Apple Music is a popular music streaming service from Apple that allows users to access over 90 million songs. With its large music catalog and integration with Apple devices, Apple Music has attracted over 90 million subscribers worldwide.
However, some users have reported issues with Apple Music losing or deleting their saved music libraries and playlists. This can be frustrating, especially if you have spent time curating playlists or have purchased music exclusively through Apple Music.
In this article, we’ll examine if Apple Music does lose your music and playlists, reasons it might happen, and steps you can take to prevent it.
Does Apple Music delete your music and playlists?
The short answer is – yes, Apple Music can sometimes delete users’ libraries and playlists. However, it does not happen to most users, and there are ways to prevent it from occurring.
There are a few key factors to understand about music deletion on Apple Music:
- It does not happen to all users – most subscribers never experience significant music loss.
- It tends to only impact music you’ve added yourself from Files or CDs – not songs streamed from the Apple Music catalog.
- Playlists go missing more often than entire libraries.
- It’s not intentional on Apple’s part – music loss is usually accidental and fixable.
So while music deletion can and does occur for some Apple Music users, it is not a universal experience. Many subscribers add and stream music without any issues.
Why does Apple Music delete music?
If you have experienced music or playlist deletion with Apple Music, what causes it? Here are some of the main reasons users report losing music:
Cloud matching errors
One of the most common reasons is cloud matching errors. Here’s how it works:
When you add your own music files or CDs to your Apple Music library, the songs are uploaded and matched to Apple’s cloud catalog. If Apple’s matching algorithm makes an error and mismatches your song, it can replace your file with the wrong version or delete it entirely.
Unfortunately these matching errors happen somewhat regularly, affecting thousands of users. If your local music files have obscure metadata or album details, it makes mismatched more likely.
Syncing and library merge issues
Another culprit is problems with Apple Music syncing across devices or merging libraries. Examples include:
- When you enable Apple Music on a new device, any local files can be overwritten by the cloud versions during sync.
- If you restore your iPhone from a backup, unmatched local files won’t return.
- Library merges from old iTunes databases can fail and cause missing music.
These scenarios essentially cause your local files and Apple Music catalog to conflict, resulting in deleted or missing songs.
Corrupt files and indexes
Finally, some users trace music loss to corrupt files or indexing issues, such as:
- Corrupted music files that Apple Music tries and fails to match, resulting in deletion.
- Problems with offline music caches causing songs to disappear.
- Indexing errors that make your library forget links to files.
While less common than cloud matching and syncing issues, file corruption can still contribute to missing songs.
How to prevent Apple Music from deleting your music
To reduce the chances of Apple Music losing your meticulously curated playlists and locally-added music, here are some helpful precautions you can take:
Turn off iCloud Music Library
The most guaranteed way to stop music deletion is disabling iCloud Music Library in your Apple Music settings. This prevents Apple from scanning, matching, and replacing your songs with its versions.
However, it also means you lose access to streaming and library syncing across devices. For many, keeping the iCloud Library is worth the minor deletion risk.
Use unique metadata
When adding your own files, be sure to edit each song’s metadata – the title, artist, album, year, genre. The more unique it is, the lower the risk of incorrect cloud matches.
Regularly back up your library
Frequently back up your full Apple Music library, including playlists, by using the “Export Library” function within Music settings. This provides a restore point if songs do disappear.
Monitor changes carefully
Watch for unintended changes to your playlists and collections. Check often after syncing devices or restoring from backup files where deletion is more likely.
Disable iCloud Library before restoring
When restoring a device from an iCloud backup, turn off iCloud Music Library first. Re-enable after the restore to avoid overwriting your music.
Avoid corrupt files
Don’t add files with corruption or incomplete metadata. Use Apple’s song matching tool to identify problem files.
What to do if Apple Music deletes songs
If you do find songs or playlists removed by Apple Music, don’t panic! Here are some steps to restore your missing music:
Restore your last library backup
If you regularly back up your library, you can revert back to a previous version containing your lost songs. Re-enable backups going forward.
Search Apple Music and re-add
For individual tracks, search Apple’s catalog to find the song again and re-add it. This works unless the song is very rare.
Contact Apple Support
Report the issue to Apple Support. They may be able to restore missing songs from their cloud archives if you provide details.
Re-upload the original files
If you have your original music files that were deleted, simply re-upload them to Apple Music by the “Add Files” option.
Edit the cloud library
You can manually edit metadata in your iCloud Music Library to fix matching errors. Changing some tags can resurrect deleted tracks.
Disable sync and re-enable
For device sync issues, uninstall Apple Music, re-enable sync, then reinstall Apple Music. This can restore missing music.
Restore from a different backup
Try restoring from a backup made before enabling Apple Music. Non-cloud tracks should return.
Best practices summary
Here are 5 top tips to minimize the chance of Apple Music losing your locally-added songs and playlists:
- Regularly export full library backups.
- Avoid restoring devices with iCloud Music Library enabled.
- Edit metadata to be unique before uploading.
- Monitor changes and re-add missing songs quickly.
- Disable iCloud Music Library if deleting issues persist.
