Apple Music is a popular music streaming service that allows you to access over 90 million songs. With Apple Music, you can download songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening. You can also get customized recommendations based on your tastes.
Sometimes you may want to delete and reset your Apple Music account and preferences. Resetting Apple Music can help resolve issues, clear up storage space, or give you a fresh start if you got off track with recommendations. Here’s how to delete and reset Apple Music.
Should You Delete Apple Music?
Before deleting your Apple Music account, consider what you will lose. Deleting Apple Music will:
- Remove all Apple Music songs, albums, and playlists from your library
- End your Apple Music subscription if you have one
- Clear personalized recommendations and favorites
- Sign you out of the service across all devices
If you are OK with losing the above, deleting Apple Music can be a good option. Reasons you may want to delete Apple Music include:
- You want to end your subscription
- You need to free up storage space
- Your library or recommendations are cluttered
- You got a new device and want to start fresh
- You want to switch to another streaming service
If any of the above resonate, deleting your account could be beneficial. You can always rejoin Apple Music later if you change your mind.
How to Delete Apple Music
To delete your Apple Music account:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- Tap on your Apple ID banner at the top of Settings.
- Tap on Manage in the Music section.
- Tap on Delete Account.
- Confirm that you want to cancel by tapping Delete.
Deleting takes effect immediately. All of your Apple Music content will be removed from your device and library.
You can also cancel subscriptions from a computer by visiting account settings at music.apple.com. Simply click Manage under your subscription and select Cancel Subscription.
How to Reset Apple Music
If you don’t want to fully delete your account, you can reset Apple Music instead. Resetting removes all content and data without canceling your plan. To reset Apple Music:
- Go to Settings > Music on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
- Tap on Reset Apple Music.
- Confirm that you want to proceed with the reset by tapping Reset.
Resetting Apple Music will:
- Delete all downloaded and added Apple Music songs, albums, artists and playlists from your library.
- Clear your listening history, recommendations and favorites.
- Sign you out of the service on all devices.
Your Apple Music membership and subscription will remain intact. You can sign back in after resetting to start rebuilding your library from scratch.
Other Ways to Reset Apple Music
Aside from the Reset Apple Music option, you can also reset by:
- Turning Sync Library off/on – In Settings > Music, toggle Sync Library off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on. This will re-upload your local music library and reset recommendations.
- Restarting your device – Restarting your iPhone or iPad can help clear up issues if Apple Music is buggy.
- Updating iOS – Ensuring your device’s software is up-to-date can help resolve glitches.
- Contacting Apple support – For major issues, you can contact Apple support to reset Apple Music on your account.
What Happens When You Reset Apple Music?
Here’s what to expect when you reset Apple Music:
- All stored Apple Music content will be deleted from your library and device.
- Playlists created will be removed.
- Your listening history will be cleared.
- Suggested artists and recommendations will reset.
- You’ll have to re-add any playlists, albums or songs you had saved.
- You’ll be signed out of all devices and apps.
- Your account and subscriptions remain unless you delete your account.
Essentially, resetting gives you a blank Apple Music slate. It can be annoying to have to rebuild your library, but also provides a fresh start.
Tips for Resetting Apple Music
To make the Apple Music reset process smoother, keep these tips in mind:
- Back up any important playlists – Use a third party app to save playlists you want to keep before resetting.
- Make a list of your favorite music – Note artists, albums and songs you’ll want to re-add so they’re easy to find.
- Budget time to rebuild – Restoring your library can take hours or days depending on how much music you had.
- Avoid partially resetting – Either fully commit to resetting Apple Music or don’t do it at all for best results.
- Update your software first – Make sure your OS and apps are current before resetting to avoid issues.
Is Resetting Apple Music Worth It?
Resetting Apple Music can be a bit of a hassle, so is it really worth doing? In certain situations, yes.
Reasons resetting Apple Music can be beneficial:
- Your recommendations are off base and stuck in a loop.
- You want to start fresh after being inactive for a while.
- There are bugs or glitches affecting playback.
- Your library is cluttered with music you no longer listen to.
- You need to free up storage space.
In these cases, resetting Apple Music makes sense. It provides a clean slate to build a music library you truly enjoy. Just be prepared to put in recovery time.
When might resetting Apple Music not be advisable? If:
- You have an extensive library you don’t want to rebuild.
- You have important playlists you’d have trouble remaking.
- You aren’t experiencing major issues with the service.
Unless Apple Music has become seriously problematic, it may not be worth resetting and losing your preferences.
Steps to Rebuild Apple Music After Resetting
Once you reset Apple Music, it’s time to bring your content back. Here are steps for rebuilding your library:
- Write down artists, albums and playlists you want to prioritize re-adding
- Resubscribe if you canceled your Apple Music membership
- Sign back into Apple Music on all of your devices
- Search for your favorite artists and albums to re-add them
- Check Apple Music recommendations for new music you might like
- Add songs you enjoy to new playlists to recreate collections
- Consider following influential curators to get playlist ideas
- Take advantage of your clean slate to try music outside your usual tastes
- Don’t worry about rebuilding everything instantly – take your time discovering new favorites
The rebuilding process can feel tedious, but also exciting as you rediscover old favorites and stumble upon new gems. Use your reset as a chance to revamp your musical tastes.
FAQs about Resetting Apple Music
Will resetting Apple Music delete my iTunes purchases?
No, resetting Apple Music does not affect songs purchased through iTunes. Only music added from the Apple Music streaming catalog will be removed from your library.
What happens if I reset Apple Music accidentally?
Don’t panic if you accidentally reset Apple Music. Your account and subscriptions will remain intact. You’ll just have to re-add your favorite content. Check any old playlists you made offline so you remember what to search for.
Can I re-download Apple Music songs after resetting?
Yes, any songs removed when resetting Apple Music can be re-downloaded from the streaming catalog again for free, as long as you are still a subscriber.
Do I lose playlists if I reset Apple Music?
Unfortunately, resetting Apple Music deletes all of your Apple Music playlists. Be sure to back up important playlists before resetting using services like Stamp or Soundiiz.
What about playlists created on my Mac?
Playlists you’ve made through the Music app on a Mac won’t be deleted when resetting Apple Music iOS apps. However, you will lose Apple Music content synced from those playlists.
Can I recover my Apple Music library if I regret resetting?
There is no way to retrieve your old Apple Music library after resetting. You’ll have to search and re-add content manually. Double check you want to reset before proceeding to avoid regrets.
Will I lose my iTunes Match tracks if I reset Apple Music?
No, resetting Apple Music does not affect tracks synced through iTunes Match. Only music added from the Apple Music streaming library will be removed.
Conclusion
Resetting Apple Music can be a headache, but also a handy troubleshooting step if you run into issues. Before taking the plunge, weigh whether starting fresh is right for you. Back up key playlists and note favorite artists so you can easily rebuild. A reset takes effort, but gives you a clean slate to revitalize your music library.