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Snippet: iTunes Match Not Syncing Playlists ☇

Shared on January 12, 2013

I started having issues with this on Wednesday and thought it had something to do with a freshly-restored iPhone. I then noticed that playlists were missing from my other iOS devices (iPad, Apple TV), yet still appeared and synchronized across multiple Macs. After checking Twitter, it seemed the issue was a bit more widespread, and word got to iMore’s Rene Ritchie:

We’re getting pelted by messages today from readers using iTunes Match, Apple’s music locker service, who either can no longer find, or no longer sync their playlists from, to, or with iCloud. Apple’s System Status isn’t currently reporting any problems, which in and of itself seems problematic, given the sudden influx of complaints.

While a couple of days may be an inconvenience, this is a paid service, and even more frustrating is that Apple itself has no remedy or general awareness of iTunes Match. After trying numerous things, including turning iTunes Match off, then on multiple times, deleting all my music and playlists from iCloud, and starting from scratch, I finally decided to call Apple. Although the representative I spoke with was very friendly and helpful, we still could not get anything to work, and I followed up with the email support form directly to the iTunes Store. An email back from one of their representatives linked me to some basic steps, but not much else. I sent a reply, but have not heard anything else, so it does seem the problem continues to be unresolved.

Update: It seems everything is back and working properly—if you are still having issues, turn off iTunes Match and turn it back on, starting with computers.

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