Apple Improves iCloud Music Library Matching

If you have not been using iCloud Music Library because it sometimes deletes your iTunes content, then there is some good news for you. Apple is rolling out a fix that changes how iCloud Music Library identifies tracks.

(Also see: Apple Acknowledges Bug That Deletes iTunes Music; Fix Due This Week)

Instead of identifying songs by metadata tags, the service will now use an audio fingerprint to match iTunes content with Apple Music songs. Apple already uses this technology for its iTunes Match service. The audio fingerprint is a much more reliable way of matching songs since it matches the music stored in the file with the correct track in Apple's library. This ensures that iCloud Music Library won't sync a different version of the song in your iTunes account, according to a report by The Loop.

The report says along with much improved song recognition, Apple has stopped auto-deleting songs too. If you were worried about losing your tracks, this feature should will probably make you feel better.

For those who don't know, iTunes Match is an Apple service that lets you store all of your music in the cloud. This includes songs you've recorded yourself or downloaded from CDs. This service is available at Rs. 1,200 per year in India or $25 in the US. Apple Music is the company's music streaming service that lets you stream and download songs at Rs. 120 per month or $9.99 in the US. iCloud Music Library, in theory, lets Apple Music have access to their entire music library on all their devices.

The Loop's report says Apple is rolling out the feature to 1 to 2 percent of its users every day, so you'll just have to wait for a bit if you haven't gotten it already. Apple Music subscribers will start seeing the word "Matched" in the iCloud Status column on iTunes, when they get this feature, according to the report.

Another problem addressed through this fix is that re-downloaded files matched by Apple Music no longer have copy protection. They are DRM-free. But you won't be able to play those files if you cancel your Apple Music subscription.

This doesn't affect those who don't use iCloud Music Library or just subscribe to iTunes Match. However once the change is rolled out, Apple Music subscribers will get iTunes Match features as well and can safely cancel their iTunes Match subscriptions.