Why aren t my Apple Music songs downloading?

Check your internet connection

One of the most common reasons Apple Music songs fail to download is an unreliable internet connection. Check whether you’re using WiFi or cellular data. Songs may fail to download properly over a weak cellular connection. Try connecting to a stable WiFi network and retry downloading. You can also try toggling Airplane mode on and off – this forces the device to reconnect to the network which could resolve any network issues.

Also verify the strength of your WiFi or cellular connection by running a speed test. A weak or unstable connection may prevent songs from downloading correctly. Move closer to your router or modem for a stronger WiFi signal. Or try switching between WiFi and cellular data to determine which provides the fastest, most consistent connection for downloading songs from Apple Music.

Finally, restart your iPhone or iPad to refresh the network connection. Press and hold the power button, then slide to power off. Wait 30 seconds, then turn your device back on. Once restarted, try downloading an Apple Music song again.

Update iOS and the Music App

One potential reason for Apple Music songs not downloading properly is having outdated software versions. Make sure both your iOS and the Apple Music app are updated to the latest versions available.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for and install the newest iOS release. As of February 2023, the current version is iOS 16.3 (citing Apple support thread). Installing the latest iOS can resolve bugs and improve performance.

Also open the App Store, go to Updates, and check for a Music app update. Download and install the most recent release, which is currently version 3.8 as of February 2023 (citing Tenorshare). Keeping the app fully updated ensures compatibility with iOS and access to the newest features.

After updating iOS and the Apple Music app, restart your device. A reboot helps complete the installation process. Check if downloading issues are resolved after updating and rebooting.

Check your iCloud storage

Your iCloud storage capacity directly affects your ability to download songs from Apple Music. If your storage is full or nearly full, Apple Music may not be able to download new songs (Source). To check your storage, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage. Look at how much space you have left.

If your available iCloud storage is low, you may need to upgrade to a higher storage plan. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Change Storage Plan to upgrade. Upgrading provides more space for Apple Music downloads.

You can also offload unused apps from iCloud to free up space. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > tap the app > Disable & Delete. This removes the app while keeping its data. Your free space will increase, giving Apple Music room for more downloads (Source).

Turn off Download over Cellular

One of the most common reasons Apple Music songs may not be downloading is if you have the “Download over Cellular” setting enabled and have low or spotty cellular data connectivity. To save data usage on your cellular plan and prevent unwanted song downloads, you can turn off this setting.

To turn off Download over Cellular in the Music app ( iOS 15 or later):

Go to Settings > Music.
Under “Downloads,” toggle off “Download over Cellular.”

With this setting disabled, Apple Music will only download new songs on Wi-Fi connections to prevent unwanted data usage over cellular networks. If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, the songs in your library marked for download may appear grayed out until a Wi-Fi connection is restored.

Once the “Download over Cellular” setting is disabled, Apple Music downloads should only occur when you are connected to a stable Wi-Fi network (Source: Apple Support).

Reboot and Reset

If your iDevice is still not downloading Apple Music songs properly after checking basic settings like your internet connection, storage, and data usage, you may need to reboot or reset certain devices.

First try a soft reboot, which restarts your device without deleting any data or settings ¹. To soft reboot, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo appear.

If that doesn’t resolve the issue, try a hard reboot. This completely powers down the device before restarting it. To hard reboot, press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. This may take 10-20 seconds.

As a last resort, you can reset all network settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset and choose “Reset Network Settings.” This will delete saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, VPN settings, and other network preferences, but allow your device to freshly reconfigure network connections from scratch ².

Delete and Re-download

If your Apple Music songs are having trouble downloading correctly, one troubleshooting step is to delete the problematic downloads and redownload fresh copies. This forces Apple Music to retry downloading the full song files which sometimes resolves corrupt or incomplete downloads.

To delete and redownload Apple Music songs:

Open the Apple Music app and go to Library > Songs.
Tap Edit in the top right corner.

Tap the red minus icon next to each song you want to delete. This removes the download but keeps the song in your library.
Go to the artist or album page for the deleted songs and tap the iCloud download icon next to each song to redownload.

As noted in this Apple Music support thread, deleting and redownloading songs can help fix issues caused by incomplete, corrupted or problematic music downloads. The fresh download often fixes the issues.

Check Download Settings

There are a few settings related to downloading in the Music app that may be impacting your ability to download songs.

Max simultaneous downloads: The Music app normally allows up to 100 songs to download simultaneously. If you have a lot of songs trying to download at once, try reducing the number of max simultaneous downloads in Settings > Music.

Download over cellular data: By default, Music will not download songs when you are on a cellular data connection to avoid high data usage charges. Go to Settings > Music and turn on “Download over Cellular” to remove this restriction.

Optimize storage: If Optimize Storage is enabled in Settings > Music, Apple Music will automatically remove downloaded songs if your device storage gets low. Disable Optimize Storage and it will allow songs to remain downloaded regardless of storage space.

Authorize Computer for Downloads

If your Apple Music songs are failing to download on your computer, you may need to deauthorize and then reauthorize your computer for Apple Music downloads:

Open the Apple Music app or Apple TV app on your computer and choose “Account” > “Authorizations”

Select “Deauthorize This Computer” to remove your computer’s permissions to download Apple Music content
Then choose “Authorize This Computer” to re-add permissions

Once your computer is reauthorized, try downloading your Apple Music songs again. This should restore your ability to save songs locally.

You can also check your list of authorized devices under the “Authorizations” menu.

As noted in the Apple support documentation, repeated authorization requests could indicate a deeper issue with corrupt or incomplete music files. So if reauthorizing does not solve downloading issues, you may need to delete your offline music and redownload.

Contact Apple Support

If you are still having issues downloading songs from Apple Music after trying the troubleshooting steps listed above, you can contact Apple Support directly for further help.

Apple provides several options for getting support with Apple Music and other Apple services. You can contact Apple Support by phone or chat online with an Apple technician who can assist with troubleshooting your Apple Music download issues.

To contact Apple Support by phone regarding your Apple Music downloads, call 800-275-2273 (800-APL-CARE) from within the United States or check Apple’s worldwide support telephone numbers if calling from outside the U.S.

You can also contact Apple support and chat online with an Apple technician about any issues downloading your music library from Apple Music. The technician can provide customized troubleshooting steps to help get your song downloads working properly again.

When contacting Apple Support regarding Apple Music downloads, have your Apple ID and password handy as the technician may request access to view your account details to further diagnose the issue. Be prepared to provide details on when your download issues started and specifics on what troubleshooting steps you’ve already attempted.

Summary

According to 16 Common Apple Music Problems and How to Fix Them, the most common fixes for Apple Music downloading issues are checking your internet connection, updating your iOS and Music app, deleting and re-downloading songs, checking your iCloud storage, and contacting Apple Support. Recapping the main troubleshooting tips:

Make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi or cellular connection when trying to download songs in Apple Music.

Keep your iOS device and Music app updated to the latest versions.
Check your iCloud storage limit has not been reached.
As a last resort, delete the track from your library and re-download.

If problems persist, reach out to Apple Support via phone, chat, or social media.

Seeking help from Apple is recommended if you’ve tried all troubleshooting tips with no resolution. Provide them details on when the issue started occurring, what device types are impacted, and what you’ve tried already.