Its a bummer when you open your Apple Music app and find that all your music is suddenly missing! This usually happens if you missed a payment or let your subscription lapse for a while.
Before 2022, missing a payment just meant your account would be temporarily suspended. Apple would keep trying to charge you for a while, and once the payment went through, everything – your songs, playlists, albums – would be right where you left them. But now, its a bit more complicated. If your payment lapses, not only do you lose access to all the Apple Music exclusives, but your entire music library, including playlists, can disappear.
Apple Music is a popular streaming music service with over 60 million subscribers worldwide. It gives you access to a catalog of over 75 million songs for a monthly fee. But what happens if you miss paying your Apple Music subscription at some point?
Unfortunately Apple Music access is contingent on keeping your payment information current. If your card declines or you otherwise fail to pay your bill, Apple will cancel your subscription. Here’s a look at the potential consequences and what steps you can take if you don’t pay your Apple Music bill.
You Immediately Lose Access
If your Apple Music payment fails for any reason, Apple will immediately cancel your subscription. This means you’ll no longer be able to stream songs or download music from the Apple Music catalog.
Any songs you added from Apple Music will also be removed from your library. You’ll only retain music you purchased separately or uploaded yourself. Essentially all benefits of an Apple Music membership cease the moment your payment lapses.
Playlists and Libraries Are Deleted
In addition to losing streaming access, your Apple Music playlists and libraries will be deleted when your membership ends. This includes any playlists you created and saved music from the Apple catalog.
The songs themselves aren’t deleted from your device storage, but playlists and organizational structures around that music disappear. It will seem like your Apple Music content vanished overnight.
You Have 30 Days To Resubscribe
The good news is you have a 30 day grace period to restart your Apple Music membership without losing data As long as you update your payment info and resubscribe within 30 days, your Apple Music playlists and libraries will be restored.
If you wait longer than 30 days, you essentially have to start over building your Apple Music collection from scratch. Don’t delay if you want to regain access to your playlists and downloads.
Check Your Subscription Date
One cause of accidental Apple Music lapses is uncertainty around billing dates. Apple Music does not bill based on calendar months. Rather, it renews monthly based on your original sign up date.
For example, if you subscribed on August 12th, your bill would renew on September 12th. Mark your renewal date in your calendar so you remember to update any expired payment info.
Update Your Payment Method
The most common reason for an involuntary Apple Music cancellation is an expired or declined payment method. If your credit card number changed or expired and you don’t update it, Apple can’t process your renewal payment.
Be sure your payment info stays current to avoid disruptions. You can update card details anytime under Subscriptions in your Apple account.
Set Up Backup Payment Options
To prevent lapses, add a secondary payment method like PayPal to your Apple account. If your primary card fails, Apple can draw from the backup option to keep your membership active.
You can add multiple payment methods and set the order in which they should be charged in your account.
Consider an Apple Music Gift Card
One way to avoid billing issues is to prepay your Apple Music subscription using Apple gift cards. When one card’s balance runs low, you can add another to continue uninterrupted access.
Gift cards ensure your membership remains active as long as you redeem additional cards before the balance expires. You can purchase Apple gift cards at many retail stores.
Contact Apple Support
If your Apple Music subscription ends unexpectedly, contact Apple Support via online chat or by phone. Explain that your membership canceled unintentionally due to a payment problem.
Apple may be able to retroactively reactivate your account and restore your playlists and libraries. But act quickly, as this is only possible within the 30 day grace period after cancellation.
Switch to a Family Plan
Sharing an Apple Music Family plan with others can reduce the risk of losing access. Even if your payment fails one month, the family subscription continues as long as someone else pays.
Up to six people can share a Family plan, so others can pick up your portion of the bill if needed. Family plans start at just $15 per month.
Use Billing Reminders
For peace of mind, enable billing reminders for your Apple subscriptions. You’ll receive an email 3 days before each scheduled payment date, so you can update details if your card information has changed.
Billing reminders provide advance notice to avoid accidental membership lapses due to expired payment methods. Turn them on under Subscriptions.
Know Billing Date for Trials
Be aware that if you cancel Apple Music during a free trial period, your membership ends immediately. You lose access to all playlists and downloaded music right away, with no 30 day grace period.
Free trials essentially let you sample the service. If you cancel early, Apple has no billing record to reactivate your account later. Don’t start a trial unless you plan to pay.
