iTunes Match Users Frustratingly Report Widespread Issues [Updated]

[B/D]

Not sure where you read that. Both articles don't seem to say that. The Apple one says "Apple Music is not a backup service" (which iTunes Match is)... and the other one says that iTunes Match uses a better algorithm to match and is a backup service. So, yes... iTunes Match still has a purpose... mostly for all those songs which are not available in the iTunes Music Store / Apple Music and need to be uploaded

EDIT: I just saw it later in the article. Yeah, this isn't fully true. If you have uploaded tracks in your iCloud account from iTunes Match, you won't be able to download them on your iOS / iPadOS device (unless they changed this... no idea since I still subscribe to iTunes Match)... Every time I tried to download my library to my device in offline format, it always threw errors on Uploaded cloud items but once I renewed iTunes Match, it stopped doing it. Also keep in mind that Apple themselves said Apple Music isn't a cloud service... they would know that would seem to reason that anything Uploaded wouldn't be in the cloud for you except MAYBE to stream.

No, is not. It hasn´t the ability to force the upload of a particular track, so if for example the algorithm matches a remastered version of a song with the original version (or viceversa), there is nothing you can do to correct that.

Subscribe to iTunes Match - Apple Support

iTunes Match gives you access to all of your music on all of your devices, even songs that you've imported from other sources such as CDs.

support.apple.com

Quote:

iTunes Match isn't a back up service, so make sure to always have a back up of your music collection before you make any changes.


As for your edit, never happened to me. Uploaded music always downloaded and played fine in my Apple devices even with just the Apple Music subscription.

 

[B/D]

I would assume not. As Apple said, they're not a cloud service when you have Apple Music. Maybe if you have iCloud?

The only way I could verify is if I cancelled my iTunes Match which expires in April... and I'm not about to.

The story I said about my iPhone was true though a year or so ago. The uploaded tracks would not download to my phone and it would often skip them.... of course the phone doesn't tell you this, but it does throw some cryptic error en masse when you try to download your library if you didn't have iTunes Match.

Yes, it is. Icloud Music Library is a feature of Apple Music, which allows you to add and edit content from the apple music catalog, AND upload ripped music that you have. It all coexist in the same library.

 

[B/D]

"This created some confusion about the way tracks were matched and stored in iCloud Music Library. Now, Apple is changing this, and will use the same matching method for both services. The company said in a briefing that Apple Music now uses acoustic fingerprinting and provides matched files without digital rights management (DRM), or copy protection, just like iTunes Match."

OK, I stand corrected. Now if only it worked....

Finally. I don´t know why this is so hard to get. Everybody who was an Apple Music subscription and is still paying for Itunes Match: You dont need to. Yoy can cancel it now. It is fully included in Apple Music since 2016.

 

[MozMan68]

Finally. I don´t know why this is so hard to get. Everybody who was an Apple Music subscription and is still paying for Itunes Match: You dont need to. Yoy can cancel it now. It is fully included in Apple Music since 2016.

That’s probably a bad quote to use as it says nothing about the service being included. It only speaks to how songs in the library already are “matched” (either from Apple Music or iTunes Match) and how they decided to just start doing it the same way.

I’m still wondering what happened to my matched music that I noticed is now missing completely and what else may be missing.

Looks like I’ll have to pull out the old back-up drive or do some research.

 

[EuroChilli]

I gave up on Match years ago. When I first turned it on with an Apple Music trial, it butchered my very carefully curated local library of some 20k tracks. So I just restored it from a Time Machine backup, but I will not be syncing it with any cloud based music service again. I have now made a copy of said library for use with the Music app on my Big Sur M1, and even then, a lot of manually added album art has disappeared. However, as long as my 2011 MBP continues to work, I can play my original iTunes library from that, offline.

If I really, really, really want something, I buy (not rent) it. I also don't have time to listen to 50 million songs anyway. A very rough calculation revealed you would need at least 230 years to listen to everything in Apple Music. Yes, Match is so you can listen to your existing library on all your devices. But, how many devices to people have? It's much cheaper and probably quicker to sync old school, with a USB cable. Apple assumes everyone has 10 devices and an internet connection to support all this. The mind boggles.

 

[B/D]

That’s probably a bad quote to use as it says nothing about the service being included. It only speaks to how songs in the library already are “matched” (either from Apple Music or iTunes Match) and how they decided to just start doing it the same way.

I’m still wondering what happened to my matched music that I noticed is now missing completely and what else may be missing.

Looks like I’ll have to pull out the old back-up drive or do some research.

Strange. Never have anything like that. Randomly splitting albums, however... thats driving me nuts.

