Apple Confirms Music Deletion Glitch, Says Fix Incoming in Future iTunes Update

[Keerock]

Bugs, bugs, bugs, never ending story of today's Apple...

Bugs are a day-to-day reality in the software/hardware world. It's the type of bugs and how the provider reacts and deals with them that's important. So based on reality, just apply your statement "bugs, bugs, bugs..." to Google, Microsoft, IBM, SalesForce, SAP, Oracle, you name it, just keep going.

Honestly, Apple has been very responsive to this bug (for a damn good reason) and at times in the past has not been as responsive or reactive. I would say today's Apple is going in the right direction.

 

[John Mcgregor]

Complaining about issues with matching is not the same thing as "auto-deletion" of original files.

A different word for the sam thing.

 

[gnipgnop]

A different word for the sam thing.

There's your problem: it isn't the same thing, which also gives you a good idea as to why Apple can't duplicate what some people personally believe is happening. The issue likely has nothing to do with "auto-deletion" at all.

 

[cdarlington1]

Cook is going nowhere. He's an excellent CEO.

This wouldn't have happened under Steve Jobs™
How tiresome this line of reasoning is. While true, "example A"
might not have happened under Jobs, he was in charge when
"example B" happened. Such a cliché.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Cook is going nowhere. He's an excellent bean counter.

He's kowtowing in China to his Chinese masters.

 

[AFEPPL]

Does this only affect music purchased from iTunes of people who do NOT have iTunes Match? I have to re-download all my music purchased from them, but all music from other sources appears intact.

I don't use/have iTunes match. Happened to me.

 

[dk001]

The point is not that anybody welcomes the automated deletion of files without user consent. The point is that computers fail all the time and users are responsible for a backup of their data.

I agree but these are two totally separate things.
1. Always have a backup of what you consider your critical data.
2. Expected / Unexpected behavior of an app or other software you install.
2a. Then there is the "WTH!?!?!" that was the AM mess-up. Totally never in my life would have thought of this mess-up.
2b. Then there is the stealth mess-up. Like replacing your purchased non-DRM music with DRM music, your explicit with clean, your live with...

Once again; backups yes. However behavior like this is something you never expect.
[doublepost=1463409342][/doublepost]

Just because someone said it happened to them doesn't make it so. Sometimes it really is just user error. Apple certainly has a better leg to stand on here than the iPhone 4 Antenna design.

Yes but when you work with Apple on trying to fix your borked library and it happens a second time....
The odds of it being user error is far less.

BTDT-BTTS

 

[gnipgnop]

I agree but these are two totally separate things.
1. Always have a backup of what you consider your critical data.
2. Expected / Unexpected behavior of an app or other software you install.
2a. Then there is the "WTH!?!?!" that was the AM mess-up. Totally never in my life would have thought of this mess-up.
2b. Then there is the stealth mess-up. Like replacing your purchased non-DRM music with DRM music, your explicit with clean, your live with...

Once again; backups yes. However behavior like this is something you never expect.

This is a good article that explains issues similar to what you're describing that occur without files ever being auto deleted, and that includes tags/artwork changing, less accurate matches, and how you can end up with DRM versions of files.

http://www.macworld.com/article/306...ple-music-doesnt-delete-your-music-files.html

 

[dk001]

If you have experience using computers, why would you believe the least likely scenario (iTunes auto-deleting files) than the most likely scenarios (file corruption, disk errors, broken links to files that are still present, files on disks that are no longer in use, mistakes with copying/moving files, errors in file backup for new drives or computers, etc., etc.)

Quite possible because the "error" only affected one type in specific area of all your data. And no deliberate specific user action.
So after you turn on AM, load your library, and then start nothing that some songs are wrong, some artwork is wrong, some songs have vanished, some songs won't play, some songs are now DRM, some...

Least common denominator. Why would you look at file corruption, disk error, etc...?

 

[gnipgnop]

So after you turn on AM, load your library, and then start nothing that some songs are wrong, some artwork is wrong, some songs have vanished, some songs won't play, some songs are now DRM, some...

