Apple rolls out more accurate iTunes matching for Apple Music
The feature has been a headache for users since the streaming service launched.
Apple Music's ability to match and sync songs that users had already purchased in iTunes was a notable feature when the service first launched last year. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as the iTunes Match tool that preceded the streaming option. Well, it looks like Apple is working to improve how that all works. The Loop reports that the company is rolling out an update that uses the iTunes Match audio fingerprint to handle syncing those songs you've bought. Before now, Apple Music was using a less accurate version of iTunes Match that relied on metadata to pair tracks.
Why does that matter? Well, the less-accurate software is known to pull the wrong version of a song. As The Loop notes, it would grab the studio track rather than a song from a live performance. With the switch that's said to be on the way, issues like that should not longer pop up. The Loop further explains that any of those songs that were matched inaccurately will be replaced with the correct song thanks to a rematch, but it won't delete any of the downloaded copies.
If this sounds a lot like the $25 iTunes Match option that Apple rolled out years ago, that's because it is. That add-on allowed users to sync their music libraries to the cloud, matching up any albums and songs available through iTunes along the way. The limit increased to 100,000 songs last year just as Apple Music launched. The improved functionality won't cost extra for subscribers this time though, and it'll be a welcome change as a redesigned version of the service is on the way this fall.
You may have to wait a while to notice "Matched" in the iCloud Status menu in iTunes as Apple is slowly rolling out the option to keep tabs on any issues that might arise as millions of users are switched over. We've reached out to the company for more information on the matter and we'll update this post when we hear back.
