[9 Solutions] How to Fix iTunes Match Not Working

Why isn't iTunes Match working on my iPhone?

iTunes Match is a subscription service introduced by Apple in 2011. It allows users to upload local music files to the iCloud Music Library and match them with high-quality versions of songs from the iTunes library. And your music is available on any device after the matching is done. 

However, an increasing number of users have recently reported that iTunes Match is not working frequently. Indeed, it is quite annoying to get stuck with an issue like this. In fact, there are many reasons “why is my iTunes Match not working”, such as poor network, outdated subscription service, not updating to the latest version, etc.

Are you looking for solutions to fix iTunes Match not working? In this passage, we will share 9 useful ways to easily solve the problem. Keep on reading and follow these fixes to perform step by step.

How to fix the iTunes match not working issue?

By default, you can enjoy the iTunes Match service with a subscription to Apple Music. Of course, you can also subscribe to the iTunes Match service only. If you are looking for some effective solutions to the problem of Apple Music Match not working, you can try the methods listed below.

Fix 1. Check Internet connection

When you find that iTunes Match not working on iPhone, you could check if the Internet connection is working. It's likely that the network suddenly went down when iTunes Match was discontinued. So throughout your use of the service, make sure you are connected to a good WiFi network or try using a cellular network on your iPhone. After you've troubleshot the network and still iTunes music match not working, head to the next approach.     

Fix 2. Check Apple's system status

If there is a problem with iTunes Match not syncing iCloud music library, it is possible that Apple is performing routine maintenance on specific iCloud services, you need to visit Apple's system status page and check the service status.

Green light means iCloud is available and working well, if you see a red light, you can wait patiently for the maintenance to complete or skip to the next option.

Fix 3. Sign out & in iTunes Match to resolve the unresponsive error

Sometimes, the iTunes Music Library on your device may not respond or may time out causing the Apple iTunes match not working issue. In this case, you can fix the iTunes Match issue by signing out and signing back in the program on your iOS device. Now learn about the detailed steps mentioned below to perform this process.

Step 1: Launch iTunes on your computer and select the Account menu at the top of the page and click Sign Out.  

Step 2: Repeat the same steps to sign back into your account. Go ahead and check if the solution works.

Fix 4. Update iCloud Music Library

We all know that the update procedure is Apple's most straightforward method for general troubleshooting and fixing certain bugs for most applications. When iTunes Match stopped working, you can follow these instructions to update your iCloud Music Library in iTunes.

Step 1: Run iTunes on your PC > Preference > General > Check iCloud Music Library > Click OK.      

Step 2: Then click File > Library > Update iCloud Music Library.

Step 3: Reopen the program to see if the problem of iTunes Match not working on Windows 10 has been resolved.

Fix 5. Create AAC version in iTunes

iTunes may crash after updating iTunes Match, you are still facing the issue of Apple Music iTunes Match not working. The following steps may help you.

Step 1: In iTunes menu, select Edit > Preferences > Import Settings> AAC Encoder in the Import Using and Click OK.            

 Step 2: Select all the files in your iTunes library and go to File > Convert > Click Create AAC Version.

✎ Note: After creating a new song on your iTunes, delete the original song before iTunes matches it.

Fix 6. Turn off & on iCloud Music Library

If this iTunes Match not working 2022 issue appears because you can't find iTunes Match on iPhone, you may need to turn it off and re-enable iTunes Match. Please rest assured that these actions will not delete your previous matches. Let's see how to fix iTunes Match not showing up on iPhone.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Music > Roll down to the iCloud Music Library setting to turn it off.

Step 2: After that, you can toggle iCloud Music Library to ON again.            

✎ Note:
1. Make sure you are using the same Apple ID when you disable and re-enable iTunes Match.
2. Once you disable it, you can't open music files without a network and these files will be removed.

Fix 7. Check song eligibility

When encountering iTunes Match not uploading, it may be because the songs in iCloud music library are not eligible, which is why someone complains that “my music disappeared from iTunes library”.

