Ripped Music Disappears from Music App on iPhone

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Level 1

4 points

Ripped Music Disappears from Music App on iPhone

Hello! Over the past two years or so, I have been noticing that music content that I ripped from CDs long ago (much of my Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and other music) will disappear from the Music app on my iPhone. In addition, playlists that I create (whether they have CD content or not) will also disappear from the Music app from my iPhone. This tends to be quite annoying as I rely on music I've purchased over the years on my phone to listen to music while out and about (AKA I don't stream music from Apple Music or Spotify or the like), and I usually don't realize that the music has disappeared until I'm out and about (AKA not near a computer). I've tried to research this issue already - online, a lot of folks seem to think these issues arise if your "optimize music" selection is turned on in Settings on your iphone. I have checked - there is no function for this under the Music app in Settings on the phone. Can anyone advise why this keeps happening?

iPhone 16

Posted on Dec 4, 2025 9:48 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

azaksalmarzur28

Level 4

1,242 points

Dec 6, 2025 6:04 AM in response to Foofyfoof246

TURN OFF “Sync Library” on iPhone (recommended)

This restores classic manual music syncing — nothing gets deleted.

Go to:

Settings → Music → Sync Library → OFF

When you turn Sync Library off:

Your iPhone keeps whatever is physically on the device
It will no longer delete ripped music
Playlists you create will stay local
You sync via Finder/iTunes again like before

If you turn this off and sync from your computer, your full CD collection stays put.

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Answer 2

Limnos

Level 10

427,151 points

Dec 6, 2025 6:33 AM in response to Foofyfoof246

While you can try turning off Sync Library, if you do not have an Apple Music subscription it may not even be on.

Use Sync Library with your Apple Music subscription - Apple Support

If you don’t see the option to turn on Sync Library, then it might be because of the following:

- You don’t have a subscription to Apple Music or iTunes Match.

- Your device isn't signed in to the Apple Music app with the same Apple Account that you use with your subscription.

You may wish to ensure you are manually syncing as outlined in this support article.

Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac - Apple Support

If your Mac is using macOS Catalina or later, you can use the Finder on your Mac to sync content between your Mac and your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Content that you can sync includes music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, audiobooks, books, photos, contacts, and calendars.

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