If you’re an Apple Music user, you might want to hold off on updating your playlists for now. Several users have reported a bug that’s causing their music libraries to go haywire.
Numerous reports on Reddit claim that Apple Music is mixing up users’ playlists with others. This means that unfamiliar playlists are showing up in users’ libraries. Some users have even reported that random songs from existing playlists were mysteriously added or removed.
Apple Music library mix-ups bug
The issue has led Redditors to launch several threads on r/AppleMusic, with many chiming in that they’re dealing with a similar problem. Reports about Apple Music library mix-ups are piling up, with some users suspecting that the bug popped up after Apple introduced updates via iOS 16.4 beta. According to 9to5Mac, the issue likely stems from an Apple Music or iCloud syncing server issue, causing users’ data to make unwanted appearances in others’ libraries.
One Reddit user questioned if their account had been hacked, but another user with a similar issue suspect that this bug popped up with Apple introducing updates via iOS 16.4 beta. In response to one of the numerous Reddit threads on the matter, a commenter said, “This is something an alarming number of people are reporting more and more. It appears to be a truly horrific bug in the Apple Music servers themselves,” adding that some users have had years of playlists “trashed.”
Not only are some Apple Music users seeing others’ playlists in their libraries but there are also reports of playlists mysteriously missing songs (or adding tracks). In some cases, playlists completely vanished. A user urged Apple Music users to export their playlists in XML format before their libraries get wrecked, too.
It’s worth noting that this bug doesn’t seem to be affecting all Apple Music users, just a subset of subscribers. For those affected, you can potentially fix the issue by resetting the sync status between Apple Music and iCloud. Go to Settings (iOS) > Apple ID > iCloud > Show all. Navigate to Apple Music and toggle iCloud syncing off before turning it on again.
The Cupertino-based tech giant hasn’t addressed this Apple Music bug yet, but hopefully, this will change in the near future. In the meantime, it’s best to be cautious and to back up your playlists to avoid losing years of music organization.