How do I add music from my Android to Apple Music?

It’s becoming increasingly common for smartphone users to switch between Android and iPhone devices. According to a recent survey (Source), around 10% of iPhone users will switch to Android when getting a new device, while only around 4% of Android users switch to iPhone. However, switching smartphone platforms can pose challenges when it comes to transferring your music library. Music purchased through Google Play Music on Android won’t directly transfer over to Apple Music on an iPhone. Similarly, Apple Music purchases won’t automatically appear in music apps on an Android device. This means extra steps are required to transfer your music collection when switching between Android and iPhone. The process involves locating music files on your Android device, transferring them to a computer, uploading to iCloud, and enabling iCloud Music Library to sync your music to your new iPhone. With some time and patience, you can ensure your favorite music library makes the move with you when switching smartphone ecosystems.

Locate your music files on Android

On Android devices, downloaded music files are typically stored in the “Downloads” folder. This folder can be accessed through the File Manager or My Files app on your device (Source 1). Specifically, music files downloaded from apps like YouTube, Spotify, etc. get saved to:

Internal Storage > Downloads > Music folder

You can also use the system search on your Android device to search for “music” or “audio” files. This will show all music files stored across different folders and storage locations. Additionally, third party file manager apps provide an overview of all media files in one place (Source 2).

If you have an Android phone from Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, etc., the files may be in slightly different locations but are usually still accessible through File Manager or search.

Transfer files to a computer

To transfer music files from your Android device to your computer, you’ll first need to connect the two devices using a USB cable.

Here are the steps:

1. Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable. Make sure your device is unlocked so your computer can access the files.
2. On your computer, open File Explorer, click “This PC” and locate your Android device under Portable Devices (Source).
3. Open the folder on your Android device that contains your music files (this is often stored in a Music folder).
4. Select the music files and folders you want to transfer and simply drag and drop them into a folder on your computer.

Once the file transfer is complete, safely disconnect your Android device from your computer.

Download Apple Music

To be able to upload music from Android to Apple Music, you’ll need an Apple Music subscription. Apple Music is a paid music streaming service from Apple which allows you to listen to over 90 million songs in its catalog as well as millions of more songs you can upload from your own music library.

While a subscription is not necessary for the basic features like listening to Beats 1 radio and streaming curated playlists, you won’t have access to full streaming capabilities and the ability to upload your personal music collection without one. The standard Apple Music Individual plan costs $10.99 per month and gives you full access to all features including iCloud Music Library which enables uploading music.

Once you have an Apple Music subscription, you can use iCloud Music Library to upload music files from your Android device to make them available across all your Apple devices. The upload process works seamlessly with an Apple Music subscription, so be sure to sign up before trying to add your music.

Upload music to iCloud

To upload your music files from your computer to iCloud, you will need to use the iTunes app. Here are the steps:

1. Open iTunes on your computer and login to your iCloud account by clicking Account > Sign In.
2. Click File > Add File to Library to select the music files on your computer that you want to upload.
3. Once the files are added to your iTunes library, click File > Library > Update iCloud Music Library. This will upload the songs to your iCloud Music Library.
4. The uploading process may take awhile depending on your internet speed and how many songs you are uploading. The status will display in iTunes letting you know when it has finished.

Once finished, the music files will now be available in your iCloud Music Library to access from your iPhone or other devices. Checking “Use iCloud Music Library on PC” for more detailed instructions.

Enable iCloud Music Library

iCloud Music Library allows you to access all the music you’ve added to your iTunes library across your devices that are signed in with the same Apple ID. This includes any songs purchased from iTunes, ripped CDs, or music downloaded from other sources. To enable iCloud Music Library:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap on your name at the top
3. Scroll down and tap on iCloud
4. Scroll down and tap on Music
5. Toggle on “Sync Library”
6. Tap on “Enable Library” to confirm – this will match and upload the music on your device to iCloud

According to Apple’s support article, enabling Sync Library in iCloud uploads your music collection to iCloud, including songs you’ve obtained from sources other than iTunes. This allows you to access your full music library from any device signed in to your Apple ID.

Download Apple Music App on iPhone

Downloading the Apple Music app on your iPhone is an easy process. To begin, open the App Store on your iPhone and search for “Apple Music”. Tap on the Apple Music app to bring up the app page, which will have an option to “Get” the app as long as you have an Apple ID signed in. Tap on the “Get” button to initiate the download and installation of the Apple Music app. It is free to download the app.

Once the download is complete, tap “Open” to launch the Apple Music app. You will be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID credentials. You must use the same Apple ID as the one you used to create your Apple Music library.

After signing in with your Apple ID, your iPhone now has the Apple Music app installed and connected to your account and available music library. You are now ready to complete the steps to transfer your music from your Android device to be accessed through the Apple Music app.

Sync iCloud music to iPhone

Once you have enabled iCloud Music Library on your iPhone, the next step is to sync the music. Here are the instructions:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap on your Apple ID banner at the top of the screen
3. Select “iCloud”
4. Under “Apps Using iCloud,” ensure the “Music” slider is turned on. This allows iCloud Music Library syncing.
5. Exit Settings and open the Apple Music app
6. Tap on the Library tab at the bottom
7. Your iCloud Music Library content should now begin downloading and syncing to your iPhone. This may take some time depending on your library size.
8. You can check on the sync status by going back into Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Music

Once the sync finishes, you will have access to your full iCloud Music Library on your iPhone within the Apple Music app. You can then listen to and organize this music as you normally would in Apple Music.

Verify and Organize Your Music

Once you have transferred your music from Android to your iPhone and enabled iCloud Music Library, you’ll want to verify that all your music has successfully transferred over. Here are some tips:

Open the Music app and browse through your artists, albums, songs, and playlists to confirm all your music is showing up. If you’re missing music, you may need to go back and re-upload files or enable iCloud Music Library syncing again.

To organize your music library in Apple Music, you can create playlists to group together songs by genre, mood, or other categories that make sense for your library.

You can also organize your library by changing where the files are stored on your Mac, such as moving them to an external hard drive, if you want to save local storage space on your iPhone.

Keeping your Apple Music library tidy through playlists and file organization will make it easier to find the music you want to listen to.

Listen to Music

Now that your music from your Android device has been uploaded to iCloud and synced with Apple Music on your iPhone, you can listen to your full music library from your iOS device. Because the tracks were added to your iCloud Music Library, they will be available across all your devices connected to Apple Music, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, and even at music.apple.com (What is Apple Music).

With an Apple Music subscription, you can stream your tracks from iCloud with no limits, download them for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection, and access added features like high-quality lossless audio and spatial audio on supported devices (Apple Music). Your full music collection from Android is now integrated into the Apple Music ecosystem.

If you run into any issues finding certain imported tracks or albums, check that iCloud Music Library is fully synced, then use the Apple Music search to locate them. You can tap the download icon on tracks to save them offline. Using the Library tab, create playlists or organize music by artist, album, song, genre, etc. Overall, an Apple Music subscription unlocks robust tools for listening to and managing music.