Losing Apple Music access unexpectedly can be frustrating. But being aware of the potential consequences and taking proactive measures can help you avoid disruptions. Monitor your billing date, keep payment info updated, and contact Apple Support if issues arise.
Part Can I Get My Apple Music Back After Renewal?
The truth is, when your Apple Music subscription ends, Apple doesnt guarantee that your library will still be there when you come back. While iCloud Music Library stores your music in the cloud, its tied to your active subscription. If your subscription is inactive for too long, theres a chance that your playlists and songs could be permanently deleted from Apples servers. Thats why its always a good idea to re-subscribe as soon as possible. But even then, some users have found that their music is gone for good after reactivating their account.
If youre lucky, your Apple Music playlists will still be intact after renewal. But dont count on it. So, what can you do? If you manage to get your music back after renewing, back it up right away. Export your playlists and save them locally to your device or computer, because once theyre gone, theres little you can do to recover them. Dont wait for the worst – be proactive and protect your collection.
If you havent re-subscribed yet, do it as soon as possible to increase the chances of getting your music back. And once you do, make it a habit to back up your library, so you never have to worry about losing your playlists again.
Part How to Back Up Apple Music Library Safely
Creating a backup of your Apple Music library as music files on your devices makes senses for reasons. For starters you can listen to the actual music files on any media player on your devices, such as the iTunes software, Music app and more. Even after you missed your Apple Music payment, your access to your library wont disappear, and its easier for you to import your music files to your Apple Music library at no extra cost. And its easy for you to do the syncing of your music library to your Apple devices and listen to them as downloaded music in the Music app. Additionally, you can transfer your music library to a storage device or cloud service such as the most common USB.
Its worth noting that Apple Music downloads have DRM-protection, and the iTunes software require certain file formats, so you may need to convert your entire music library to a compatible file format by using an Apple Music downloader called ViWizard Audio Converter.
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FAQ
Does Apple Music delete your music if you don’t pay?
While iCloud Music Library stores your music in the cloud, it’s tied to your active subscription. Unfortunately, if you don’t use your subscription for a long time, Apple may delete your playlists and songs from their servers for good. That’s why it’s always a good idea to re-subscribe as soon as possible.
How long can you use Apple Music without paying?
The songs and albums Do not remove any music you bought or added to iTunes Match from your device(s), especially if you do not have any copies of the music.
What will happen if you don’t pay Apple Music?
Should you forget to pay for an Apple Music subscription, it will be taken away until you pay again.
What happens if I don’t pay my Apple bill?
Your late payment will not be reported late until it’s 30 days late. But your credit limit will probably go down, and payments you make in the future might not be added right away to the credit you have available. If you don’t make at least the minimum payments by the due date on a regular basis, your account could be closed for good.
What happens if I stop paying for Apple Music?
You lose access to the music you added from Apple Music as soon as you stop paying. If you change your mind, Apple Music will remember the songs you added to your library for 30 days after your subscription ends. After that all the music will be deleted from your devices/computers (if you downloaded the tracks).
What happens if I don’t renew my Apple Music subscription?
Songs will be removed from your Apple Music library after 30 days of a lapsed payment. If you don’t renew your subscription before then, you will have to rebuild all of your playlists. Yeah, I know – it sucks. But that’s how it goes with Apple; it is an incentive for you to pay on time.
What happens if I don’t pay for my Apple app subscription?
This is what will happen if you don’t pay for your Apple app subscription on time: your subscription will end. You can opt to cancel your subscription at any time. It’s okay if it gets canceled; you can start the subscription again when you can pay again.
What happens if I Don’t Buy Apple Music?
Your music will be held hostage by Apple Music until you pay!! If you don’t buy the Apple Music service, your iPhone won’t be able to play ANY music or calls. Everything has been taken away or turned off!! You should get a message asking if you want to store your music in iCloud.
Does Apple Music hold all my music if I pay for it?
It deleted ALL of my music that I had been collecting on iTunes for years when the trial ended. Now the app only shows a screen that says “Don’t Miss a Beat” that you can’t get rid of unless you PAY for the service. Apple Music holds ALL of your music ransom until you PAYUP!!.
What happens if my music subscription has already lapsed?
You won’t be able to use the Music app until you make a new payment if yours has already expired. The fact that you can’t pay for your Music subscription on time won’t get you kicked off Apple Music for good.
