Apple Music is a music streaming service developed by Apple that offers access to over 90 million songs. Users can listen to music on-demand through subscriptions plans ranging from individual to family sharing. An included feature of Apple Music subscriptions is the ability for users to create their own custom playlists to save and organize their favorite songs, albums, and artists. Playlists allow users to curate music tailored to their personal tastes and listen to playlists anywhere online or offline. However, a common question regarding Apple Music playlists is whether they are deleted when a user’s subscription ends.
Apple Music Subscription Plans
Apple Music offers several subscription plans to choose from:
- The Individual plan costs $9.99/month after a free 3-month trial and lets you stream Apple Music on a single device. This is the standard plan most people opt for (https://www.apple.com/apple-music/).
- The Family plan costs $14.99/month after a free 3-month trial and allows up to 6 people to share a subscription using Family Sharing. Each person gets their own account and playlists (https://support.apple.com/en-us/109339).
- The Student plan gives students access to Apple Music for $4.99/month after a free trial. You need a verified student status to qualify (https://www.apple.com/apple-music/).
- The Voice plan gives you access through Siri for $4.99/month. You can’t stream Apple Music directly, only through Siri (https://www.apple.com/apple-music/).
So in summary, Apple Music offers individual and family plans, as well as discounted options for students and voice-only access.
Creating Playlists
Apple Music allows users to create customized playlists to organize and save their favorite songs. Playlists can be created on iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Android, and on the web using a browser at music.apple.com.
On iPhone or Android, open the Apple Music app and tap on Library, then Playlists. Tap the + icon to create a New Playlist. You can give the playlist a name and tap Add Songs to select tracks from your library to add to the playlist. Songs can be reorganized within playlists by tapping Edit and dragging songs into your preferred order. Playlists created on mobile devices sync across all signed-in devices.
On desktop in the Music app or at music.apple.com, select Library and click + to create a new playlist. Name the playlist and search for songs to add. Playlists can also be created by right clicking on a song and selecting Add to Playlist > New Playlist. Existing playlists can be edited by clicking the ellipses menu next to the playlist name.
With Apple Music, users have full control to create customized playlists of their music library and Apple’s catalog of over 90 million songs.
Playlists with Active Subscription
While you have an active Apple Music subscription, you have full access to create and manage playlists as you wish. Any playlists you make will be saved to your Apple Music library and available across your devices that are logged into your Apple ID.
With an active subscription, you can add any song from Apple’s catalog of over 90 million songs to your custom playlists. There is no limit on how many playlists you can create or songs you can add. Playlists sync automatically, so any changes made on one device will update across all devices.
You can also download playlists for offline listening as long as your subscription remains active. Downloaded playlists allow you to listen without an internet connection. According to Apple, you can download up to 100,000 songs across all of your devices.
In summary, an active Apple Music subscription gives you complete flexibility to create, manage and access playlists from Apple’s extensive song catalog across all of your devices.
For more details, refer to Apple’s support article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204146
Playlists after Subscription Ends
When an Apple Music subscription ends, users lose access to any playlists they’ve created during their subscription period. This means the playlists will no longer be available to stream or download. According to discussions on the Apple forums, once the subscription is canceled, the playlists are removed from the user’s library.
Reddit users also report losing access to their custom playlists after canceling Apple Music. As noted in this Reddit thread, Apple typically deletes all account content including playlists within 90 days of subscription cancellation. So while playlists may still be present immediately after canceling, they do get removed from the service after that 90 day grace period.
Overall, the consensus is that custom playlists created with an Apple Music subscription are not accessible after the subscription expires. Users cannot stream or download playlists made during the subscription once it ends. Apple removes all playlists and library content within 90 days of cancellation.
Recovering Old Playlists
If you choose not to renew your Apple Music subscription, you may lose access to the playlists you created during your subscription. However, there are a couple ways you can try to recover your old Apple Music playlists.
One method is to turn on the “Sync Library” feature in Apple Music before your subscription ends. This will download your Apple Music library, including playlists, to your device so you can access it even without an active subscription. Just go to Settings > Music and toggle on Sync Library. Source
You can also contact Apple Support within 30 days after your subscription ends. Apple keeps a record of your previous subscription and playlists for 30 days. So if you re-subscribe within that window, you can ask Apple to restore your old Apple Music playlists. Source
In summary, enabling Sync Library before cancellation or contacting Apple Support within 30 days of subscription end are two options to recover playlists you created as an Apple Music subscriber.
Alternatives for Playlist Storage
There are various alternatives for storing Apple Music playlists long-term without an active subscription:
One option is to rely on Home Sharing to share playlists with up to 5 devices linked to the same Apple ID. Playlists shared via Home Sharing will remain available even after the subscription ends. This allows storing playlists long-term and accessing them from multiple devices.
Another alternative is to export playlists as text files. This can be done by selecting the playlist in the Apple Music app, tapping the three dots, and choosing “Share Playlist”. The playlist can then be shared via apps like Notes, Mail or Messages. The text file will contain the full list of songs that can be saved and accessed anytime.
Users can also take screenshots of their Apple Music playlists. Though time consuming for long playlists, this allows capturing the playlist details visually. The images can be stored in cloud storage or photo albums for playback later.
Overall, relying on Home Sharing, exporting text files, or taking screenshots gives alternatives for Apple Music subscribers to store their cherished playlists long-term without needing an active subscription.
Downloading Playlists
One option to download Apple Music playlists for offline listening or before your subscription ends is to use the Download option in the Apple Music app. According to Apple Support, you can download songs, albums or playlists by going to your library, tapping and holding the content, and selecting “Download” (1). This will save the music to your device so you can listen offline. Playlists and music downloaded while you had an active subscription will remain on your device after your subscription ends (2).
Downloading the playlists to your device before your subscription ends is the official way recommended by Apple to retain access. However, there are some limitations – the downloads only remain on the device they were originally downloaded to, so you cannot transfer them elsewhere. Additionally, there are restrictions on how many times you can download the content. Despite these limitations, the download feature provides an authorized way to keep your Apple Music playlists for offline listening if you cancel the subscription.
Customer Support
If you have issues with your Apple Music subscription ending and losing access to playlists, you can contact Apple Support for assistance. Apple provides several options to reach customer support:
- Call Apple Support at 800-275-2273 for issues with Apple Music subscriptions and playlists in the United States.
- Use the online contact form to reach Apple Support and describe your issue.
- Chat with an Apple Support advisor online for help with Apple Music.
When you contact Apple Support, explain that you lost access to your Apple Music playlists when your subscription ended. Customer support can review your account, restore access to your music library and playlists, and assist with renewing your subscription.
Summary
To briefly summarize the key points:
- Apple Music offers individual and family subscription plans that allow you to stream music and create personalized playlists.
- Playlists created while you have an active Apple Music subscription remain available even after your subscription ends.
- Apple Music does not delete your playlists if you cancel your subscription. You can recover and access them if you resubscribe.
- To preserve playlists for access anytime without a subscription, you can download them or use a non-Apple platform.
- In summary, Apple Music does not delete your playlists when your subscription ends. Your playlists remain intact in your library, but you cannot stream the songs without an active subscription.
So in answer to the main question “Does Apple Music delete your playlists when your subscription ends?”, the answer is no, Apple Music does not delete your playlists when you end your subscription. Your playlists will remain available in your library to access if you resume your subscription.