Some songs can't be played on playlists

Hi !


I am an Apple Music subscriber since a couple of years now, and I painstakingly re-created my "main" playlist from my previous music streaming service subscription. So in this 1000+ songs playlist, I noticed something in the last couple of months. There are songs that can't be played when they are in a playlist. This problem is device agnostic and present itself on my iPhone, iPad web player or in iTunes for windows.


For example, I have several songs from Pink Floyd's Pulse album in there. I am 100% confident that when I created that list maybe 3 years ago I was able to play the songs from there. I also tried copying the list to a new one, and on the copy, those songs are left out of it.


So, on any device, I can search for this album, play songs from the album I searched for, but when the songs are added to a playlist, they are greyed-out and can't be played. Why is that ?


P.S. Dont' give me the logout and log back in crap, been there, done that.


PP.S. link to that album on apple music : https://music.apple.com/ca/album/pulse-live/1590001237

Posted on Aug 29, 2022 04:36 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 30, 2022 01:40 PM

Hello Nicolas Ross,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with grayed out music in your playlists. To start, follow the steps listed here to see if they resolve the issue: If your songs are grayed out - Apple Support


"If all or most of your music is grayed out

Sync Library might be turned off or unable to connect to the internet on one of your devices. Check the following:

  • If your music library is stored on a computer, make sure that Sync Library is turned on. Then check that Sync Library is turned on for all of your other devices. Learn how to turn on Sync Library on all of your devices.
  • Make sure that all of your devices are connected to the internet.


If a song is grayed out but you can still play it

Open the Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes on your PC. Under Library, click Songs and make sure that there's a check next to the song.

If you don't see checkboxes next to your songs:

  1. Open the Apple Music app or iTunes.
  2. On your Mac, go to the menu bar and choose Music > Preferences. On your PC, choose iTunes > Preferences.
  3. Click the General tab.
  4. Select "Songs list checkboxes."
  5. Click OK.
  6. Under Library, click Songs and make sure that there's a check next to every song. If there isn't, select the box next to a song to see a check.


If it's taking a long time to upload your music library

If most of your music was imported from sources other than Apple Music, or you have a large music library, it might take more time for your music library to upload.

Make sure that your computer is authorized so any music that you previously purchased from the iTunes Store can be uploaded. Then follow these steps:

  1. Connect your Mac or PC to the internet.
  2. Open the Apple Music app or iTunes.
  3. On your Mac, make sure that Sync Library is turned on. On your PC, make sure that iCloud Music Library is turned on.
  4. Keep the Apple Music app or iTunes open until your music library is finished uploading.

If a song is still grayed out after your music library is uploaded, import a new copy of the song into your music library. Then in the Apple Music app or iTunes, go to the menu bar and choose File > Library > Update Cloud Library.


If a song can't be uploaded with Apple Music or iTunes Match

If you see  next to a song, then that song might be ineligible for upload. Learn why.


If a song isn't available in Apple Music

Some songs or albums might be grayed out because they're not currently available in Apple Music. Here are some reasons why:

  • Artists and content providers might release some songs from an album in advance, but not all of them. If you add the entire album to your library, the songs will become available as they're released.
  • Artists and content providers might change or remove music from the Apple Music catalog. Search Apple Music to see if that song is available under a different name or file. If it is, add the song to your library so it's no longer grayed out.
  • The song might not be available in your country or region and will appear in gray text when you search for it in Apple Music.
  • If an explicit song is grayed out, you might have restrictions turned on for your device. You can use Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or Screen Time on your Mac to turn off restrictions. You can also add the clean version from Apple Music to your library.


Learn more



We hope this helps.


Cheers!


Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 30, 2022 01:40 PM in response to Nicolas Ross

Hello Nicolas Ross,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with grayed out music in your playlists. To start, follow the steps listed here to see if they resolve the issue: If your songs are grayed out - Apple Support


"If all or most of your music is grayed out

Sync Library might be turned off or unable to connect to the internet on one of your devices. Check the following:

  • If your music library is stored on a computer, make sure that Sync Library is turned on. Then check that Sync Library is turned on for all of your other devices. Learn how to turn on Sync Library on all of your devices.
  • Make sure that all of your devices are connected to the internet.


If a song is grayed out but you can still play it

Open the Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes on your PC. Under Library, click Songs and make sure that there's a check next to the song.

If you don't see checkboxes next to your songs:

  1. Open the Apple Music app or iTunes.
  2. On your Mac, go to the menu bar and choose Music > Preferences. On your PC, choose iTunes > Preferences.
  3. Click the General tab.
  4. Select "Songs list checkboxes."
  5. Click OK.
  6. Under Library, click Songs and make sure that there's a check next to every song. If there isn't, select the box next to a song to see a check.


If it's taking a long time to upload your music library

If most of your music was imported from sources other than Apple Music, or you have a large music library, it might take more time for your music library to upload.

Make sure that your computer is authorized so any music that you previously purchased from the iTunes Store can be uploaded. Then follow these steps:

  1. Connect your Mac or PC to the internet.
  2. Open the Apple Music app or iTunes.
  3. On your Mac, make sure that Sync Library is turned on. On your PC, make sure that iCloud Music Library is turned on.
  4. Keep the Apple Music app or iTunes open until your music library is finished uploading.

If a song is still grayed out after your music library is uploaded, import a new copy of the song into your music library. Then in the Apple Music app or iTunes, go to the menu bar and choose File > Library > Update Cloud Library.


If a song can't be uploaded with Apple Music or iTunes Match

If you see  next to a song, then that song might be ineligible for upload. Learn why.


If a song isn't available in Apple Music

Some songs or albums might be grayed out because they're not currently available in Apple Music. Here are some reasons why:

  • Artists and content providers might release some songs from an album in advance, but not all of them. If you add the entire album to your library, the songs will become available as they're released.
  • Artists and content providers might change or remove music from the Apple Music catalog. Search Apple Music to see if that song is available under a different name or file. If it is, add the song to your library so it's no longer grayed out.
  • The song might not be available in your country or region and will appear in gray text when you search for it in Apple Music.
  • If an explicit song is grayed out, you might have restrictions turned on for your device. You can use Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or Screen Time on your Mac to turn off restrictions. You can also add the clean version from Apple Music to your library.


Learn more



We hope this helps.


Cheers!


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Some songs can't be played on playlists

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