Is Apple Music not downloading songs to iPhone? Luckily, we have a list of effective fixes.
If you can’t download songs from Apple Music, it is because of different internal and external factors.
The most common reason is a poor Internet connection. But it’s also possible that you don’t have enough storage in your iPhone. You may want to check for hardware, software, or settings faults.
Don’t know how to fix your Apple Music download problem? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered!
The first thing you should do to try to fix the Apple Music download issue is to restart the app.
Make sure you sign out of your Apple ID and then back in. If this doesn’t work, offload the Apple Music app. And, as a last resort, reset your phone’s settings.
Now, there are many other ways to fix the download problem. But before we discuss them, here’s a brief outline of the causes of Apple Music not downloading songs to your new iPhone.
Why Apple Music Not Downloading Songs to New iPhone
Apple Music is a premium audio and video streaming app. However, it is not without flaws. Some users experience issues that affect their streaming experience.
Check if one of these is the cause of your problem.
✅ Connection issues
Either your WiFi isn’t on, or the speed isn’t fast enough to download songs. You don’t have WiFi and are using mobile data, but you forgot to enable it.
✅ Not using the correct settings
There may be a glitch in the system, or the “Show Apple Music” option is turned off. Your Apple Music app may also be running an older version.
✅ Using outdated software
Your iPhone is running an older version that may no longer support the latest Music App version. It is also possible that the new update is the culprit.
✅ Hardware malfunction
The problem may be due to a manufacturing defect. In this case, your device needs a repair or a replacement.
These are the possible reasons your Apple Music app isn’t working. Now, let’s proceed to the solutions.
Proven Steps to Fix Apple Music Not Downloading Songs to iPhone
Knowing how to fix Apple Music not downloading songs can save you a trip to the service center. We listed fixes that you can do at home.
Let’s start with the basics. Restarting the Apple Music app refreshes its connection and eliminates temporary bugs and glitches.
Here’s how to do it:
- Double-click the home button to view your opened apps.
- Look for the Apple Music app and slide it up to shut it down.
- Relaunch the Apple Music app.
Your Apple Music app should allow the smooth downloading of songs now. If not, try signing out of your Apple ID. Then, sign back in.
If the issue persists, we recommend you try one of the following troubleshooting methods.
Solution #1: Enable Mobile Data Downloads on Apple Music
If restarting the Apple Music app or your phone does not resolve the issue, you want to look at the status of your internet connection.
Bad internet is one of the primary causes of your Apple Music not working properly, as it relies on a stable connection.
Without it, the app will have difficulty downloading songs to your phone for offline listening.
Whatever your current connection is, you want to switch it up to confirm that it’s an internet connectivity issue.
For the most part, you’ll notice this at home with your WiFi connection. You will have to switch to mobile data, but there’s a setting you need to change.
Here’s how to enable mobile data downloads on Apple Music:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Find the Music option, and tap on it.
- Toggle Mobile Data to On.
- Under the Downloads section, toggle Download over Mobile Data to On.
Pro Tip: After turning it on, you’ll need to turn off your current WiFi connection and active Mobile data to start downloading the songs to your phone.
Solution #2: Clear Up Storage Space on Your iPhone
Downloading new songs from the cloud to your iPhone means it will need to take up your storage space.
Now, your iPhone will come with an iCloud plan that will allow you to store files online.
However, in this case, your iCloud storage won’t work since downloading songs will require your phone’s physical storage.
If you discover that Apple Music refuses to download songs to your iPhone, you’ll need to check its free storage space.
Having space ready is always a good idea, so you’ll need to clear up as much storage as you can muster.
Here’s how to know the unused apps on your iPhone:
- Go to your phone’s Settings app.
- Select General.
- Tap on iPhone Storage.
- Scroll through the app list and look for Last Used in the past six months.
- Tap on the app, then choose the Delete option.
Tip: Also, watch out for apps that were Never Used, as these take up space on your phone.
Solution #3: Turn On the Sync Library Option on Your Phone
If you’re certain you have enough storage space on your phone, you want to check out some of the settings that can cause this issue.
One of the items you want to change is the Sync settings of your Apple Music library.
Here’s how you can turn on the sync option on your phone:
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Select Music.
- Toggle the Sync Library Off.
- Restart your phone.
- Turn on Sync Library after your phone powers up.
Note: Your existing downloaded songs will be removed when you turn off Sync Library.
However, when you turn it on again, you’ll get it all back.
Solution #4: Offload the Apple Music App
Your Apple Music app can also suffer from minor bugs and glitches that can cause it to refuse to download songs from your iCloud Library.
You want to resolve this whenever this happens by removing any corrupted files associated with the Apple Music app.
The quickest way to do this would be to offload the Apple Music app from your phone.
This will clear up all of the app’s data, flushing any of the possible causes of the error with it.
Here’s how to offload the Apple Music app on your phone:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Navigate to General, then iPhone Storage.
- Scroll down and find the Apple Music app from the list.
- Select the app, then tap Offload app.
- Confirm that you want to offload the app.
Note: After offloading the Apple Music app, you will want to restart your phone and tap on the app icon to prepare it for use again.
Solution #5: Reset Your Phone’s Network Settings
If none of the other solutions worked, you could try resetting your phone’s network settings. This will clear your phone’s network connections and refreshes them.
This step is handy if your phone has many saved connections, which could affect your current connectivity.
If you suspect a connectivity issue, it’s a solution that’s worth trying.
Here’s how to reset your phone’s network settings:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Select General.
- Choose Reset iPhone.
- Tap on Reset Network Settings.
Note: If your phone has an active PIN feature, you will need to enter it to confirm resetting your phone’s network settings.
Solution #6: Turn On Automatic Downloads on Your Phone
Automating the download process for the Apple Music app will make your life a lot easier.
The best thing about this feature is that you can simply toggle it on, and it will save any new songs you make available for offline listening.
Here’s how to switch on Automatic Downloads on your iPhone:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Tap on the Music option.
- Scroll down and navigate to the Downloads section.
- Toggle Automatic Downloads to the On position
Note: After activating this feature, you can relaunch the Apple Music app to add songs to your library to check if they get downloaded immediately.
These steps should get you to download songs from your cloud account to your iPhone.
You can also update the apple music app to resolve this error. Updating your phone’s software can also help fix this error.
You can contact Apple Music to resolve this if none of these work.
Bottom Line
Whenever your Apple Music not downloading songs to iPhone, you’re going to need to perform these troubleshooting steps.
These are all quick and easy steps to help you get the download feature working again in no time. Feel free to contact Apple’s customer support for assistance.
Read Next: Why Aren’t Certain Songs on Apple Music? – Easy Fix!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.