Check Your Internet Connection
One of the most common reasons for Apple Music saying a song is unavailable is an issue with your internet connection. Before troubleshooting further, first check that you have a stable, working internet connection on the device you are using Apple Music on.
If you are connected to WiFi, try disconnecting and reconnecting to the network. You can also try resetting the router and modem by unplugging them for 1 minute and plugging back in. On your device, go into Settings > WiFi and make sure WiFi is enabled and connected to your network.
You may also want to reset your network settings on your iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will reset any issues with your WiFi connections and refresh things.
Finally, make sure to run a speed test on your network. Go to fast.com or speedtest.net and check your download and upload speeds. For streaming, you’ll want a minimum of 5 Mbps download speed, with 25 Mbps recommended for HD quality.
If you still can’t connect after checking your network, the issue may be with your Apple Music account rather than your internet.
Update Your Apple Music App
One of the most common reasons a song may be unavailable is because your Apple Music app needs an update. Apple frequently releases updates to fix bugs and improve features in the app. To ensure you have the latest version:
1. Open the App Store on your iOS device and tap on your profile icon in the top right. Then scroll down and select “Updates”.
2. Look for the Apple Music app in the list of available updates. Tap “Update” next to it to download the latest version.
According to Apple’s support article How to Update Apps, keeping your apps up to date ensures you have access to the latest features and improvements.
Check Song Availability in Your Region
One of the most common reasons for songs being unavailable on Apple Music is licensing restrictions in certain countries or regions. Record labels and publishers control the rights to songs and may only authorize their availability in select areas of the world.
For example, a song may be licensed for streaming in the United States but not in Europe or Australia. According to Apple, “Availability of Apple Media Services varies by country or region”. The music catalog on Apple Music can differ significantly across countries due to these types of licensing agreements.
If you try playing a song and get a “this song is not currently available in your country or region” error, it likely means that particular song is not licensed for streaming in your geographic location. You can check Apple’s list of available countries to see if there are restrictions where you live.
Unfortunately there is no way to override this restriction within Apple Music itself. The only option is to wait and hope the label eventually authorizes the song for streaming in your country in the future.
Delete and Re-Download the Song
If a song shows as unavailable in your Apple Music library, one fix is to delete it from your library and then re-download it. This essentially resets the song in your Apple Music collection. Follow these steps:
On an iPhone or iPad, tap on the song to open it, then tap the 3 dots in the upper right corner and choose ‘Delete from Library’ to remove it. On a Mac, right-click the song and select ‘Delete’ to remove it from your library. This deletes the local copy of the song, but not your Apple Music subscription to it.
Next, search for the song again in the Apple Music catalog. Tap ‘Add’ or the plus sign to re-download it. The app will retrieve a fresh copy from Apple’s servers. Give it a play to see if it now works as expected. This often resolves the “currently unavailable” error.
For more details, see Apple’s guide on how to Redownload music from the iTunes Store in Apple Music.
Authorize Your Computer
If you use iTunes to play Apple Music, make sure your computer is properly authorized. This allows the computer to play songs downloaded from your Apple Music account. To check your authorization status on a Windows PC, open iTunes and go to Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer. On a Mac, go to Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer. You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password to confirm authorization.
If your computer is not authorized, Apple Music will be unable to verify your account and stream purchased content. Deauthorizing and then re-authorizing the computer reconnects it to your Apple Music account, which may resolve unavailable songs. For step-by-step instructions, refer to Apple’s authorization guides.
Check Apple Music Account Settings
One cause of a song being unavailable could be an issue with your Apple Music account settings. Double check that your subscription is active and you don’t have any content restrictions enabled that could block certain songs or artists.
To view your Apple Music account settings:
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC.
- Tap on your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Account” from the menu.
On this screen you can confirm your subscription status, change your content restrictions, and view other account details. Make sure your subscription has not expired and you don’t have “Explicit Content” disabled under content restrictions, as this can block songs marked as explicit.
If your account settings look correct but you’re still unable to play certain songs, you may need to contact Apple Support for further troubleshooting.
Contact Apple Support
If you have tried all of the troubleshooting steps and the song is still unavailable, reaching out to Apple Support directly can help resolve the issue. Apple provides several ways to get in touch with their support team:
Call Apple Support at 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273) for 24/7 assistance over the phone. Describe the issue you are having with the unavailable song, and be prepared to provide details like the song name, artist, album, and any error messages you may see. The support representative can investigate further and provide specialized troubleshooting tips.
Initiate a live chat with an Apple Support advisor through the Apple Support website. The live chat allows you to get real-time help with your issue. Explain that you cannot access a specific song, and the advisor can walk you through solutions or escalate the issue if needed.
As a last resort, you can email Apple Support by selecting Music > Songs from the Apple Support Contact page and describing your issue with the unavailable song. This method may take longer to get a response but provides a paper trail for your issue.
Apple’s support team has additional tools and insight into solving Apple Music issues. Contacting them directly can help resolve the unavailable song problem quickly and efficiently when all other troubleshooting has failed.
Try Alternative Music Services
If the song you want to listen to is unavailable on Apple Music, you may be able to find it on other music streaming services like Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or Tidal. Comparing song availability across platforms can help you find where the song you want is available for streaming.
For example, Spotify has over 70 million songs in its library while Apple Music has around 90 million. So there’s a chance the song could be available on Spotify even if it’s not on Apple Music. You can search for the song on Spotify to see if it’s in their catalog.
YouTube Music also has a large library of official songs and user-uploaded content. Search YouTube Music to see if the song or a cover version is posted there. Streaming is free with ads or you can pay for YouTube Music Premium.
Amazon Music and Tidal are two additional options to check. Amazon Music has over 90 million songs and Tidal claims over 70 million. Both offer free tiers or paid subscription plans, so you may be able to find the song available to stream on one of these services if not on Apple Music.
The availability of songs can change over time as licensing agreements expire or get renewed. Trying alternative music services gives you another chance to listen to that song you want until it hopefully becomes available again on your preferred platform.
Wait for the Song to Become Available
Sometimes songs become temporarily unavailable on Apple Music due to licensing issues. The rights to stream or sell a song in certain regions can change over time as record labels renegotiate contracts. If you encounter a message that a song is not currently available in your region, it’s worth periodically checking back to see if the licensing restrictions have been lifted.
Apple Music has to abide by music licensing rules and restrictions in each country/region where it operates. So even if you were previously able to access a song, it’s possible that the licensing terms changed which made the song unavailable in your area. This is often out of Apple’s direct control.
Try checking back in a few weeks or months to see if the licensing restrictions have been lifted and the song has become available again in your region. You can also try accessing the song through a VPN in another country, as different regions may have different licensing deals. But the only guaranteed solution is to be patient and keep checking if the rights holders eventually allow the song to be streamed in your location again.
Summary
To recap, if you’re experiencing an issue with a song being unavailable on Apple Music, there are several troubleshooting steps you can try:
- Check your internet connection and try updating or restarting your Apple Music app
- Check if the song is available in your region – some songs have geographic restrictions
- Delete the song and re-download it from your library
- On desktop, authorize your computer to access your Apple Music account
- Check your Apple Music account settings to make sure everything is properly setup
- Contact Apple support for further assistance troubleshooting your issue
- Use an alternative music service like Spotify if the song is available there but not on Apple Music
- Wait and check back later, as sometimes unavailable songs become available again shortly after
Following these tips should help you get access to any songs that aren’t currently playable in your Apple Music library. If the song continues to be unavailable, it may simply not be currently offered in your country or region.