The scale of the issue
How widespread of an issue is Apple Music deleting local songs and playlists?
While concerning, the overall frequency is low based on Apple’s over 90 million subscribers. Exact numbers are unavailable, but rough estimates based on user reports suggest:
- Less than 5% of Apple Music users ever experience deletion of their own music.
- Of those affected, an average of 5-10% of their library is impacted.
- Playlists are more likely to be affected than full libraries.
So while even a few lost songs can be annoying, very few subscribers deal with removal of their full music collection. Targeted playlists are more vulnerable.
Number of users experiencing Apple Music deletion
| Apple Music subscribers | 90 million |
| Estimated affected by deletion | 4.5 million (5%) |
Among affected users, average library loss
| Average library size | 5,000 songs |
| Average songs deleted | 250-500 (5-10%) |
So while Apple Music deletion affects a small subset of users, it can still result in hundreds of tracks lost.
Should you be worried about Apple Music losing your playlists and songs?
Based on the limited scale of music deletion, and steps you can take to prevent it, most Apple Music subscribers do not need to be too concerned.
However, it’s reasonable to be cautious and follow best practices, especially when you have playlists or libraries of high personal value. Monitoring your collection and backing it up periodically are wise safeguards.
The small chance of Apple Music losing some tracks should not deter most people from using it, given the huge benefits of streaming access, library syncing, and other features.
Unless you experience recurrent and unrecoverable music deletion, you can generally trust Apple Music as a worthwhile platform with rare but fixable pitfalls around song removal.
Apple Music alternatives
If losing music on Apple Music remains a concern, what are some alternative streaming options?
Here are a few of the top services that offer similar song catalogs and access, without Apple Music’s risk of deleting local files:
YouTube Music
YouTube Music has over 80 million official songs, extensive playlists, and a $9.99 monthly subscription. It does not scan or match your uploads.
Spotify
One of the most popular streaming platforms, Spotify has a vast music library. For $9.99 monthly, you can save music locally but uploads don’t sync.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon’s premium music service has 90 million songs for $7.99 a month. You can upload up to 250,000 of your own songs.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music offers subscriptions and music purchases. User upload matching is optional and less prone to overwriting local files.
The overall risk is low enough that most users stick with Apple Music. But alternatives with robust libraries exist if peace of mind outweighs Apple’s ecosystem integration.
Can you recover deleted Apple Music files?
If Apple Music has already deleted some of your music or playlists, is it possible to recover those lost files?
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee you can rescue deleted tracks from Apple Music itself. However, here are a few recovery options to try:
Restore from backup
If you have a complete Apple Music or iTunes backup from before the songs went missing, you may be able to restore deleted files from it.
Use iPhone data recovery software
Advanced data recovery tools like iMyFone iBypasser can dig into your iPhone backup and find deleted tracks to restore.
Re-download purchased music
If you bought the missing songs through Apple Music, you may be able re-download previous purchases by signing in.
Retrieve from automatic backups
Check iTunes automatic device backups for your lost music files. You can restore from these backups.
Contact Apple Support
Ask Apple Support to investigate if they can recover deleted songs from your account and iCloud Music Library.
While Apple Music itself won’t reliably restore lost tracks, enough alternative recovery options exist to potentially salvage your music.
Should you keep subscribing to Apple Music?
Despite the risk of music deletion, Apple Music remains a top choice for most users, for several reasons:
Pros of Apple Music
- Access to 90+ million songs on demand
- Seamless ecosystem integration on Apple devices
- Downloading music for offline listening
- Sync your library across iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.
- Social features like sharing playlists
- Exclusive new releases and content
Cons of Apple Music
- Syncing can overwrite local files
- Uploads can be deleted via matching errors
- Playlists can disappear after syncing
- No guarantee of recovering lost music
For most subscribers, the huge benefits Apple Music offers outweigh the small deletion risks. But it’s smart to follow best practices to minimize potential music loss.
How does Apple Music library management compare to competitors?
Looking beyond just deletion issues, how does Apple Music stack up overall against other streaming services for managing your music library?
Here’s a quick comparison of key music management features:
| Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song library size | 90+ million | 80+ million | 80+ million | 90+ million |
| User library limit | No limit | 10,000 songs | 5,000 uploads | 250,000 uploads |
| Playlist length limit | No limit | 10,000 songs | 5,000 songs | No limit |
| Song downloads | Yes | Yes (premium) | Yes | Yes |
| Library portability | Via sync | No | No | No |
For those focused on managing a large personal music collection, Apple Music generally offers the most flexibility and room to grow.
Conclusion
Apple Music occasionally does delete users’ locally stored music and playlists through syncing errors, botched cloud matching, or file corruption.
However, such deletion is relatively uncommon and limited in scope for most subscribers. There are also steps you can take to prevent loss and restore missing music.
Given its seamless Apple integration, massive catalog, and strong library management capabilities, Apple Music remains a top choice despite some risk of music deletion. But regular backups are recommended.
With prudent precautions, you can comfortably trust Apple Music to securely store your personal music library – even if a few tracks may occasionally go missing.