Check out the MacWorld article link I posted above. All of the things you're talking about aren't related to auto-deletion.

 

[dk001]

Your headline is misleading. It says Apple confirms an iTune Deletion Glitch. They haven't. They've confirmed that a small number of users REPORT deletions. That's not the same thing at all.

And Apple's statement was legally and politically worded. Carefully worded.
[doublepost=1463411150][/doublepost]

This is a good article that explains issues similar to what you're describing that occur without files ever being auto deleted, and that includes tags/artwork changing, less accurate matches, and how you can end up with DRM versions of files.

http://www.macworld.com/article/306...ple-music-doesnt-delete-your-music-files.html

Thanks. Read it. It is not the whole story and spins it. It is his personal opinion like many others. Informed others. I would have to go back and look it up but others have seen this "delete" issue and have it semi-recorded via the TM.
Try http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/05/12/proof_that_apple_music_is_deleting_mp3_files.html

 

[John Mcgregor]

There's your problem: it isn't the same thing, which also gives you a good idea as to why Apple can't duplicate what some people personally believe is happening. The issue likely has nothing to do with "auto-deletion" at all.

Apple can't because it is expected behavior for them since they made it to be like that without thinking that someone wants their music untouched. The only reason why even more users are not complaining is because not everyone noticed and many who did did;t care.

 

[ericwn]

I agree but these are two totally separate things.
1. Always have a backup of what you consider your critical data.
2. Expected / Unexpected behavior of an app or other software you install.
2a. Then there is the "WTH!?!?!" that was the AM mess-up. Totally never in my life would have thought of this mess-up.
2b. Then there is the stealth mess-up. Like replacing your purchased non-DRM music with DRM music, your explicit with clean, your live with...

Once again; backups yes. However behavior like this is something you never expect.
[doublepost=1463409342][/doublepost]

Yes but when you work with Apple on trying to fix your borked library and it happens a second time....
The odds of it being user error is far less.

BTDT-BTTS

The responsibility for your data is always on your side. Knowing that, you have to expect the unexpected. Anything can break, have bugs and what not. Just like the linked Macworld article emphasises.

Sure it's a mess-up of multiple factors and in many cases simply user error. Now to your points:

1) is what I said already
2) exactly, the unexpected is why we do 1)
2a) another wording for the unexpected
2b) that seems to describe the matching process and its downsides and issues. But since when does Apple offer you drm music, I thought that was phased out years ago with the introduction of iTunes plus.

 

[dk001]

The responsibility for your data is always on your side. Knowing that, you have to expect the unexpected. Anything can break, have bugs and what not. Just like the linked Macworld article emphasises.

Sure it's a mess-up of multiple factors and in many cases simply user error. Now to your points:

1) is what I said already
2) exactly, the unexpected is why we do 1)
2a) another wording for the unexpected
2b) that seems to describe the matching process and its downsides and issues. But since when does Apple offer you drm music, I thought that was phased out years ago with the introduction of iTunes plus.

For 2b, if you download from AM it is DRM.

 

[pjarvi]

Article is misleading and does nothing but continue the spread of FUD. Apple did not "identify" any bugs, as stated they "could not reproduce" any such reports of issues. They are just going to add a babysitter to the app to make really, really, sure you want to delete what you are deleting. Thank you Millennials for the new nanny state.

 

[ericwn]

For 2b, if you download from AM it is DRM.

Thanks! Didn't know that!

 

[Shirasaki]

Side note:
Music industry may never publicly say "DRM" at anywhere. But we know it.

And let me see how long Apple should take to "convince" me trying out this service. And I am sure Apple will need to upload 80% of my library to the cloud anyway.

 

[Shadow5]

Does anyone know if there's a method to delete your iCloud library and do the entire scan from scratch? And if so, did it even help?

