iTunes Match is a bottom-known paid service from Apple that lets you upload your music collection to the cloud and listen to information technology on any Apple device or a Windows PC for $25/yr.

What Is iTunes Match?

As the proper name suggests, iTunes Match matches your local music library to Apple tree'southward DRM-protected iTunes Store and uploads annihilation it can't friction match regardless of whether you ripped music from CDs, purchased it from Amazon, or imported it into iTunes from other sources.

Matched songs are available in iTunes Plus quality (256 kbps AAC) regardless of the original bit rate. You can also turn on the iCloud Music Library option in settings to make your entire local music library available across devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

How Does iTunes Friction match Work?

Music is added to iTunes Match in the following ways:

  • Purchases: All your iTunes Store purchases are included in your iCloud music library.
  • Matches: Matches from your local music library, regardless of where the songs came from, become bachelor across devices through the iCloud music library.
  • Uploads: Songs from your local library without matches in the iTunes Store catalog are automatically uploaded to your iCloud music library in 256 kbps AAC.

iTunes Lucifer e'er retains the original files on your device. Every bit part of an initial scan of your local music library, iTunes Friction match will upload all DRM-free songs without matches (these uploads don't count confronting your iCloud storage). It'll automatically scan, friction match and upload any newly added music going frontwards.

iTunes Lucifer supports all the aforementioned sound formats as Apple Music: AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. Carry in mind that non-matched songs are automatically converted into 256Kbps AAC. For case, if some of your higher-quality MP3s are in 320 kbps, iTunes Match will transcode those to 256 kbps AAC earlier uploading.

iTunes Friction match as well makes all your playlists from iTunes or the Music app available across all of your devices, with one exception—playlists that include other items, such as digital booklets that come with some albums, will not sync.

You should always keep a backup of your music collection in Time Machine or similar software of your choice. iTunes Match shouldn't be viewed as a fill-in service for your music, as Apple spells out in black and white in its support document.

How to Sign Upward for iTunes Match

iTunes Match is only available in iTunes 10.5.ii or higher for Mac or Windows and Apple'south Music app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple tree TV. The service is unavailable on Android. Keep in mind that iTunes Friction match offers only the annual billing option.

To sign up for iTunes Lucifer, open the Music app on macOS or launch iTunes for Windows, so click iTunes Store in the sidebar (macOS) or Store at the top of iTunes (Windows). If you don't see the iTunes Shop section on your Mac, access the Music app's preferences and click the General tab, then tick the box adjacent to iTunes Store and hit the OK button.

A macOS screenshot displaying the iTunes Store section in Apple's Music app, with the iTunes Match option highlighted

Side by side, click iTunes Match under the Features heading at the bottom of the window and so choose the Subscribe button that appears. Subsequently signing in with your Apple tree ID and countersign, you'll be instructed to confirm your billing data.

As the last step, striking Subscribe to finish the process. Upon confirmation, your payment method volition be instantly charged $25 for a full twelvemonth of iTunes Lucifer and you can showtime using the service immediately.

When the subscription expires, iTunes Match will renew automatically for another 12 months. To foreclose unwanted charges, be sure to abolish your subscription before the electric current billing period ends.

If you cancel iTunes Match, you will lose access to your iCloud music library. Of course, you lot can go on listening to any of the original songs in the local library on your device like y'all ordinarily would, fifty-fifty later canceling the subscription.

What Are the Limitations of iTunes Lucifer?

iTunes Match imposes a 100,000-song cap, which is manner more music than most people have in their libraries. That'southward 100,000 matched and uploaded songs, mind you. Furthermore, music purchased from the iTunes Store doesn't count against this limit.

Uploads of non-matches are limited to 200 MB in size or two hours in elapsing per song. iTunes Match will not sync vocalization memos from your iPhone nor volition it match any tunes below 96 kbps. If you lot have DRM songs in your local music library, those volition be uploaded only if your computer is authorized to play them.

Do I Need iTunes Match?

A macOS screenshot of Apple's Music app showing creating a smart playlist of songs that have 256Kbps AAC versions available on iTunes Match

The answer to this question depends on whether you lot already use a music-subscription service. Folks who don't maintain a personal music library or don't care virtually owning their music will find Apple tree Music or Spotify much more convenient.

Simply if yous've clustered a large music drove, iTunes Friction match is worth considering—especially if your library is packed with remixes, DJ sets, classical music and like songs that can't be matched to the iTunes Store itemize.

You don't demand Apple tree Music to employ iTunes Match or vice versa. The only reason why an Apple Music member would want to subscribe to iTunes Lucifer is to access their music on the older Apple tree TV models. The central difference between iTunes Match and Apple Music is core utility.

While both iTunes Match and Apple Music allow you download and stream music on up to 10 computers and devices at once, iTunes Match simply works with the music you already have.

On the other hand, Apple Music gives you unlimited admission to more than than ninety million songs and 30,000 curated playlists—but you don't own any of information technology. When you stop paying your Apple Music subscription, everything disappears. With iTunes Match, you still accept admission to the originals on your device fifty-fifty if you lot cease paying the subscription.

Apple tree states the post-obit:

If y'all have an Apple Music membership, you lot get all of the benefits of iTunes Lucifer, plus access to the unabridged Apple Music itemize. You can also get a family membership to share the itemize with your family members.

And what about Google's YouTube Music? This service includes a costless personal music library characteristic that lets you upload up to 100,000 songs. Unfortunately, you'll demand to use the spider web interface for that because uploading music is supported in the mobile YouTube Music app.

On the plus side, your uploads are more accessible and discoverable than with iTunes Lucifer because YouTube is ubiquitously available on whatsoever device with a web browser.

Syncing All Your Music Across All Your Devices

If you're the blazon of person with a large music collection who is deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, iTunes Lucifer is a reasonable selection to consider. While there are alternatives out at that place, iTunes Match offers the deepest integration and information technology "but works".

So, if you're looking for ways to admission your music collection beyond all your Apple tree gadgets, so this is something you should seriously consider.

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