settings > Music on iOS or Preferences > General in iTunes on Mac/PC. Toggle iCloud Music Library on if it is off (source).
Check the iCloud status page to make sure there are no active service issues with iCloud at apple.com/support/systemstatus/. This can prevent syncing.
As a last resort, turn off iTunes Match, sign out of the iTunes & App Store on all devices, then re-enable and sign back in. This often resolves persistent sync issues.
Contact Apple support if you continue having problems with iTunes Match after trying these troubleshooting steps. They can investigate and resolve difficult match and sync issues.
Conclusion
In summary, keeping your iTunes library in the cloud with services like iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library offers some great benefits. By storing your music in the cloud, you can access your entire library from any device – whether that’s your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC or even Android devices. Your music will be available wherever you are, without having to manually sync your devices or carry around your entire music collection.
Features like downloading music for offline playback and matching your existing library mean you don’t have to repurchase songs you already own just to have them available on all devices. Any new music you purchase or add to your library gets seamlessly added to the cloud. And if you have a large library, you don’t have to worry about storage limits on your devices.
Overall, iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library provide a convenient way to keep your music organized across all of your devices. By utilizing Apple’s cloud services, you can save time and hassle while gaining access to your music library anywhere. It’s a great solution for any avid music listener in the Apple ecosystem.