Any way to upload all music from phone to icloud (not “icloud music library”) ?

[Berthacrowley]

Is there any way to upload all the music stored on my phone to my normal iCloud backup? I have about 5 GB of music on my phone that was ripped from CDs years ago, not purchased via iTunes. When I google, I find info about “iCloud music library” with that iTunes match thing but I don’t have an Apple Music subscription so I don’t think I want to use that? I just want my songs as-is in my iCloud backup so I can restore it when I setup my new phone and have all my music without having to go through an iTunes backup/restore on the computer, if possible (I will if I have to but it’ll be a huge pain, long story).

When I make a manual iCloud backup it’s only 600MB so I know my music isn’t being uploaded & when I look at the “apps using iCloud” section there’s nothing about the Music app. Am I missing something or is this not possible?

 

[ranyodh]

You can signup for just "iTunes Match" for uploading the songs to the cloud. iTunes Match is a yearly subscription (for like $25 per year).
This is different from "iCloud Music Library", which comes with Apple Music on a monthly subscription.

More information here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204146

 

[Shirasaki]

I recommend you to use an app called nPlayer or any other app that reads iTunes library and can manage files. These apps can setup iCloud backup to backup their data stored in itself (typically root folder). Documents is one of them that is good on your usage scenario.

To do this, simply allow Documents to access your iTunes library (or f. Apple Music library), then find the song you want to backup, move them to Documents app root colder, and you are done.

One downside though: you will need to keep a duplicate of all your songs in a separate app on you iPhone alongside iCloud backup.
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You can signup for just "iTunes Match" for uploading the songs to the cloud. iTunes Match is a yearly subscription (for like $25 per year).
This is different from "iCloud Music Library", which comes with Apple Music on a monthly subscription.

More information here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204146

iTunes Match will automatically compress your uploaded music to low quality one isn’t it?

 

[savvycomdev]

Thanks for all your guide, man. It's really useful.

 

[matrix07]

Why can't you just put your music folder in iCloud? You can even put flac files there & play on iPhone.
Yes, the Music app won't use it but you can still direct play on the file.
https://www.imore.com/how-play-flac-files-iphone-and-ipad

 

[Berthacrowley]

Here is what I want to do: copy the entire contents of my 6S+ to my new 8+ without involving a computer/itunes backup. I know my contacts, photos & music purchased from iTunes will come over from iCloud & I can redownload my apps if necessary but I’m not seeing any way to get my ripped music library off this phone and into the Music app on my new phone without a computer. Is this correct?

The problem is that my laptop just died & I can’t replace it right this second. My work computer is totally locked down, no access to external internet on it. My 10yo daughter has a Chromebook I could use but it only has like 4GB of hard drive space free so I don’t think I have enough room to backup my phone via iTunes (have about 30GB of stuff on this phone). I’m in a time crunch because I’m giving my daughter this 6S+ for Christmas so I need to get all my stuff off it & onto my new phone and I’m just not sure how to do it! Would they do it for me at the Apple store? Not that I want to go there the week before Christmas, ugh! Was hoping to find some kind of cloud-based solution.

 

[Berthacrowley]

Or another option I just thought of: iTunes is already installed on my daughter’s Chromebook. If I got a 32gb flash drive could I stick that into the Chromebook & make an iTunes backup from my old phone directly to the flash drive & restore onto my new phone from there? Thus getting around the lack of space on my daughter’s hard drive? Or must iTunes backup to the C drive?

 

[Bart Kela]

iTunes Match will automatically compress your uploaded music to low quality one isn’t it?

What Apple does to the uploaded file depends on whether or not the file in question is a match.

If iTunes Match does identify a file, you delete the local file then re-download it from the iTunes Match cloud, you will get a 256KB AAC (and if it exists, it will be a "Mastered for iTunes" version).

If you had uploaded a higher quality file like a 320KB AAC or an Apple Lossless file, you will get the lower bitrate 256KB AAC if you re-download.

If you had uploaded a lower quality file like a 128KB MP3, you will get a higher bitrate 256KB AAC if you re-download. When Apple debuted iTunes Match, some people deliberately subscribed to upload their libraries of mostly lower-quality files to get higher quality 256KB AACs downloads.

If iTunes Match was unable to match your file with what it has in its database, if you delete your local file then re-download it, you will get the original resolution file.

For this reason, I maintain two iTunes libraries, a high quality one with mostly ALACs and regular lossy iTunes library. When I use the high-quality iTunes library, I log in with a different account, one that is not set up to use iTunes Match. I use the lossy iTunes library on my regular login and let iTunes Match do its thing.

