Apple Music playlists can come back after being deleted, but the process depends on a few factors. Playlists created by Apple Music users can usually be recovered if deleted accidentally, while playlists created by Apple Music itself may or may not come back after being removed. Understanding what type of playlist it is and how long it’s been gone can help determine if a deleted playlist can return on Apple Music.
Playlists Created by Users
If you create and save a playlist yourself on Apple Music, you typically have a good chance of recovering it if accidentally deleted. This is because Apple Music keeps a copy of user-created playlists on its servers for a period of time after deletion. However, you only have a limited window to restore the playlist before it is permanently erased.
How Long Deleted Playlists Are Saved
Apple Music keeps deleted playlists in a recoverable state for around 30 days after removal. During this period, you may be able to restore the playlist from a Recently Deleted section within the Apple Music app. After 30 days, the playlist is usually deleted fully from Apple’s servers.
How to Recover a Deleted Playlist
To recover a deleted playlist on Apple Music:
- Open the Apple Music app
- Tap on Library at the bottom
- Scroll down and tap on Recently Deleted Playlists
- Find your deleted playlist and tap on it
- Tap on Restore Playlist to recover it
This will restore the playlist to your Apple Music library as long as you recover it within 30 days. Make sure to check Recently Deleted Playlists periodically for any playlists you may want to rescue from permanent removal.
Playlists Only Saved On One Device
If you created a playlist but only saved it locally on one device, it will not be recoverable if deleted from that device. Since it was never saved to your Apple Music account online, Apple has no copy of the playlist to restore. Always make sure to hit save after creating playlists you want to keep to sync them across devices.
Playlists Created by Apple Music
For playlists that Apple Music generates automatically for you, like personalized mixes and genre playlists, the ability to recover them after deletion varies. Some types of playlists created by Apple Music’s algorithms can come back, while others may be permanently removed.
Personalized Playlist Recovery
Playlists that Apple Music generates just for you, like My Chill Mix and Friends Mix, can usually be recovered after deletion. Even though you didn’t create them yourself, Apple Music stores a copy of these personalized playlists to generate again in the future. However, it may take a few days or longer for them to pop back up in your library after being deleted.
Generic Playlist Recovery
For generic, publicly available playlists created by Apple Music, like Top 100: USA, the ability to recover them is hit or miss. If it’s a current popular playlist, Apple Music will likely generate it again after deletion. For more obscure or outdated playlists, Apple Music may not remake them once removed.
Lost Playlist Recovery Tips
Here are some tips to help recover deleted Apple Music playlists when possible:
- Check Recently Deleted Playlists immediately after accidental removal and restore your playlist if found there.
- Give it 1-2 weeks for personalized mixes from Apple Music to regenerate after being deleted.
- Searching for the exact playlist name may resurface some Apple-generated options after removal.
- Contact Apple Support to see if they can locate a lost playlist from your account data in some cases.
- Consider remaking the playlist manually if it can’t be recovered.
Permanently Deleted Playlists
In some cases, playlists end up permanently deleted and impossible to recover on Apple Music:
- User-created playlist removed >30 days ago.
- Playlist saved locally but never synced to Apple Music.
- Limited-run or one-off Apple Music playlist from years past.
- Apple Music algorithm no longer generating the playlist.
Once a playlist hits the point where Apple no longer has any way to reproduce it for your account, it’s likely gone for good barring someserious account recovery efforts.
How Playlists Are Deleted
Understanding what causes playlists to get removed in the first place can help you avoid unwanted deletions.
Accidental Deletions
It’s easy to delete a playlist by accident. Tapping edit on the playlist then delete will remove it instantly without prompting for confirmation. Fat-fingering the screen and hitting delete can permanently remove a treasured playlist if not careful.
App Update Wipes
In some cases, updating the Apple Music app or iOS can wipe out user-created playlists. This is a bug that crops up from time to time after major app updates. Always check that your playlists survived each app update.
Device Syncing Issues
If you have playlists saved across multiple devices, sync errors and overwrites can sometimes delete playlists. Making changes on one device before syncing to other devices can accidentally remove playlists in the process.
Apple Music Rights Changes
Apple Music occasionally loses the licensing rights to songs and albums. When this happens, any playlists featuring removed content will also get deleted from the service.
Preventing Accidental Playlist Deletion
You can take proactive measures to avoid having playlists removed unexpectedly:
- Use the Favorite button on important playlists to bookmark them.
- Back up playlists by exporting them to a file occasionally.
- Double check playlists when updating iOS or the Apple Music app.
- Enable iCloud Music Library sync to store playlists online.
- Don’t make playlist changes on multiple devices close together.
Rebuilding Playlists
If you can’t recover a removed Apple Music playlist, recreating it manually may be your only option.
Recent Playlist Memory
If the playlist was deleted very recently, you may be able to rely on your memory to rebuild it from scratch. Recreate it song by song as best you can recall.
Using Listening History
In the Apple Music app, you can view your recent listening history. This can help jog your memory to reconstruct deleted playlists of songs you remember hearing recently.
Collaborative Reconstruction
Get help from friends and family who may have listened to the lost playlist with you. They can help remind you of the most important songs it contained.
Partial Recovery
In some cases, you may find some of the songs again by searching for old messages or social posts referencing the playlist. Even finding a portion of songs can make rebuilding easier.
Contact Apple Support
If you can’t recover a deleted playlist on your own, contacting Apple Support provides one last option. Advisors may be able to search internal systems for lost playlist data tied to your Apple ID account. They have more playlist recovery tools compared to everyday Apple Music users.
Recent Deletions Have More Hope
The sooner you contact Apple after an unwanted playlist deletion, the better. Support has greater ability to locate playlists deleted in the past few days or weeks. Older removals become less recoverable over time.
Proof of Ownership Helps
Apple will want to verify you owned the lost playlist before attempting recovery. Details like playlist name, song examples, listening history, and more can help demonstrate it was yours.
No Guarantees
While Apple Support may be able to restore some deleted playlists, they cannot guarantee recovery. Playlists permanently removed from Apple’s servers remain unrecoverable even for Apple advisors.
Third-Party Apps
Apps like iMazing and AnyTrans claim the ability to recover deleted Apple Music playlists by scanning your iPhone or iPad backup data for playlist files. However, they generally only work for locally stored playlists, not those only saved to Apple’s cloud servers.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to remember when it comes to recovering removed Apple Music playlists:
- User playlists – Recoverable for ~30 days after deletion via Recently Deleted.
- Apple personalized playlists – Often regenerate after 1-2 weeks.
- Apple generic playlists – Hit or miss recovery odds after removal.
- Prevent accidental deletions by favoriting key playlists.
- Recreate lost playlists via listening history and memories.
- Contact Apple ASAP when playlists go missing unexpectedly.
While Apple Music playlists can disappear unexpectedly at times, you often have options to bring them back. Take advantage of Apple’s playlist recovery windows, reconnect with friends to recreate lost playlists, and never hesitate to call on Apple support for assistance if needed.
Conclusion
Apple Music playlists created by both users and Apple’s algorithms can usually be recovered if accidentally deleted, provided you act quickly. Key recovery options include the Recently Deleted playlist section, waiting for Apple to regenerate personalized playlists, and contacting Apple support for help recovering or recreating lost playlists. Setting favorites, backing up playlists, and taking care when syncing across devices can all help avoid unexpected playlist deletions in the first place. With a few best practices, you can minimize playlist losses on Apple Music.