Most Apple Music users might have got the "cannot open, this media format is not supported' error while trying to access a music file using Apple Music via Wi-Fi network. As a matter of fact, it's a recurring problem that every Apple user would encounter. And that could be caused by many reasons. Don't fret if you get into this annoyance. Simply follow the guide below to find out the two easy solutions to fix the Apple Music "format not supported" trouble quickly.
Solution 1. Fix the Settings of Your Mobile Device
As we mentioned above, the reasons that cause Apple Music not working are various. It might be the Wi-Fi connection error, or simply the system incompatibility issue of your device. No matter what it is, you are highly suggested to change your mobile device settings at the first place.
Turn on Airplane Mode
Turning your device to airplane mode is the very first step you should try. Once done, the wireless connection of your phone will be cut off immediately. So do the incoming and outgoing notifications. To switch to airplane mode, simply go to Settings, and turn on Airplane Mode using the toggle.
Restart the Device
As your phone is now "shut off" temporarily, you should then directly restart your device. After that, open your Apple Music app again to confirm if the "cannot open" problem is fixed or not.
Reset Wi-Fi
If you are receiving the Apple Music "file format not supported" error when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, you are suggested to restart the Wi-Fi connection and the router. To do so, firstly close the Apple Music app on your phone. Then go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Reactivate your Wi-Fi and router.
Force Restart Your Mobile
Sometimes, restarting your device forcefully would also work. To do this, press and hold the Sleep button and Home button simultaneously until you see Apple logo appears in the screen.
Update iOS
If unfortunately the methods above can't resolve this issue, you should check if your iOS is the latest version as sometimes the format of Apple Music file might be no longer supported by old iOS versions. In this case, simply go to Settings > General > Software Update and update your iOS device.
Solution 2. Convert the Apple Music File Format (Recommended)
Tried all the suggestions but still failed to play Apple Music properly? Don't worry. Before you turning to the Apple support for help, there's still hope for you to solve this problem with one last try. That is, converting your Apple Music files to a more commonly used format supported by your device.
How? It's easy. All you need is a conversion software that can convert the Apple Music songs to other formats. To figure out which conversion tool to choose, you need to know what Apple Music format is. Unlike other common audio files, Apple Music is encoded in AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) format with .m4p file extension which is encrypted by DRM (Digital Rights Management). In result, only authorized devices could play the protected songs well. To convert the special file format to others, you'll need a dedicated DRM Apple Music converter such as ViWizard Apple Music Converter.
As a professional Apple Music DRM removal solution, ViWizard Apple Music Converter is able to help you convert the DRM-ed M4P songs to MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, etc. while preserving the original ID3 tags and quality. You may download the trial version and follow the steps below.
Step 1. Add the Apple Music tracks to ViWizard Apple Music Converter. You can do this via clicking "Add" button or dragging and dropping.
Step 2. Select output format as you like and set the parameters like bit rate, sample rate according to your own needs.
Step 3. Click the "Convert" button to begin converting the Apple Music M4P songs to MP3 or other formats.
For more details, you can visit this guide: How to Convert Apple Music to MP3.
Once the songs are converted to DRM-free format, you can freely copy and play them on any device without encountering the "file format not supported" error any more.
Adam Gorden is an experienced writer of ViWizard who is obsessed about tech, movie and software.
