What is Apple Music?
Apple Music is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple. It was launched in 2015 and allows users to stream over 90 million songs as well as watch music videos and other content like concerts and documentaries. Apple Music also includes internet radio and music recommendation features like playlists curated by music experts.
Apple Music has over 72 million subscribers globally as of April 2022, making it the second most popular music streaming service behind Spotify. It is available on all iOS devices, Macs, Windows PCs, Android devices, Amazon Echo, Sonos and other smart speakers, Samsung TVs, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and other platforms.
Why might I lose my Apple Music history?
There are a few reasons you may lose your Apple Music listening and playback history:
Switching between iOS devices
If you get a new iPhone or iPad and don’t properly transfer your data and settings from your old device, your play history will not carry over. Make sure to use the Quick Start setup process or an iCloud or iTunes backup to ensure your Apple Music data moves to your new device.
Turning off sync library
If you turn off Sync Library in your Apple Music settings, your play activity will no longer be recorded. This is useful if you want to listen privately, but it means you lose access to your playback statistics.
Resetting device settings
If you reset your iPhone or iPad to factory default settings, your Apple Music data will be erased unless you have a backup. This includes all playlists, preferences and play history.
Updating to iOS 16
Some users have reported losing their Apple Music history after updating to iOS 16. This appears to be a bug and there is no permanent fix yet.
Logging out of Apple Music
If you log out of Apple Music, your account data including recent plays will be reset. Make sure to login again with the same Apple ID to restore your history.
How do I view my Apple Music history?
You can view your recent Apple Music listening activity in a few places:
Recently Played playlist
Open the Playlists tab in the Apple Music app and scroll down to find the Recently Played smart playlist. This will show your last 25 played tracks.
Play History
In the Library tab, tap Play History to see your recent plays, organized by day. You can scroll back to see your full history.
Listen Now
The Listen Now tab will show recently played albums and playlists. Tap Show More at the bottom to expand your history.
For You
The For You section surfaces music recommendations based on your recent plays and favorites. Check here for a snapshot of your history.
How do I restore my Apple Music history if lost?
If you’ve lost your Apple Music play activity due to a new device, software update or other issue, here are some steps to restore it:
Restore from backup
If you have an iTunes or iCloud backup from your previous device, you may be able to use this to restore your Apple Music data including history. Go into Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Restore Data.
Re-download playlists
Playlists are stored in your iCloud account. Open the Playlists tab in the Apple Music app and tap Download on any playlists to make them available on your new device and continue updating their play history.
Enable Sync Library
If Sync Library got toggled off, open Apple Music Settings and turn on Sync Library to resume recording your plays across devices. New activity will appear in your history.
Contact Apple Support
Reach out to Apple Support via chat or phone and explain your situation. They may be able to restore lost data from their backups or find other solutions to reinstate your Apple Music history.
Use a third party app (iOS only)
Some third party iOS apps like MusicSmart and Tuneful can capture and export your full Apple Music play history. Install one of these apps and sync your history to restore it.
How do I prevent losing my Apple Music history?
Follow these tips to avoid losing your Apple Music statistics and history in the future:
Keep Sync Library on
Leave Sync Library enabled in Apple Music settings. This ensures all plays are logged across devices linked to your Apple ID.
Create backups
Regularly backup your iPhone or iPad locally through iTunes or in the cloud via iCloud. This provides a snapshot to restore from if needed.
Use a third party app (iOS only)
Apps like MusicSmart can backup your Apple Music data so you have a separate copy if lost. These apps can also export your history.
Avoid logging out of Apple Music
Stay logged in to your Apple Music account to maintain access to your history and prevent any resets.
Carefully transfer devices
If getting a new iPhone, use the Quick Start process or restore an iTunes/iCloud backup to carryover Apple Music info.
Turn off Listen History privacy
In Apple Music settings, you can toggle Listen History off for increased privacy. However this will stop saving your playback data.
What other Apple Music data could I lose?
Along with your play history, here are some other types of Apple Music data that could be lost:
Playlists
Your custom playlists as well as any smart playlists like Recently Added could disappear if your Apple Music app is reset.
Library
Your library of saved albums, artists and songs could be erased if your device is reset or that data isn’t synced.
Downloads
Music and playlists previously downloaded for offline playback can be removed if your device is reset or wiped.
Favorites and hearts
Your liked and favorited tracks, albums, artists and playlists could disappear if your account loses data.
Listening recommendations
Personalized music suggestions based on your history and tastes can be lost and need to be rebuilt.
Account settings
Preferences like max video quality, equalizer, autoplay and cellular data usage can reset to defaults.
Should I be concerned about losing my Apple Music history?
For most users, losing your Apple Music history is not a catastrophic problem. However, there are some reasons you may want to try and restore it if possible:
Personalization
Your play history personalizes Apple Music to your musical tastes. Losing it may impact recommendations.
Listening stats
Your history provides interesting statistics like your top artists, songs and genres. You lose access without it.
Discovering forgotten music
Looking back on your history helps rediscover music you’ve forgotten about and may want to re-listen to.
Playlist continuity
Playlists like Recently Played rely on your history to populate. Losing history can break playlist continuity.
Charts and wrapped
End of year charts rely partially on your history. Losing history gives you an incomplete yearly wrapped.
Personal attachment
Some people enjoy looking back on their musical journey and reminiscing using play history.
Best practices for protecting your Apple Music data
Here are some recommended practices for safeguarding your Apple Music listening history, playlists and other data:
Enable iCloud Music Library
This syncs your Apple Music content across devices so it can be restored. Turn it on in settings.
Use Sync Library
Keep Sync Library on so play activity is recorded. Toggle it in Apple Music settings.
Create backups
Backup your device locally or using iCloud so you can restore if needed. Do this regularly.
Avoid signing out
Stay logged into your Apple ID to prevent data loss. Don’t sign out unless necessary.
Carefully transfer devices
When getting a new device, use Quick Start or a backup to carryover Apple Music content.
Leave Listen History on
Keep Listen History enabled in settings so your plays continue being logged.
Use a third party app (iOS only)
Apps like MusicSmart backup your data separately from Apple Music in case the primary data is lost.
What should I do if my Apple Music data is completely erased?
If your Apple Music history, library or other data is completely wiped from your account, here are some recovery steps:
Contact Apple Support
Reach out to Apple customer service by phone, chat or email. Explain your situation and that your data was erased. They may be able to use internal tools to restore some or all of your lost data.
Check iPhone and Mac backups
Look for any iTunes or iCloud backups that may contain the missing Apple Music content. You can restore from these backups.
Try your computer’s Apple Music app
Open the Apple Music desktop app on a linked Mac or PC. It may have some of the lost data like recent plays and playlists available.
Re-add your Library
You’ll have to manually rebuild your Library by re-adding liked albums, artists and songs. Tedious but doable.
Review account history
Sign into your account online and look for any playback or transaction history that may provide clues on your lost data.
Build listening history back up
With Sync Library on, your play activity will record moving forward. Listen to your favorite music to rebuild history.
Conclusion
Losing your Apple Music data can be frustrating but is usually recoverable. Enable backups, keep Sync Library on, avoid logging out of your account, and carefully transfer devices to safeguard your history, playlists and library. If you do lose Apple Music content, contact Apple Support for possible restoration or manually rebuild it over time. With proper diligence, you can protect your Apple Music profile.
