Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music.
The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced back in February 2024, when an Android user saw a reference to the option in the Apple Music beta for Android. There is no word on when library and playlist transfer options might expand to other countries, but it is likely Apple is planning to expand the rollout in the near future.
Apple is partnering with SongShift for the new Apple Music feature. SongShift is an app that transfers music playlists across streaming platforms, but by working with Apple, the functionality has been integrated directly in the Apple Music app. Adding a simple option for transferring content from another service to Apple Music could spur people with large, curated libraries and playlists to make the jump to Apple’s music service.
Apple Music subscribers in Australia and New Zealand can initiate song transfers on the web or using the Apple Music app for iPhone, iPad, or Android. Songs, albums, and playlists from music services like Spotify can be transferred to Apple Music, though what can be transferred does depend on the service.
On an iPhone or an iPad, transfers can be initiated by opening up the Settings app, navigating to Apps, and selecting Apple Music. In the Apple Music settings, there is a “Transfer Music from Other Music Services” option that lists supported music services. Users can select what they want to transfer, and then Apple Music will locate matches for songs in the Apple Music catalog, adding them to the Apple Music library.
In instances where an exact match for a song isn’t able to be located, Apple will flag the music as Needs Review, displaying alternate versions that can be selected. Apple warns that some content might not be available or have an exact match in Apple Music, and the company also notes that only user created playlists are able to be transferred, not playlists created by another music service.
Source playlists and libraries in the other music service will not be impacted and will still be available.
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