Apple Devices can't see my playlists

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Level 1

9 points

Apple Devices can't see my playlists

I'm PC-based. I keep all my music on my PC, in mp3 format, and sync it to my phone via iTunes - til now. Music has been kicked out of iTunes as of Saturday morning - apparently there's some cutoff date that has been reached without me receiving a single notification, despite being a daily user of iTunes on my computer.

I have installed Apple Music and Apple Devices apps on my machine, which apparently replace (somewhat) trusty ol' iTunes. When I synced my phone, all my music disappeared. Apparently my playlists, while intact on Apple Music, can't be seen by Apple Devices. All the Artists, Albums, Genres are there in AD but nothing under Playlists! Help!

There is some material on the web about a "Sync Library" function, but when I follow instructions to update that setting, the setting doesn't exist where they say it is, nor anywhere I can find so far.

But I think there is some issue with Apple Devices? I'm not sure what to do now. Is there some way to connect the playlists to Apple Devices?

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Jan 26, 2025 4:05 AM

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Answer 1

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Top-ranking reply

turingtest2

Level 10

276,671 points

Jan 26, 2025 4:39 PM in response to CTaber

You will see that message if any of Apple Music, Apple Devices, or Apple TV has been installed. All must be removed in order for iTunes to function normally again. I've tested the process a number of times. The Apple Music version of my library has been inconsistent even though I use the Apple Music service. There are many other shortcomings to Apple Music so I keep removing it. I've even gone so far as to dedicate a separate ID and computer to it so I can check things without going through the rigmarole of installing and uninstalling it.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

276,671 points

Jan 26, 2025 7:55 AM in response to CTaber

iTunes still works just fine, provided that you don't install Apple Music/TV/Devices. I recommend you uninstall whichever you have installed, launch iTunes, and select Music from the dropdown media selection tool to confirm the library is back as it should be.

In principle when Apple Music is first installed it should convert any existing iTunes library, complete with playlists, which should then be available to sync via Apple Devices, although Apple would really like you to use the Apple Music subscription service for a monthly fee. Sync Library (formerly call iCloud Music Library) is Apple's term for the automatic over the air syncing you get with that service.

tt2

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Answer 3

Mar 12, 2025 7:19 PM in response to turingtest2

Thank you SOOOOO much for this. AppleTV is what triggered it on mine as well and I've been, shall we say, "less than pleased" with the Apple Music and Devices apps. Things are back to normal on my computer and I can't thank you enough!

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Answer 4

CTaber Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 26, 2025 3:57 PM in response to turingtest2

That is not my experience. I used it the night before, and the next morning this came up. I didn't have Apple Music installed. Seems pretty clear.

Turns out Apple Devices, at least on my machine, is only seeing Playlists that are created in Apple Music. They then immediately populate into Apple Devices if they are both open. So my work-around at this point is to duplicate every playlist, delete the old one. Annoying but at least I've got my music back on my phone.

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Answer 5

CTaber Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 26, 2025 8:35 PM in response to turingtest2

Ahh... Apple TV. That is what changed. How interesting, it didn't occur to me obviously, although it probably should have. I now have Apple TV through T-Mobile and so installed that app (even though every other hub allows you to watch via the browser). Thanks for the heads-up. I guess I will soldier on with the change and see how it goes, now that I have a workaround. Apple Music on PC is buggy though, already.

My thanks to you tt2 for engaging on this and helping me out.

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

276,671 points

Jan 27, 2025 12:33 AM in response to CTaber

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

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Apple Devices can't see my playlists