 

[karnsculpture]

Just wanted to add my experience to this. Adding ripped CDs of albums that do not exist in the iTunes store or Apple Music works without problems, and is actually fast. The same applies to my own music in any format / bitrate that Apple Music accepts. The problem is with ripped CDs of albums that exist in the iTunes store OR Apple Music.

I was an iTunes Match subscriber from the start but am now using Apple Music, so I have longtime experience of how it should work.

 

[B/D]

@MozMan68

Would be this a better quote?. From Apple themselves:

If you have an Apple Music membership, you get all of the benefits of iTunes Match, plus access to the entire Apple Music catalog. You can also get a Family Membership to share the catalog with your family members.


Prior to July 2016, they said that both services were "independant but complementary". Once they incorporated the acoustic fingerprint agorithm and the DRM free matching to Apple Music, they changed it to this.

 

[alissa914g]

Finally. I don´t know why this is so hard to get. Everybody who was an Apple Music subscription and is still paying for Itunes Match: You dont need to. Yoy can cancel it now. It is fully included in Apple Music since 2016.

Great. Now let's all get back to complaining about how Apple Music w/ iTunes Match is broken and no one is fixing it.

 

[EuroChilli]

I remember backpacking around several foreign countries some 20 years ago, with a cassette Walkman, and about 20 tapes. I don't remember pining for more music, or the bulkiness of the things being a problem. Despite the perceived limitations, portable music was simple back then. Sure, I use a lot of modern tech today, I have a 128GB iPhone with some 12k tracks on it and which is synced with a local library, but there is a line when it comes to certain things. Is all this grief really worth it? Sure, it might work for some, but if it doesn't work for you, just walk away.

Oh, I still have that Walkman and the tapes. It still works.

 

[MozMan68]

@MozMan68

Would be this a better quote?. From Apple themselves:

If you have an Apple Music membership, you get all of the benefits of iTunes Match, plus access to the entire Apple Music catalog. You can also get a Family Membership to share the catalog with your family members.


Prior to July 2016, they said that both services were "independant but complementary". Once they incorporated the acoustic fingerprint agorithm and the DRM free matching to Apple Music, they changed it to this.

Perfect!

I like how they still decided to take my money even though I still had iTunes Match when I added Apple Music 3 years ago. $90 USD down the drain.

 

[MozMan68]

I remember backpacking around several foreign countries some 20 years ago, with a cassette Walkman, and about 20 tapes. I don't remember pining for more music, or the bulkiness of the things being a problem. Despite the limitations, portable music was simple back then. Sure, I use a lot of modern tech today, I have a 128GB iPhone with some 12k tracks on it, but there is a line when it comes to certain things. Is all this grief really worth it?

Oh, I still have that Walkman and the tapes. Still works.

I remember the countless hours curating the perfect mix tape.

I have about 20,000 songs on my phone and every once in a while I will shuffle all songs and see how long I can go without wanting to skip ahead.

I realize how many of those songs I love and am glad to hear by surprise.

 

[Luba]

@LeadingHeat


No. They didn´t shut it down. There is no difference at all between the Itunes Match standalone subscription and the same functionality built in in Apple Music.

It makes sense. Let me explain.

It is included in Apple Music, yes, but you may not want to subscribe to a streaming music service that cost a minimum of 9,99 a month, just an easy way to upload your curated digital music collection (up to 100.000 tracks now) to the cloud, and easily access it from all your apple devices, with the added benefit of matching your lower quality rips to the AAC 256kbps equivalent from the Itunes Store that you can keep for yourself, forever, if you choose to do so.


For that, Itunes Match is still there for only $25 a year.

Hmm, I did the work of ripping many CDs (60 GB in Apple Lossless, ALAC) years ago, of course, Apple Match screwed the album artwork for about 10% of the CDs even though I thought I “locked in” the artwork by saving it to the file. According to Song Genie (an app that’s no longer available) said it would “lock” in the album artwork. There are other mis-matching errors, I’d say about 10% of library is affected, a big letdown since I took the time to carefully set up the library. I suppose I’ve come to accept the errors. About 15% of the time I’ll listen to music outside of my library just because I can with Apple Music. Maybe I should just get iTunes Match and I wouldn’t even miss Apple Music??

 

[Expos of 1969]

I remember backpacking around several foreign countries some 20 years ago, with a cassette Walkman, and about 20 tapes. I don't remember pining for more music, or the bulkiness of the things being a problem. Despite the limitations, portable music was simple back then. Sure, I use a lot of modern tech today, I have a 128GB iPhone with some 12k tracks on it, but there is a line when it comes to certain things. Is all this grief really worth it?

Oh, I still have that Walkman and the tapes. Still works.

