Playlists over iCloud automatically download when streaming?

[robertd]

Hey guys,

Whenever I make a playlist on my computer and sync it over cloud the songs don't stream, they download after I listen to them on my iPhone. It only happens with playlists. Am I making the wrong type of playlist or is something up with my system? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Wordslinger29]

iTunes Match doesn't stream to iOS devices. The songs play as they are downloaded and will take up space on your iPhone.

 

[Tinmania]

Hey guys,

Whenever I make a playlist on my computer and sync it over cloud the songs don't stream, they download after I listen to them on my iPhone. It only happens with playlists. Am I making the wrong type of playlist or is something up with my system? Thanks in advance for any help!

As already mentioned this is how it works on iOS devices.

It also does not only happen with playlists: it happens no matter how you play a track. It is not "streaming" in the traditional sense (there is no rolling buffer cache). It plays from the downloaded track as it is downloading.

Also it seems to only start downloading a track when it is time to play it--even if the previous track completed downloading 3 minutes before it was finished playing.

Contrast this to how it works in iTunes on a mac (presumably on windows too). There if you just play a song it does indeed stream it (you can choose to download but do not have to). I use this on my mb air to save space. And unlike on iOS iTunes does use a rolling buffer that is already buffering the next track before the current one is finished playing.




Michael

 

[robertd]

Oh makes sense! I guess I had never realized it was downloading until I was using a playlist I had made. Thanks for the answers!