Apple significantly expanded availability of its Apple Music migration tool, bringing the service to the United States and eight other major markets this week after months of limited testing. It helps users transfer their music libraries from competing streaming services like Spotify.
US and other Spotify users can now easily migrate libraries to Apple Music
The Apple Music migration tool first launched in beta last year before rolling out to Australia and New Zealand in May 2024. Apple has now expanded access to include the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany and Mexico, according to an updated Apple Support document. Those are some of the company’s most important markets for music streaming.
This broader availability suggests Apple is confident in the tool’s performance and sees an opportunity to capture market share from competitors, particularly Spotify, which dominates the global music streaming landscape.
How the transfer process works
Developed in collaboration with SongShift transfer service, the migration tool allows users to move their saved playlists, liked songs, albums and entire music libraries from other streaming platforms to Apple Music. The process preserves existing libraries on the original service, so users don’t lose access to their current subscriptions during the transition.
Users can access the tool through the Apple Music app on iPhone, iPad or Android devices by navigating to Settings and selecting “Transfer Music from Other Music Services.” The feature is also available through a web browser at music.apple.com.
The transfer process involves selecting the source music service, signing into the account, choosing what content to transfer and then adding it to the Apple Music library. The tool doesn’t transfer actual audio files but instead finds matches within Apple Music’s catalog.
Handling unmatched content
When exact matches aren’t available, Apple Music offers alternative versions that users can review and add to their libraries. Users have up to 30 days following the initial transfer to review any unmatched music and consider suggested alternatives.
Apple notes that transfer capabilities may vary depending on the source streaming service, but the tool supports major platforms beyond just Spotify.
The expanded rollout shows Apple’s continued effort to compete more aggressively in the music streaming market, making it easier than ever for users to make the switch to Apple Music without losing their carefully curated libraries and playlists.