Simpler times had their advantages definitely. 40 years ago I backpacked around Europe for three months. No cell phone obviously, no music with me, just a small camera. I lived in the moment, whether it be gazing out the train window with just my thoughts to entertain and or distract me, listening to whatever music was being played in cafes or bars, chatting with fellow travellers, looking at local newspapers, the occasional map.

I am so glad I did that trip before cell phones were invented. Now the preoccupation of many travellers is the ridiculous selfie, posting non essential comments to social media and burying their face in their phone, quite oblivious to their spectacular and interesting surroundings. Ok, 62 year old man rant over. Beer and BBQ time.

 

[Luba]

Just wanted to add my experience to this. Adding ripped CDs of albums that do not exist in the iTunes store or Apple Music works without problems, and is actually fast. The same applies to my own music in any format / bitrate that Apple Music accepts. The problem is with ripped CDs of albums that exist in the iTunes store OR Apple Music.

I was an iTunes Match subscriber from the start but am now using Apple Music, so I have longtime experience of how it should work.

That’s good to hear. Another poster on this thread said his recordings of concerts etc. got screwed up my Match. What type of music CDs are you ripping that’s not in Apple Music, classical music? When you say your music, it’s music you created and recorded and then uploaded to iTunes which Match matches across your devices?

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Yes, Match is so you can listen to your existing library on all your devices. But, how many devices to people have? It's much cheaper and probably quicker to sync old school, with a USB cable. Apple assumes everyone has 10 devices and an internet connection to support all this. The mind boggles.

I have 8 devices—3 Apple TV, 2 Macs, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They so have an internet connection and my 25,000 song library available on them. I can assure you that it would not be quicker, easier, or even possible to store my library on all of them.

 

[EuroChilli]

I remember the countless hours curating the perfect mix tape.

I have about 20,000 songs on my phone and every once in a while I will shuffle all songs and see how long I can go without wanting to skip ahead.

I realize how many of those songs I love and am glad to hear by surprise.

Yep, a lot of my mix tapes are made from vinyls, and with a Kenwood deck that had analog VU meters. It was an art, recording songs on to a tape at the same level from various LP's recorded over a span of some 40 years. What was even more interesting was getting the correct balance between left and right. This Kenwood had split VU knobs. I also had to make sure to pause the tape before the next song would start, then I would remove the record, put the next one on and had to be sure the tape was recording again after the needle hit the record but before the next song started.

Apart from digitising old photos during lockdown, I also digitised quite a few of my prized vinyls as a turntable doesn't work too well in a car. I also often put my phone on full shuffle and am frequently reminded of songs I forgot I owned. I think I own enough music to enjoy for the rest of the better part of my life, and I have Spotify to thank for that. Their app still hasn't been optimised for M1 Macs and kept crashing, and like Apple, they point blank refused to shed any light on the matter, so I cancelled that and am re-discovering my own music.

 

[EuroChilli]

I have 8 devices—3 Apple TV, 2 Macs, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They so have an internet connection and my 25,000 song library available on them. I can assure you that it would not be quicker, easier, or even possible to store my library on all of them.

I get that. Between my wife and I we have 9 Apple devices; 4 laptops, 1 iPod, 1 iPad and 3 iPhones, all still in working order, but the full music library on only 1 of them, my laptop. Why would I want to store/access my full library on all of them? I'm genuinely curious. I have just one Hi-Fi set in the lounge with a pair of some potent little B&W speakers. If I turn it up loud enough, even my neighbours can hear it, but at a sensible level I can hear it throughout the apartment quite comfortably. Only one local copy of my iTunes library required. For when I'm out of range of the HiFi set, I have a selection of music on my phone which can be easily connected to the car stereo, my Bose headphones or any other such device.

But seriously, if that set up of yours works for you, great. I just think that tech sometimes grossly over complicates what should be a very simple thing, listening to music. Hence, the topic of this thread.

 

[EuroChilli]

Simpler times had their advantages definitely. 40 years ago I backpacked around Europe for three months. No cell phone obviously, no music with me, just a small camera. I lived in the moment, whether it be gazing out the train window with just my thoughts to entertain and or distract me, listening to whatever music was being played in cafes or bars, chatting with fellow travellers, looking at local newspapers, the occasional map.

I am so glad I did that trip before cell phones were invented. Now the preoccupation of many travellers is the ridiculous selfie, posting non essential comments to social media and burying their face in their phone, quite oblivious to their spectacular and interesting surroundings. Ok, 62 year old man rant over. Beer and BBQ time.

One day there was a woman sitting on a train travelling across England for no particular reason. She had nothing with her and was just gazing out the window at the passing scenery. All of a sudden, an image of a bespectacled boy popped into her head. The boys name was to become....Harry Potter. True story, Google it.

