How Do I Get My Music Back on Apple Music After Missed Payment?

Part 1. Why Does a Missed Payment Make Your Apple Music Library Disappear?

In the past, missing an Apple Music payment was usually just a short problem. Your subscription is paused, so are your access to the subscription-based music catalog and downloads. However, your library stayed safe. You could pay later, even after a few days, and all your playlists, songs, and albums would be right where you left them. You just had to take care of your downloads to listen offline again.

Now, if a payment fails, your whole library can disappear. Common reasons include an expired credit card, a declined bank charge, or a subscription not renewed. Apple may keep your data for a short time, but the longer the payment is missing, the higher the risk of losing music permanently.

Part 2. Will My Apple Music Library Come Back If I Resubscribe?

The truth is, Apple doesn't guarantee that your library will return after your subscription ends. Your music is stored in iCloud Music Library, but it's tied to an active subscription. If your account stays inactive too long, everything could be deleted from Apple's servers.

Resubscribe as soon as possible. This can greatly improve your chances of getting your music back. You can also check whether the issue is happening on just one device, like your iPhone, or on all devices. This happened to me once: my subscription expired for two days. When I checked, the library was gone on my iPad, but it was still safe in iTunes. That gave me the confidence to resubscribe right away. After enabling Sync Library again, everything synced back to my Apple Music library on my iPad.

Even if your music returns, act quickly. Export your playlists and save them locally on your device or computer. Once they're gone, it's very difficult to recover them. Make backing up your library a habit to ensure your playlists and songs stay safe.

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Part 3. How to Get Back Your Apple Music Library After a Missed Payment (6 Steps)

Step 1: Check You're Signed Into the Right Apple ID

Make sure you're signed in with the Apple ID linked to your Apple Music subscription. Using a different account can make it look like your library is missing. After signing in, check Apple Music—your library may reappear immediately, or you may need the next steps.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and check the Apple ID listed. Make sure it's the one with your Apple Music subscription.
4. If not, sign out by scrolling down and tapping Sign Out, then sign back in with the correct Apple ID.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Go to Account > Sign Out.
3. Sign back in using the Apple ID associated with your Apple Music subscription.

Step 2: Check Your Subscription Status

Your iCloud Music Library needs an active subscription to sync across devices. If your subscription expired, renew it, then wait a few moments for your library to sync. Your playlists may return after this.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap [your name] at the top of the screen.
3. Go to Subscriptions.
4. Find Apple Music and tap Renew or Resubscribe.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Go to Account at the top of the menu bar.
3. Select View My Account.
4. Scroll to Manage Subscriptions.
5. Find Apple Music and follow the prompts to renew your subscription.

Step 3: Turn Sync Library Back On

If Sync Library was turned off, re-enable it to restore playlists and saved songs.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Music.
3. Find the iCloud Music Library option and toggle it on (or enable Sync Library for newer iOS versions).
4. Wait for your library to sync.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Click Edit at the top, then choose Preferences.
3. In the General tab, check the box next to iCloud Music Library (or Sync Library).
4. Click OK and allow time for your library to sync.

Step 4: Sign Out and Back In

Signing out and back in can refresh your account and restore missing playlists. On iPhone/iPad, sign out of Media & Purchases; on PC, sign out of iTunes and sign back in. Then check Apple Music.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name at the top, then go to Media & Purchases.
3. Tap Sign Out, then sign back in with the Apple ID linked to your Apple Music subscription.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Go to Account > Sign Out.
3. Sign back in with the correct Apple ID.

Step 5: Re-Sync Your Library

After signing back in and enabling Sync Library, your library may take some time to fully update. Once synced, your playlists, albums, songs, and even recently played history should reappear.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Music app and check the Recently Added section. If you've just re-enabled iCloud Music Library, your playlists may reappear here.
2. Scroll through to see if your old playlists show up after the sync completes.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes and check your playlists under the Library section.
2. If you still don't see your playlists, try restarting iTunes or re-syncing with iCloud.

Step 6: Recover Downloads

For missing songs, recover downloads from Apple Music or iTunes purchases.

For Music Downloads

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Music app.
2. Go to your library and find playlists or albums that are missing offline.
3. Tap the Download icon next to any songs or albums you want to restore for offline listening.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Go to your Library.
3. Locate the albums or playlists you downloaded previously.
4. Click the Download button next to any items to restore them to your computer.

For iTunes Purchases

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the iTunes Store app.
2. Tap More (three dots at the bottom).
3. Go to Purchased, then select Music.
4. Browse through your purchased tracks and albums.
5. Tap the Download icon next to any items you want to redownload.

On PC (via iTunes):

1. Open iTunes.
2. Click Account in the top menu.
3. Select Purchased.
4. Click Music to view your previous purchases.
5. Click the Download button next to the songs or albums you want to recover.

Pro Tip: Restore From a Backup

If you have an iCloud or iTunes backup, restoring it can bring back your library, including playlists and songs. Keep in mind it may restore your device to a previous state.

On iPhone (iCloud Backup):

1. Open Settings and go to General.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
3. After your phone restarts, choose to Restore from iCloud Backup during setup.
4. Select the backup that includes your Apple Music library.

On iPhone (iTunes Backup):

1. Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable.
2. Open iTunes and select your device.
3. Choose Restore Backup and select the relevant backup file.

On PC (Local iTunes Library Backup):

1. Locate your backup folder on your PC.
2. Replace the current iTunes library file with the backed-up version.
3. Open iTunes and see if your playlists and songs are restored.

Part 4. How to Avoid Missing Apple Music Payments in the Future

Even long-time subscribers can lose access to their Apple Music library after a missed payment. Watching for payment alerts or expired billing info can help prevent this problem. Staying proactive ensures your Apple Music library stays safe and accessible at all times.

Part 5. How to Keep Your Apple Music Library from Disappearing Again

Tip 1: How to Export Your Apple Music Library

In case anything ever happens to your account or subscription, it's best to export your Apple Music library. Even though Apple Music stores your music in the cloud, it's always a smart move to create a local backup.

One easy way to do this is by using iTunes on your PC or Mac. You can export your playlists or the entire library as an XML file, which stores:

1. Launch the iTunes app on your PC or Mac.
2. Click on File in the top menu, then select Library.
3. Choose Export Library to save your entire library or Export Playlist to save a specific playlist.



4. In the pop-up window, select XML from the "Format" dropdown.



5. Name your file and choose where to save it. If exporting the entire library, it will be automatically named "Library.xml." Click Save to complete the export.
6. Navigate to the saved location to find your XML file, which now contains all your music metadata.
7. To restore your library, open iTunes and select File > Library > Import Playlist. Locate your XML file, select it, and your playlists will reappear in iTunes.

Tip 2: How to Back Up Your Apple Music Library

Creating a backup of your Apple Music library as music files helps you keep access even if a payment is missed. With backup files, you can listen on any media player—iTunes, Music app, or others—and easily sync them to your Apple devices. You can also store your library on a USB drive or cloud service for extra security.

Because Apple Music downloads have DRM protection and specific file format requirements, you may need to convert your library to a compatible format. ViWizard Apple Music Converter is a powerful tool for this. It lets you download and convert all your Apple Music songs into MP3, M4A, WAV, or FLAC while keeping lossless audio and all metadata, ensuring your full library is preserved.

Back up your library today with ViWizard Apple Music Converter to protect your music even without an active Apple Music subscription. Try it for free!

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