If you have ever wondered what happens to your Apple Music library if you unsubscribe from the service, you are not alone. Many Apple Music subscribers have built up substantial libraries of saved music, playlists and albums over time. Naturally, the idea of potentially losing access to all of that content may give some users pause before cancelling their subscriptions.
The good news is that Apple Music is designed to save your library even after you unsubscribe, making it easy to pick back up where you left off if you rejoin at a later date. Here is a closer look at how your Apple Music library is preserved if your subscription lapses.
What happens if you unsubscribe from Apple Music?
When you end your Apple Music subscription, you will no longer be able to stream songs on demand or download music for offline listening. However, your music library itself consisting of your saved songs, albums, and playlists is not deleted. It goes into an inactive state but remains associated with your Apple ID.
So if you resubscribe after a break, your entire library reactivates and becomes available as if you had never left. You do not need to build your library up again from scratch. Everything should reappear just as you left it before unsubscribing.
Will my playlists still be there if I resubscribe?
Yes, all of your Apple Music playlists will still be intact when you resubscribe after cancelling for a period of time. Playlists you have created yourself as well as any you have saved from Apple Music’s curated playlists will remain associated with your account.
Once you are subscribed again, you can pick up right where you left off with your favorite playlists or keep adding to them as before. You may just need to re-download anything saved for offline listening again.
What about albums I have saved?
Just like playlists, any full albums you have saved to your Apple Music library will still be there when you rejoin the service. Albums are treated the same as other saved music, so you will not need to locate and re-save albums you have already added to your library previously.
Once you subscribe again, you can go back and enjoy all the albums you have collected at any time without having to start over.
Can I recover my liked songs if I resubscribe?
Your liked songs playlist will also be restored after resubscribing to Apple Music. Any songs you have ever “loved” by tapping the heart icon will automatically be added back to this playlist once your subscription is active again.
So you will not lose the history of everything you have liked over time just because your subscription lapsed temporarily. Your likes playlist will be waiting for you when you come back.
What if I added Apple Music songs to my regular playlists?
If you have built playlists that mix songs from your personal music library with Apple Music tracks, those playlists remain intact as well. The Apple Music songs will revert to an unplayable state and display as grayed out titles while your subscription is inactive.
But they come back in full when you reactivate your subscription, merging seamlessly back into your custom playlists. So you do not have to worry about re-adding the Apple Music content you have used to supplement your own music library.
Can I recover my music if I switch to a new device?
If you load your Apple Music library onto a new device after unsubscribing for a period of time, your content will restore there as well. As long as you use the same Apple ID, all of your playlists, albums, likes, and other library data will automatically sync across devices when you rejoin Apple Music.
You may just need to re-download anything you want saved locally on your device for offline listening. But your full library will come back and populate a new phone or computer the same as your previous one when you resubscribe.
What if I created smart playlists?
User-created smart playlists will also persist through an Apple Music subscription lapse and restoration. Smart playlists that update automatically based on certain rules you set up will resume those functions as normal.
So feel free to continue setting up dynamic smart playlists tailored to your taste. They will continue updating to match your parameters just like before once you renew your subscription.
Can I get back playlist folders?
Playlist folders likewise are retained in your Apple Music account if you temporarily unsubscribe. Any folder organization you have set up to arrange your playlists will still be available when you reactivate your membership.
Restoring your subscription will bring back your full folder hierarchy, complete with all the contained playlists already inside. You will not have to recreate this organizational structure from scratch.
What about my music files uploaded to iCloud?
Uploads of your own music files to iCloud are not affected when you unsubscribe from Apple Music. Any tracks you have uploaded for storage and streaming will remain accessible through iCloud even with Apple Music deactivated.
These files are not tied directly to your Apple Music membership. So you can still enjoy tracks uploaded to your iCloud Music Library without an active subscription.
Can I recover my Apple Music listening history?
Your full Apple Music listening activity history unfortunately does not persist if your membership lapses. While your library and collections remain intact, the services does not keep a record of your past playback history when you are unsubscribed.
That means all your algorithms and recommendations will reset based on your new listening patterns once you renew your membership. But this gives you a chance to rediscover old favorites and find new music matches.
What if I created radio stations?
Like your listening history, any customized radio stations you have created will need to be set up again after resubscribing. Stations do not carry over through an inactive subscription period.
However, you can easily recreate stations using the same seeds or parameters as before. And the algorithm will begin recalibrating recommendations based on your new listening activity.
Can I recover my downloaded music?
Downloaded Apple Music songs that you have saved for offline listening will be removed from your devices while your membership is inactive. You will need to re-download anything you want to make available offline after resubscribing.
Fortunately, you can easily re-download any music straight from your library once your subscription is active again. Just be prepared to allocate some time to rebuilding your offline Apple Music collection when you restart your membership.
What about my account settings and preferences?
Most Apple Music account settings and preferences, such as options you have customized under Settings > Music, will remain in place when you unsubscribe and resubscribe. This includes preferences like making Dolby Atmos always on or off.
Some settings may reset, like Automatic Downloads. But most toggles and options you have tailored will persist through an inactive subscription period before picking up where you left off when your membership becomes active again.
Can I recover my listening stats and replay?
Apple Music’s 2022 Wrapped recaps and other listening insights do not persist through subscription lapses either. Your Replay playlist and other stats will reset each year you rejoin Apple Music anew, reflecting only your activity within the new membership period.
So while you cannot exactly continue growing the same lifetime stats, each time you resubscribe gives you a chance to generate new listening insights from scratch.
Conclusion
The good news is that the music content you have accumulated in your Apple Music library persists even if you temporarily unsubscribe from the service. Playlists, albums, likes, and other library collections remain tied to your Apple ID, reactivating in full when you restart your membership so you can pick up where you left off.
While some data like listening history and replays reset, you can easily rebuild recommendations, stations, and offline collections as needed. So you do not need to worry about losing your Apple Music investments if you cancel and rejoin the service later. Your music library will be waiting for you when you come back.