 

[gnipgnop]

I would have to go back and look it up but others have seen this "delete" issue and have it semi-recorded via the TM.
Try http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/05/12/proof_that_apple_music_is_deleting_mp3_files.html

Yeah, I've seen that video and it doesn't prove anything other than the contents of his Portishead folder have changed over time. That's like someone showing the contents of their desktop today, then showing an old Time Machine backup of the desktop that's different and saying "OS X auto-deleted files from my desktop". It's not actually very convincing.

 

[SmileyBlast!]

Glitch? I'm surprised Apple PR didn't spin this as a feature

Yeah they could say something like:
"Our new Itunes release catalogs your music and optimizes hard drive space for a less cluttered computing experience."

 

[mspman]

Bugs are a day-to-day reality in the software/hardware world. It's the type of bugs and how the provider reacts and deals with them that's important. So based on reality, just apply your statement "bugs, bugs, bugs..." to Google, Microsoft, IBM, SalesForce, SAP, Oracle, you name it, just keep going.

Honestly, Apple has been very responsive to this bug (for a damn good reason) and at times in the past has not been as responsive or reactive. I would say today's Apple is going in the right direction.

Two things:

1. Bugs are not a day-to-day reality. I've worked with Oracle technology for almost 20 years and I will encounter, on average, 2-3 database bugs per project. They are certainly not "day-to-day" activities. And certainly none that involve a client's data loss. Oracle would go out of business very quickly if 100G of financial data was randomly "oopsed" for several customers.

2. If you're actually comparing Apple to the likes of IBM and Microsoft, then I would argue the entire purpose of Apple has been upended. Apple was the first on a lot of things.. first to put ECC ram in consumer laptops, first to have SSD drives standard, first to remove ports, etc. etc. If we're throwing our hands up now and saying "Oh, well Apple is just like everyone else", then Apple has lost.

 

[MACKRUMORS]

I reported this to Apple about 6 months ago, and I was pissed! Too bad they didn't listen to me sooner, but at least they finally listened to everyone else.

 

[danranda]

I get your point, but if they find such code they'd say "we found a bug (or conditions which could lead to such behavior) and we'll fix it". But their wording is very vague.

That whole story is a sad example of the current state of things. First Apple support says "yes, it should delete", then other Apple guys say "no, it shouldn't" then Apple says "we can't reproduce it [and don't even know if it exists] but we'll release some safeguards"...

Additionally, they ought to release a tool that will scan your current library, then scan a backup of your data on TimeMachine and list for you the songs that are no longer in your library but are in your backup and then easily restore them. Hunting around for songs you know have been deleting is one thing... but what about the things that have been deleted and I'm not even aware of it yet due to the size of my library?

 

[dk001]

Yeah, I've seen that video and it doesn't prove anything other than the contents of his Portishead folder have changed over time. That's like someone showing the contents of their desktop today, then showing an old Time Machine backup of the desktop that's different and saying "OS X auto-deleted files from my desktop". It's not actually very convincing.

It wasn't so much the video. It was the time and effort Caldwell put into trying to determine a potential root cause. And this from someone who was a sceptic at best. Bug? Looks like Apple maybe thinking that way.
[doublepost=1463419989][/doublepost]

I reported this to Apple about 6 months ago, and I was pissed! Too bad they didn't listen to me sooner, but at least they finally listened to everyone else.

After reading all the latest, I would hazard that the latest "delete" issue is a bit different than what we initially saw under the AM Trial phase.
Either way, I won't be trying AM again anytime soon.
[doublepost=1463420047][/doublepost]

Additionally, they ought to release a tool that will scan your current library, then scan a backup of your data on TimeMachine and list for you the songs that are no longer in your library but are in your backup and then easily restore them. Hunting around for songs you know have been deleting is one thing... but what about the things that have been deleted and I'm not even aware of it yet due to the size of my library?

Or the songs deleted that are not in the library and cannot be purchased or even easily purchased?

 

[malexandria]

Hey, folks, we may have deleted your music, but we're going to fix it so it doesn't happen again. Have a lovely day....