From Engadget · Jonny Evans · · 1m 30s
Why Apple Music songs turn gray
Some of your favorite tracks disappear from Apple Music. Here's why and how to get them back.
In brief
Some of your favorite tracks disappear from Apple Music. Here's why and how to get them back. Apple Music grays out songs due to licensing, offline status, or technical glitches. Users can troubleshoot by checking cloud status, restarting devices, or adjusting account settings. Originally reported by Engadget.
Songs disappear from your library
Tracks on Apple Music sometimes appear grayed out and stop playing. This happens for several reasons, starting with whether your device is online.
Licensing removes songs by region
The music industry uses territorial licensing. Labels own different rights and sometimes remove tracks from Apple Music's catalog or don't make them available in specific regions.
Check the cloud status column
Open Apple Music, click Songs in the sidebar, right-click column headers and check Cloud Status. No Longer Available means the artist or label removed it.
“No Longer Available: Track likely removed by artist or label”
Restart your device first
A full restart solves many consumer tech problems. Switch your Mac or PC off and on again, or run a force reset on your iPad or iPhone.
Toggle sync library off and on
The Music app may have glitched. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, Apps, Music and switch Sync Library off. Wait thirty seconds, turn it on and open Apple Music.
Check content restrictions and accounts
Content Restrictions block explicit tracks to protect minors. Songs purchased on different Apple accounts won't appear on your current one. Sign out and sign in with the correct account.
The short version
Apple Music grays out songs due to licensing, offline status, or technical glitches. Users can troubleshoot by checking cloud status, restarting devices, or adjusting account settings.
