Remote App and Apple Music playlists out of sync

Issue: Apple iTunes Remote App Not Syncing Smart Playlists Properly

I am experiencing an issue similar to the one described in the thread “Remote app out of sync” posted by Boat Guy in November 2022, which appears unresolved. Here’s my specific setup and the problem I’m encountering:

Setup:

1. I use a 2017 MacBook Pro as a music server, where my entire music library is downloaded in ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) format.

2. The library is managed via Apple Music on macOS, with Home Sharing enabled.

3. To control playback from my MacBook, I use the Apple iTunes Remote app on my iPhone, allowing me to browse and select songs remotely.

The Problem:

To better organize my library for easier access in the Remote app (given its limited UI compared to Apple Music on macOS), I created different smart playlists. For instance, a large smart playlist called “All Songs,” includes all tracks longer than 20 seconds. This playlist is designed to:

• Serve as a complete list of all my downloaded songs.

• Allow sorting by date added for easier navigation and retrieval of recently added tracks.

However, the playlist does not seem to fully sync between Apple Music and the iTunes Remote app. Specifically:

• In Apple Music on my MacBook, the playlist correctly shows 12,214 songs.

• In the Remote app, the same playlist only displays 5,113 songs.

This discrepancy occurs despite the fact that:

• All songs are downloaded in ALAC format.

• Home Sharing is active and functioning correctly for other aspects of playback.

• Smaller playlists and manually curated playlists also appear to experience issues syncing (I experience the same problem with a smart playlist with all songs added since July 2024 which only includes about 670 items)

What I’ve Tried:

1. Ensured Live Updating is Enabled: The smart playlist is set to update dynamically with any changes.

2. Forced Library Resync:

• Turned off and back on Home Sharing on the MacBook.

• Restarted both the MacBook and the Remote app on my iPhone.

3. Simplified Smart Playlist Rules:

• Kept the rule simple (e.g., “Time is greater than 20 seconds”) to eliminate potential processing conflicts.

Questions:

1. Is there a limit to the number of tracks a smart playlist can sync to the Remote app? If so, why isn’t this documented, and is there a workaround?

2. Could this issue stem from the Remote app’s processing of live-updating playlists, especially when they are large?

3. Are there known fixes or workarounds to ensure that all songs in a smart playlist sync properly with the Remote app?

Context:

Given that this issue severely impacts the usability of the Remote app as a music management tool for large libraries, I’d appreciate any insights or suggestions on how to resolve it. My setup is otherwise stable, and playback works correctly; the issue is specifically with syncing playlist and smart playlist contents between Apple Music and the Remote app.