iTunes Match synching some but not all songs to iPhone from Apple Music for Windows

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Peregrine7 Author

Level 1

12 points

iTunes Match synching some but not all songs to iPhone from Apple Music for Windows

I listen to music in the apps Apple Music for Windows and

Apple Music on my iPhone 12. These are a

combination of purchased music and songs ripped from CDs. I also have iTunes for Windows, which I use

mainly to rip CDs (in the Audiobook choice).

I subscribe to iTunes Match but not Apple Music. Recently I have found that albums that I have

successfully ripped from CDs and which are appearing in Apple Music on my PC sync

some songs to my iPhone but not others.

In two cases the Cloud Status shows as Error. In other cases the songs show as either

Matched or Duplicate (some songs show as two copies, one Matched and one

Duplicate). I am signed into the same

Apple account on both devices. I have

attempted the syncs using a cable from iPhone to PC. My settings are Sync Library on both devices,

and iPhone has Automatic Downloads on. I

keep a subset of songs from my PC Library on the iPhone, not all songs, because

I download the songs to make sure I can listen even without internet access,

and want to manage available storage space.

When I plug in the cable connecting my iPhone to the PC, the iPhone does

not appear in the sidebar.

I have looked at various advice in Apple Support and on

forums. Support page “If songs are

missing from your music library after you turn on Sync Library” lists a number

of messages that could be attached to songs when you have chosen to show Cloud

Status and Download status, but my “Error” message is not one of them. Possibly the directions for “Waiting” message

would apply: “Update Cloud Library”? I have not attempted this yet because of the

ominous warning that Apple Music is not a backup service (though I have in fact

downloaded my music). It would be a pain

if this simple update changes or removes all the music in my Library, which

then has to be reassembled from various folders on my PC.

Elsewhere Support suggests managing music manually among devices

using Apple Devices app. But installing

this apparently shuts down some iTunes capabilities and user reviews include

some horror stories and descriptions like “buggy”. Since I’m paying for iTunes Match, I really

shouldn’t have to add that too.

Any advice appreciated

Windows, Windows 11 (22631)

Posted on Dec 14, 2024 10:22 AM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Dec 15, 2024 08:37 AM in response to Peregrine7

See Duplicate songs in iTunes - Apple Community for some general advice on duplicates. My script won't work with Apple Music for Windows unfortunately but the other advice should be relevant. In principle when the Apple Music service determines that a track is a duplicate it should mean there is another track in the library with the same track details. A track with the same audio content is allowed to exist on different albums, such as when an artist releases a Greatest Hits album but you also have the original albums these tracks came from. Ideally your library should contain no Same Album duplicates.

If a track appears as Error, as with Waiting, you can try right-clicking and using Add to Cloud Library to have another go at processing the item. You can do this to a selection of tracks.

A backup should be on a distinct physical hard drive, perhaps even one that isn't routinely connected to your computer, such that important data can be recovered if the primary drive fails, or the computer is lost/stolen/damaged.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Dec 14, 2024 01:24 PM in response to Peregrine7

Content that shows as Waiting has not been added to your iCloud Music Library. It needs to be either Matched or Uploaded before it will appear on your other devices that are connected to your iCloud Music Library. Try File > Library > Update Cloud Library. Nothing should be removed from the local library, however it would be best if you made a backup of the library and your media folder before you start.

tt2

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Answer 3

Peregrine7 Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 15, 2024 08:12 AM in response to turingtest2

tt2, thanks for your speedy reply. Several things to clarify before I proceed. First, the particular cases I focused most on were 2 songs labelled as Error (rather than Waiting) and grayed out on my iPhone Music; should I assume that the attempted fix is the same? Second, one of those songs actually does have a Duplicate, and that didn't get synced to my iPhone either. And more broadly, there are more songs that are labelled as Duplicate and are not synced into my iPhone. In most cases I think that is because they also appear in another album (these are collections), but, mysteriously, one song is labelled Duplicate but does not appear in another album. I am wondering if when I rip a CD and iTunes asks whether this should replace or duplicate a copy that it thinks it has found elsewhere in my Music on the PC already, my answer is causing a problem. I have done it both ways without finding a way that reliably syncs to the iPhone for the album I am ripping.

As to your advice about making a backup copy of the library and media folder, I have downloaded all of the songs I have to my computer already. But, are you saying that to be safe I should make a copy on the computer in another folder that is not Library or Media?

Thanks

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Answer 4

Peregrine7 Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 19, 2024 08:36 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks. I backed up my music and tried Update Cloud Library several times, with limited success. One of my songs labelled Error finally appeared on my iPhone, though it still is showing Error on my PC Apple Music (not a problem). The other Error song has not shown up on my iPhone, though I ripped a greatest hits CD with that song and got it onto my iPhone within a different album. Amusingly, the first copy of that song is labelled Duplicate, though originally there was no other copy in Music, and the new one is not labelled Duplicate (even though there now is one!), but rather Uploaded. The more general problem of some songs labelled Duplicate (though not always actually having a duplicate elsewhere) not successfully transferring onto my iPhone persists. I should add that I have tried ripping the CDs a second time into iTunes to see if that would make a difference, with no success. Also, some of the commands that you suggested simply don't appear for me -- when I right-click on an individual song, Add to Cloud Library does not appear as a choice. I have only been able to pursue an overall Update Cloud Library from the 'more' dots for the whole Apple Music library on my PC.

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

277,729 points

Dec 19, 2024 09:07 AM in response to Peregrine7

Peregrine7 wrote:

... Also, some of the commands that you suggested simply don't appear for me -- when I right-click on an individual song, Add to Cloud Library does not appear as a choice. I have only been able to pursue an overall Update Cloud Library from the 'more' dots for the whole Apple Music library on my PC.

The Apple Music for Windows app does seem less capable than iTunes. I've installed it temporarily a few times for testing, but I've been underwhelmed and always revert to iTunes.

tt2

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iTunes Match synching some but not all songs to iPhone from Apple Music for Windows

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