Arguably, the 256KB AACs on the iTunes Music Store are slightly better than 256KB AACs ripped by a consumer using regular consumer software as the iTunes engineers are using professional grade tools for the conversion.

iTunes Match song matching is pretty inconsistent. I've ripped CDs, uploaded all the tracks and often not all the tracks on a given album are properly matched, even though I upload the entire album at the same time.

You do not need an Apple Music subscription to have iTunes Match; they are separate albeit similar services.

That said, I'm not sure if one can subscribe to iTunes Match from an iOS device.

I see the iCloud Music Library option on my iPhone, but that's not the same thing as iTunes Match. Turning on iCloud Music Library give your device to access all of your content from both Apple Music (if you subscribe) and iTunes Match.

 

[Shirasaki]

That said, I'm not sure if one can subscribe to iTunes Match from an iOS device.

AFAIK, a user can no longer subscribe to iTunes Match after the debut of Apple Music from an iOS device. He/she can only do so from a desktop iTunes.

Regarding the rest though, I only have one library (high-res mainly with a few exceptions and some random songs bought from iTunes), so I would stay away from any Apple subscription service to contaminate my library and carefully crafted metadata. But thanks to your introduction.

 

[sevvere]

So ..... people are suggesting to pay Apple $25 Extra ..... to play the music you already have in your possessions?

When will the Apple dementia ever end?

 

[Shirasaki]

Or another option I just thought of: iTunes is already installed on my daughter’s Chromebook. If I got a 32gb flash drive could I stick that into the Chromebook & make an iTunes backup from my old phone directly to the flash drive & restore onto my new phone from there? Thus getting around the lack of space on my daughter’s hard drive? Or must iTunes backup to the C drive?

Not sure what your C drive is all about, but you CAN have an external iTunes library (I am doing this right now) to setup for iTunes backup and restore in this single occasion. Just create your iTunes library directly onto the disk you are using.

However, iTunes backup still won’t include your music in the music app. So, my suggestion works better here as no computer is involved. You just need to make sure you have enough space to backup your music to another iOS app.

 

[Berthacrowley]

Not sure what your C drive is all about, but you CAN have an external iTunes library (I am doing this right now) to setup for iTunes backup and restore in this single occasion. Just create your iTunes library directly onto the disk you are using.

However, iTunes backup still won’t include your music in the music app. So, my suggestion works better here as no computer is involved. You just need to make sure you have enough space to backup your music to another iOS app.

OK, I’m going to try to figure out your suggestion. I have about 5GB of music but 30GB of free space on the phone & 50GB in iCloud so space shouldn’t be an issue. I downloaded the Documents app & will give it a try. Thanks!

 

[AnthroMatt]

You can signup for just "iTunes Match" for uploading the songs to the cloud. iTunes Match is a yearly subscription (for like $25 per year).
This is different from "iCloud Music Library", which comes with Apple Music on a monthly subscription.

More information here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204146

How does this work when you have no iCloud library yet? I have Match and when I turn on iCloud music library in the phone settings, it deletes any music files on my phone to replace them with my iCloud music library.

I’d hate for the OP (or anyone else) to suffer this fate if they haven’t backed up their music elsewhere first.

 

[Berthacrowley]

Not sure what your C drive is all about, but you CAN have an external iTunes library (I am doing this right now) to setup for iTunes backup and restore in this single occasion. Just create your iTunes library directly onto the disk you are using.

However, iTunes backup still won’t include your music in the music app. So, my suggestion works better here as no computer is involved. You just need to make sure you have enough space to backup your music to another iOS app.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me know about the Documents app! It worked! ALL my music is on my new phone! It was tedious to copy all 1200 songs one by one to the root folder but it was worth it! I can’t figure out if there’s a way to get them back into the Music app on the new phone, it’s mildly annoying that all my iTunes music is in one place & all my other music is in another place so I can’t shuffle through my entire library but maybe when I get a new laptop I can somehow get the files from the Documents app onto it & recreate my iTunes music library from there & resync everything up. For now I’m just happy to have everything on the new phone! Thanks so much again!!

 

[Shirasaki]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me know about the Documents app! It worked! ALL my music is on my new phone! It was tedious to copy all 1200 songs one by one to the root folder but it was worth it! I can’t figure out if there’s a way to get them back into the Music app on the new phone, it’s mildly annoying that all my iTunes music is in one place & all my other music is in another place so I can’t shuffle through my entire library but maybe when I get a new laptop I can somehow get the files from the Documents app onto it & recreate my iTunes music library from there & resync everything up. For now I’m just happy to have everything on the new phone! Thanks so much again!!

Glad to hear that you are happy with that solution. Enjoy your new iPhone!