iTunes Says "iCloud Music Library is On"
When you try to sync music to iPhone via iTunes, but iTunes says iCloud Music Library is On. What happened? This post will help you fix this error with simple solutions.
Syncing music - but says "ICloud Music Library is On"
I am trying to sync new music (not purchased from iTunes) to my iPhone. What I get now when I go to the iPhone on iTunes under "music" is "iCloud Music Library is On". Don't know why it's like this. I don't have all my music in iCloud and don't know how to sync music from itunes to iphone manually. Please help.
- Question from Apple Community
iTunes is an easy-to-use tool from Apple for managing media files between different Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, iPod. You can create playlists on iTunes and sync to your iPhone, especially when you have a new iPhone 14, you can enjoy your playlists wherever you go.
However, when you download or add new music files to your iPhone through iTunes, it says iCloud Music Library is on, and then you may find that you can’t manually sync iTunes music to your iPhone.
If you are facing this problem, you have come to the right place. Today, this passage will tell you the cause of this problem and the corresponding solution.
What does iTunes Says iCloud Music Library is On mean?
iCloud Music Library is an Apple service that lets you access Apple Music or iTunes Match on any device at any time. For example, with an enabled iCloud Music Library, you can stream and download tracks listed on the iTunes to other Apple devices or store up to 100 000 songs with Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription as long as you lg in with the same Apple ID.
However, if you turn on the iCloud Music Library on your iPhone while syncing music to iPhone, you may get the error “some of the files were not copied to the iPhone”, which may mess up the metadata of your tracks, and prevents you from manually syncing iTunes music to your iPhone.
The Consequences When iTunes Says iCloud Music Library Is On
Literally, this message appears because iCloud Music Library is enabled on this device. And the song you're trying to sync from iTunes to iPhone already exists in your iCloud Music Library.
Usually, we use iCloud Music Library to upload selected files to the iCloud. And sync files, so they can be available on all iOS devices that have iCloud Music Library turned on and linked to the same Apple ID. If you've subscribed for Apple Music or iTunes Match, you won't be able to manually manage your music or transfer it to another device in iTunes. Syncing is done via iCloud, and all of your eligible music should be there. But we often forget this and try to download a music file, then get the above error message on the screen.
How to Get Out of "iCloud Music Library is Enabled" Message
Knowing the main reasons why does iTunes says iCloud Music Library is on, now, let's see how to fix it. Here are two ways: turn off iCloud Music Library, delete and reinstall the Music app.
Note: Disabling iCloud Music Library and removing the Music app will delete all cloud music on your device, including music downloaded from Apple Music. Therefore, back up your music in advance.
Turn off iCloud Music Library
As we said before, the main reason is that iCloud Music Library is enabled. Therefore, to sync music files from iTunes to iPhone, you need to disable iCloud Music Library on iPhone.
Steps. Go to Settings on your iPhone > scroll down to tap Music > toggle off the iCloud Music Library button.
Delete the Music app and reinstall it
Some users reported that they removed and reinstalled the Music app, then synced it, and it worked. So you can try to delete the Music app and all music from your iPhone. Then reinstall the Music app on your iPhone and try syncing again.
Bonus: Transfer Music Between iPhone and Computer Without Subscription
It can be kind of complicated for everyone to figure out all Apple services, like iCloud Music Library or iTunes Match. If you are looking for an easier way to transfer music between iPhone and computer or just can't stand the various iTunes problems and don't want to spend too much time fixing them, you can turn to a third-party iOS transfer tool called FoneTool.
This tool allows you to sync/transfer music from computer to your iPhone without deleting any existing songs or other data. Moreover, it has various functions and can be a good helper for you to transfer and manage your music between computer and all iOS devices.
🎈 Selectively Transfer: It allows you to manually preview and select the specific songs before transferring.
🎉 Non-purchased Music Supported: It can transfer non-purchased music to iPhone or other music on iTunes and computer storage.
😀 Fast Transfer Speed: It provides the fastest transfer speed. For example, you can transfer 1000 songs in 9 minutes and 14 seconds.
🤔 Wide Compatibility. It is widely compatible with the latest iOS 17/16/15 and all iDevices, like iPhone 15/14/13/12, iPad Pro/Air/mini.
Click the download button to get FoneTool and let it help you download music to your iPhone in minutes.
Step 1. Run FoneTool and connect your iPhone to computer with USB cable.
Step 2. On the home interface, tap Phone Transfer > Go to PC to iPhone and click Start Transfer.
Step 3. Click the + icon to browse your computer and choose the desired music.
📝 Note: To Transfer iTunes music to iPhone via FoneTool
If the music is still in your iTunes library, you'll need to download the music files on your iTunes. You can click Files in iTunes > Library > Consolidate Files and all music files will be copied to one folder on your computer.
And then find them on your computer, C:\Users\YourUserName\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media. So, you can select your music under the iTunes Media folder.
Step 4. Finally, click the Start Transfer tab to send them to your iPhone.
Also, FoneTool supports you to manage your iCloud data, like photos, contacts, notes, videos, or iCloud Drive. You can upload, download, and delete them with a few simple clicks and a fast speed. Just tap My iCloud on the home page > Log in with your iCloud account > Locate Manage iCloud.
Conclusion
If iTunes says iCloud Music Library is on when you sync music to an iPhone, you can turn off iCloud Music Library on your device and try again. To better manage and keep your music, FoneTool is recommended to you. With this tool, you can enjoy music on your iPhone anytime without data loss and any sync issues.
In addition, this tool also can help you back up and transfer photos, videos, contacts, etc. from computer to iPhone and vice versa.