Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Newsroom Update

Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, matching watch face, and dynamic iOS and iPadOS wallpapers as a way to champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: spm71
spm71 Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

iPhone won't play music that was bought on old iTunes account.

Gang,

My iPhone will only play music that was purchased with my current iTunes account. The older iTunes account songs will appear to play however no audio is heard on my iPhone. I can play the same songs perfectly fine on my laptop through iTunes and both accounts are linked to the system that I am syncing from. Any ideas? I have the latest software for both my iPhone and iTunes. I have tried removing my play lists and re-syncing & I have even been able to manually play songs off my iPhone with the old account through my computer... I just can't play the songs that were purchased with my former iTunes account on my iPhone... HELP

Thanks,

S

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Sep 10, 2008 12:05 AM

Reply
16 replies
User profile for user: Damon M.
Damon M.
User level: Level 4
3,705 points

Sep 10, 2008 10:29 AM in response to spm71

One thing that might help.

Remove the music that will not play from the iphone.
Then at the top of itunes, click on store and choose deauthorize computer for the account that will not play.
Once the computer is deauthorized for that account, then click on store again, then choose authorize computer for the account that will not play.
Once the computer is authorized, add the music back to the iphone.

Hope this helps.
Reply
User profile for user: rihannsu
rihannsu
User level: Level 1
0 points

Sep 10, 2008 1:50 PM in response to Mary Beth Adams

Well, I'm having the opposite problem (well from the OP) looks like Mary Beth and I are in the same boat.

All of the music I purchased from iTunes from the only computer that I have my iPhone synced with will not play. They come up, with album artwork and all, and there's no sound coming out.

The songs I loaded into iTunes from CDs I own are playing just fine.

And I did sync last night after I updated to iTunes 8. The thing that gets me is that until about 30 minutes ago, everything was fine and I could listen to my entire music library.

Message was edited by: rihannsu
Reply
User profile for user: Peter W.
Peter W.
User level: Level 1
35 points

Sep 12, 2008 6:21 PM in response to spm71

I'm experiencing this problem as well.
Some purchased songs play and some others don't.
Apparently I found this out when I tried creating a Ringtone (for the first time) with a song I purchased through iTunes some years ago. The Ringtone synced but it wouldn't sound on the iPhone (but plays fine in iTunes)!

I am running iTunes 8.0, iPhone OS 2.1 on a 1G iPhone.
Issues appeared since these updates. I don't know which piece of software (or both) is the problem, but prior to the updates all my songs played on the iPhone.
Reply
User profile for user: Peter W.
Peter W.
User level: Level 1
35 points

Sep 12, 2008 6:40 PM in response to Damon M.

Damon M. wrote:
One thing that might help.

Remove the music that will not play from the iphone.
Then at the top of itunes, click on store and choose deauthorize computer for the account that will not play.
Once the computer is deauthorized for that account, then click on store again, then choose authorize computer for the account that will not play.
Once the computer is authorized, add the music back to the iphone.

Hope this helps.


If it's a matter of authorization, shouldn't iTunes pop up that message box about 'some songs are not authorized to play...and won't be synced' when it does the syncing? All my songs that are synced are indeed authorized to play. But after the latest round of software udpates, some purchased songs in the iPhone's iPod library no longer play, despite their appearance of playing.

Message was edited by: Peter W.
Reply
User profile for user: mumonkey05
mumonkey05
User level: Level 1
0 points

Sep 16, 2008 1:36 PM in response to spm71

All,

I was having the same exact problem. I turned my phone off (something I rarely do) and left it off for a few minutes. Then I turned it back on again and low and behold all my songs play again. I was getting a little upset there for a few days when I couldn't hear the audio, but now they all work just fine. Hopefully this works for everyone else.
Reply
User profile for user: TigerHero
TigerHero
User level: Level 1
0 points

Sep 24, 2008 7:14 AM in response to spm71

SOLUTION!

One solution you can try is to reset your iphone...not just turn it on and off again...reset it without erasing data. Hold down the "home" button and the on off button at the top for about 20 seconds until the apple shows up. It will pop up the screen "slide to power off" just keep holding and it will look like it shuts off then an apple will appear and it will stay like that for about a min or 2. That should fix most of the problems here. That is actually reseting your iphone. Hope that helps...it worked for me.
Reply

iPhone won't play music that was bought on old iTunes account.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.
Learn more Sign up