Apple Music smart playlist not syncing

iTunes is one of the best sync software available to transfer all kinds of files between iPhone and computer, but it isn’t as perfect as it seems. When you hit the sync button at the bottom corner of iTunes, it will automatically sync all kind of data between your iPhone and iTunes but sometimes, it can be a hassle. For example, while doing the syncing, a prompt pops up, telling you there is an error or after the syncing, you just find that your desired playlists are not there. Don’t worry! If you encounter the iPhone playlist not syncing issue, you can try the way below to solve the problem.

Part 1. General Ways to Resolve Playlist Not Syncing Issue

Method 1: This issue has been extensively seen with the new iOS 8 and latest version of iTunes, you can either copy the music one by one like sync one playlist at one time but it will be time consuming. So, if you want to save your time, see yourself for the 2nd method.

Method 2: iTunes Match was one of the latest feature in iOS, if you have enabled the iTunes Match, it will prevent you from sync music from your iPhone to computer. So, the best way is to disable the iTunes Match on your iPhone.

To disable iTunes Match, go to Settings. Scroll down and tap on Music. Make sure, you haven’t subscribed to iTunes Match.

Method 3: This method is most reliable method to solve this issue. It actually involve removing all kind of music from you iPhone and sync it again. Here’s how you can do that.

Connect your iPhone with computer and fire up the iTunes. From the left menu, select you iPhone and Click on Music. Uncheck the “Sync Music” and Click on “Sync” button. Once the Sync is completed, all songs will be removed. Once all songs have been removed, follow the same steps to copy songs back to your iPhone. It will resolve the Playlist not syncing to your iPhone.

Sync the playlist between iPhone and iTunes is a tiresome process, especially if you are using more than one iPhone or iPad with the same computer. Whenever, you will modify a playlist from your iPhone and sync it with the iTunes, you will again get the same old Playlist on your iPhone again. This issue can be resolved by using the native iTunes and some changes in its settings but you can also solve this using a third party sync software such as dr.fone. This software will not only sync the music perfectly, but you can also edit, delete and modify the playlist on your computer without interfering with the iTunes. You can download the dr.fone for Mac (or dr.fone).

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dr.fone is the best software to avoid these kinds of issues, you can copy songs, playlists and voice memos from computer to iPhone and computer to iPhone (A feature which iTunes doesn’t offer). Moreover, managing a playlist in dr.fone is also pretty much easy as compared to managing it in iTunes. Here’s how you can sync songs and playlists without facing any kind of errors.

Step 1: Download the dr.fone and install it on your computer. Connect your iPhone with it and it will open the main menu. On the top menus, click on iPhone and then Music, here you will see playlists listed on the right side.

Step 2: You can edit, modify, make a new playlist or copy existing playlist from computer. You can add new playlists from computer to iPhone and vice versa. You can make your own new playlist, copy a playlist from iTunes library or even copy a playlist from the computer.

Apple Music and several other streaming services sync your favorite songs and playlists across devices. That’s how you get to enjoy them seamlessly, irrespective of the device you use to access Apple Music. But what if Apple Music is missing some songs or playlists on your iPhone and they are available on your MacBook? It looks rather odd. Don’t worry. We’ve compiled some solutions to help you fix Apple Music synchronization errors between your Mac and iPhone in this guide.

First, make sure both devices (Mac and iPhone) are connected to the same Apple ID account. Likewise, check that you have an active Apple Music subscription—on your iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions and ensure that ‘Apple Music Subscription’ is in the Active section. Finally, verify that your iPhone and Mac’s internet connection are both active. This is super important.

If internet connectivity is the problem, check out these guides on fixing cellular data problems and restoring a Wi-Fi connection on an iPhone. Otherwise, proceed to the solutions in the next section.

1. Manually Trigger Library Synchronization

It’s quite possible that your Apple Music subscription doesn’t have your music library synced across devices despite having an active internet connection. In such instances, you can manually trigger the synchronization.

Some Mac users who experienced similar difficulties with synchronizing Apple Music could maneuver the problem by modifying their music libraries. Making any change to your music library — on your iPhone — will trigger Apple Music to synchronize your Mac’s music library with your iPhone.

You could try adding a random song to your playlist, change a playlist’s name, or even create a new playlist. Anything at all. That should nudge your iPhone’s Apple Music to obtain updated information from your Mac or other connected devices.

2. Restart Devices

Still can’t sync your Mac’s Apple Music library with your iPhone? Power off both devices and turn them back on, starting with your iPhone. If the issue persists when your iPhone comes back on, try restarting your Mac and check if that helps.

3. Update iOS

If Apple Music’s library synchronization isn’t working correctly on your devices, Apple recommends updating their OS to the latest version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap ‘Download and Install’ to update your iPhone.

To update macOS on your Mac, navigate to System Preferences > Software Update and click the Upgrade Now button.

4. Enable Library Synchronization

You should also check that library synchronization is enabled on your Mac and iPhone. If disabled on either device, Apple Music will have different content on your devices, even if they are connected to the same Apple ID.

How to Enable Apple Music Library Sync on iPhone

Step 1: Launch Settings and select Music.

Step 2: Make sure Sync Library is toggled on.

If the option is already enabled, toggle it off and back on. That could also help trigger Apple Music to sync your Mac’s music library with your iPhone.

Note: Turning off library synchronization for Apple Music will remove all songs and downloads from your iPhone. Don’t worry. Your content will be restored. Your music library will be synced/update when you turn the feature back on. The only downside is that you’ll lose downloaded songs.

How to Enable Apple Music Library Sync on Mac

Step 1: Launch the Music app and click Music on the top-right corner of the menu bar.

Step 2: Next, select Preferences.

Step 3: In the General tab, make sure the Sync Library option is checked. If already enabled, you can uncheck the option and turn it back on. Click OK to save the changes.

5. Check Apple Music Status

You could experience difficulties syncing your music library between your Mac and iPhone if there’s an interruption with the Apple Music service in your region or globally. To confirm, visit the Apple System Support page and check if the indicators next to Apple Music, Apple Music radio, and Apple Music Subscriptions are green. That means Apple Music’s servers are active and online.

If the indicators are yellow, the servers are down, and you might be unable to use some of Apple Music’s features and services. In this case, the only thing you can do is to wait for Apple to patch things up on their end.

6. Reconnect Apple ID

If none of the solutions recommended above does the trick, you should remove your Apple ID account from your iPhone and sign back in. Before you proceed, you should take a backup your iPhone so you don’t lose any data when you sign out of Apple ID.

Note: Like turning off library sync for Apple Music (see method #4), signing out of Apple ID will also remove all downloaded songs from your iPhone. This is why you should take a backup your iPhone.

To sign out of Apple ID on iPhone, go to Settings, click on your name, and tap the Sign Out option.

Squash Synchronization Delay

Provided that you followed the methods and instructions mentioned above, you should no longer have a problem accessing your Apple Music library on your MacBook and iPhone.

Next up: Are you looking to stop Apple Music from downloading tracks or albums automatically on your iPhone, Mac, or PC? Then you should read the guide linked below to learn how to achieve that.