Step 1: Click Music > Songs > Library and select iCloud Downloads or iCloud Status. Check which songs are not eligible.

Step 2: Save the eligible songs to your PC and re-enable the service to match the rest of your qualified songs. Then add those songs back to your iTunes library again.

Fix 8. Update subscription

Of course, if your subscription to the iTunes Match service is outdated, you will also get the iTunes music match not working circumstances. So you need to upgrade this subscription service.

It's worth noting that your subscription to the iTunes Match service is only available to your account and you cannot connect to any other account through Family Sharing.

Step 1: Go to Settings on your iPhone > Click your name > iTunes & App Store > Tap your Apple ID and View Apple ID > Subscriptions.

Step 2: Tap iTunes Match and pay to upgrade it. You can do the same actions when iTunes Match not working on Mac/ Apple TV.

Fix 9. Check the iTunes authorization

If you find some songs in iTunes library disappeared or the song name is shown in gray, it means the songs may be DRM and you need to authorize your computer. In order to fix the “my iTunes match is not working” error, you need to authorize the service on your computer and update iCloud Music Library in accordance with fix 4 to eliminate the trouble.

Step 1: Open iTunes, click the Store menu at the top of the page, and select Authorize This Computer.

Step 2: Then click Account > View My Account at the menu. You can see if the computer is authorized successfully.

✎ Note: You can only authorize a maximum of 5 computers with the same Apple ID. Therefore, if you have already authorized 5 other computers, you need to deauthorize one of them.

Additional tips you must know about iTunes Match

After solving the iTunes Match problems, we offer some additional tips about iTunes Match.

✪ Tip 1. First, make a simple distinction between Apple Music and iTunes Match. Apple Music is a streaming service that enables you to get the full music streaming catalog whether you download it or not, and the songs are DRM protected. So you can only play music if you have a subscription to Apple Music. And iTunes Match is a pairing service that offers to match music files with iTunes library.

✪ Tip 2. If you only subscribe to the iTunes Match service, you need to upload the whole library manually and then upgrade the sound quality, so it is easy to confuse the library. Since the Apple Music subscription includes iTunes Match, there is no need to subscribe to both services at the same time. Choose the right subscription service according to your needs.

✪ Tip 3. Once your iTunes Match subscription ends, the songs that have been uploaded and matched will not be available for direct playback or download in the cloud. It is recommended that you check your subscription status regularly.

✪ Tip 4. It is feasible to download or stream music from the iCloud Music Library with an iTunes Match subscription. But it has a 100,000-song limit.

✪ Tip 5. If your music file is larger than 200MB or more than 2 hours will not be uploaded to the iCloud Music Library.

Bonus tip: A better iTunes alternative to transfer iOS data

In addition, when iTunes Match is enabled, you won't be able to sync music to your iOS device using iTunes. You can only add songs to your device by downloading them from iCloud, and the whole process of sharing music is very cumbersome and tedious. You can try a better iTunes alternative tool- FoneTool.

As an easy-to-use professional iOS data transfer tool, it doesn't erase the original data of your device like iTunes does. With 3 simple steps, you can quickly transfer data to your iOS device without data loss. It works perfectly with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Windows PC, and also works well with iOS 18/17/16.

To start with, download FoneTool for free and connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.

Step 1: Run this tool, go to Phone Transfer > PC to iPhone, and click Get Started.

Step 2: Click the Music icon to select and add the music you want.

Step 3: Click Start Transfer to transfer songs to your iPhone.

Conclusion

This article explains in detail 9 solutions to fix iTunes Match not working properly, and we sincerely hope that this article will help you to get out of the trouble of not working with step-by-step instructions. If you encounter some other errors with iTunes Match, you can also try the methods mentioned above.

Furthermore, you can't transfer music from computer to iPhone via iTunes while using iTunes Match. if you want to share data on iOS devices more conveniently, here's a perfect iTunes alternative to assist you in transferring music on your devices. It can perform the transfer operation successfully without a network and ensure that no data is lost. Get started with this tool and discover more information.