Apple Music app customers woke up to a new feature last week, though many weren’t aware it still exists. Apple Music subscribers can now take songs or playlists from other music platforms, most notably Spotify, and bring them to Apple Music. The ability to transfer music from other music services is buried deep in the music app’s settings.
Initially tested in Australia and New Zealand last year, this transfer option has since rolled out to the US, UK, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, and several other countries. It’s powered by the Songshift service, which requires access to the library from which you’re transferring music.
Once SongShift completes the transfer, Apple Music will attempt to create a playlist or song selection based on your library. It will prompt users to verify two matches, and not all songs may have a replacement version on Apple Music.
The feature is available, but it seems a bit buggy right now. When I tried the music transfer button on my Apple device, it was grayed out and said, “When the current transfer is complete, you can start another one.” The problem was, I hadn’t started transferring any music yet.
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When I tried it on my computer’s browser, I was able to transfer from my Tidal account. However, Spotify said “Currently busy, please try again later,” an equally mysterious message that prevented me from attempting any Spotify transfers.
An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment.
While it appears Songshift has knots to work with, if it works, Spotify users should be able to transfer their playlists and perhaps their entire subscriptions to Apple.
Why is this useful?
This new transfer option could open up a number of opportunities for listeners. Families who use two music services, like Spotify and Apple Music, can now more easily coordinate their music.
CNET writer Aaron Pruner, who has created hundreds of streaming music playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, mentioned that this could solve several of his problems.
“I have an Android that doesn’t work with my HomePod. My wife has an iPhone,” Pruner said. “Making certain playlists accessible and playable on both phones through a streaming platform would be something we would probably need.”
He also addressed the limitations of his current setup. “Being on a Spotify family plan is great until I try to listen to Kendrick Lamar in the car, only to find it transported to my daughter’s room since she’s also listening to Spotify at the same time,” Pruner said.
Apple’s transfer feature also makes it easier to ditch Spotify and switch to Apple Music, which may be a goal for some customers. Spotify made headlines last month for letting AI imitate existing artists (something several music services have struggled with ). Numerous indie artists like King Gizzard and Deerhoof are leaving Spotify over the CEO’s military AI investments.
Apple’s latest release is a timely opportunity for anyone concerned about these developments to make the switch. But the results will depend on the overlap between your music choices on other platforms and what Apple Music already offers. I suggest holding off on canceling any other services until you’ve completed your transfers and see what Apple’s service can replace.