Make no mistake, I love my music, but I can also thoroughly enjoy what is being played at various locations, by other people. There are many such examples, but Roxanne by The Police reminds me vividly of my time at the Tabasco youth hostel in Jerusalem in 1995....what happens in Vegas, same goes for Jerusalem.... ;-) I too had just a 35mm camera with me, but no phone and no music.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Why would I want to store/access my full library on all of them? I'm genuinely curious.

Why not?

I just think that tech sometimes grossly over complicates what should be a very simple thing, listening to music. Hence, the topic of this thread.

In my experience, the occasional tech glitch isn’t any more complicated or inconvenient than having to curate which songs I want on which device, not being able to ask Siri to play literally any song from any room or vehicle, or realizing what I want to listen to hasn’t been manually synced to the device I’m using right now.

your favorite artists drops a new banger that you’re gonna want on more than one device. Which is more complicated—manually adding it to every device, or adding it once and having it automatically playable everywhere, almost instantly?

 

[katbel]

I have 8 devices—3 Apple TV, 2 Macs, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They so have an internet connection and my 25,000 song library available on them. I can assure you that it would not be quicker, easier, or even possible to store my library on all of them.

You can always make your music available on your network - share my music - and listen to it on any of your devices.
No need of extra Apple Music or iCloud or iTunes Match that is not working any longer .

 

[EuroChilli]

Why not?

In my experience, the occasional tech glitch isn’t any more complicated or inconvenient than having to curate which songs I want on which device, not being able to ask Siri to play literally any song from any room or vehicle, or realizing what I want to listen to hasn’t been manually synced to the device I’m using right now.

your favorite artists drops a new banger that you’re gonna want on more than one device. Which is more complicated—manually adding it to every device, or adding it once and having it automatically playable everywhere, almost instantly?

Sure, if you can weather the inevitable glitches and can get it to work, why not? But for those that can't, maybe a cassette walkman is the better option. And even then...

I own a 1998 Landrover Defender TDi 300 with 330 000km on its clock, a proper old school diesel clunker, and it works, for me. Then there are others who prefer the so called 'new' Defender, but which is something I wouldn't touch with a 400ft pole. It apparently even has over-the-air software updates...a hackers wet dream...pardon the expression.

With the exception of The Stones and Ghost Town, most of my favourite artists are either dead or about to be...so any of them dropping a new banger is a moot point ;-)

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Sure, if you can weather the inevitable glitches and can get it to work, why not? But for those that can't, maybe a cassette walkman is the better option. And even then...

I own a 1998 Landrover Defender TDi 300 with 330 000km on its clock, a proper old school diesel clunker, and it works, for me. Then there are others who prefer the so called 'new' Defender, but which is something I wouldn't touch with a 400ft pole. It apparently even has over-the-air software updates...a hackers wet dream...pardon the expression.

With the exception of The Stones and Ghost Town, most of my favourite artists are either dead or about to be...so any of them dropping a new banger is a moot point ;-)

You can tell which one of us is a club DJ and which one is not 🤣

what’s really a marvel is how much technology has given us such a wide range of options, that there really is something that works for everyone. I still enjoy my vinyl records on a Saturday afternoon even though I have HomePods with access to 50 million songs. I like the intimacy of handling the dis, setting it on the platter and setting the needle on it. So I’m definitely not 100% digital by any means.

 

[EuroChilli]

You can tell which one of us is a club DJ and which one is not 🤣

what’s really a marvel is how much technology has given us such a wide range of options, that there really is something that works for everyone. I still enjoy my vinyl records on a Saturday afternoon even though I have HomePods with access to 50 million songs. I like the intimacy of handling the dis, setting it on the platter and setting the needle on it. So I’m definitely not 100% digital by any means.

Ha, I actually dabbled in club DJ'ing some 25 years ago, when the Pioneer CDJ just came out...."I have to praise you like I shouldddddd...." I was the lighting guy in a local club, and it was the DJ's birthday, on a Friday night. At about 10pm he says he needs to go to the jazz, can I just mix the next song in. Ok, but hurry back, I don't know your home recorded CDR library. By that time he had already downed at least 1 bottle of peach schnapps. He never came back, that night. Yet I somehow managed to keep the party going till about 4am. The boss handed me a wad of extra cash the next day as a thank you for saving the night.

Every time I hear that song I remember that night

I do love tech though...I just picked up my phone, took the pic, Airdropped it to my laptop, and here it is:

 

[B/D]

Perfect!

I like how they still decided to take my money even though I still had iTunes Match when I added Apple Music 3 years ago. $90 USD down the drain.

On this, I ABSOLUTELY agree with you. They should have notify users subscribed to both services, or better yet, cancel their Itunes Match subscription automatically.