ITunes Match not updating 'Last Played', Play Count field in iTunes from iOS devices.

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ITunes Match not updating 'Last Played', Play Count field in iTunes from iOS devices.

I use smart playlists and have a condition not to play any songs I have heard in the past 'X' number of days. this relies on the Last Played field in iTunes, but is not being updated consistently.

I listen to Match from 3 devices - 2 iphones and AppleTV. It works fine from my PC.

Usually I only get the first song of the day I play from each device show up to update the Last Played field in iTunes, but no more after that, despite playing many more songs. Sometimes it does catch up a day or so later, but this is not consistent.

My iOS is updated to the most current version on all devices, and my iTunes is on my PC using Windows 10. This is the most current version also.

I have deauthorized my PC, reboot, then reauthorize my PC numerous times, it doesn't help. I also have Sync Library enabled on all IOS devices.

iPhone 7

Posted on Dec 20, 2019 9:26 AM

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Answer 1

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Dec 23, 2019 12:18 PM in response to Worfrat

Hi Worfrat,

We appreciate the follow-up, and thanks for checking that "Live Updating" setting.

As a test, you might try toggling "Sync Library" off on one of your affected devices, and then turning it back on: Turn on Sync Library with Apple Music

If that resolves the issue on one device, try it on the other affected devices also. If that doesn't clear things up, that's when you'll want to get in touch with Apple next: Contact Apple Support

Cheers.

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Answer 2

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Dec 23, 2019 12:18 PM in response to Worfrat

Hi Worfrat,

We appreciate the follow-up, and thanks for checking that "Live Updating" setting.

As a test, you might try toggling "Sync Library" off on one of your affected devices, and then turning it back on: Turn on Sync Library with Apple Music

If that resolves the issue on one device, try it on the other affected devices also. If that doesn't clear things up, that's when you'll want to get in touch with Apple next: Contact Apple Support

Cheers.

Reply

Answer 3

jeremy_v

Community Specialist

Dec 23, 2019 7:39 AM in response to Worfrat

Hi Worfrat,

Thanks for posting your question about your issue with a smart playlist. I'm glad to help. As I understand it, your PC seems to recognize "Last Played" data as expected and updates the playlists accordingly, but your synced devices do not; is that right?

Does this happen with every Smart Playlist, or just some?

If you create a new Smart Playlist with similar settings, does that one update as expected?

Try using Edit Rules on one of the affected playlists; is Live Updating on? If not, turn that on and keep an eye on it to see if that helps.

Take care.

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Answer 4

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Dec 23, 2019 9:56 AM in response to Worfrat

Hello Worfrat,

Thanks for the reply. Were you able to verify that "Live Updating" is turned on for your Smart Playlists? That may be worth testing if you haven't already. If that doesn't help or if "Live Updating" is already on, I recommend using this link to Contact Apple Support next.

Have a good one.

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Answer 5

Worfrat Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 23, 2019 9:00 AM in response to jeremy_v

Thank you for the response Jeremy. The problem is that when I play songs on our phones they do not regularly update the play count or last played date in my iTunes on the PC. In some odd instances it only updates the first song played that day, then ignores the rest.

When I play these songs on my PC the play count/last played date is updated when the song ends.

it doesn’t matter what smart playlist I use.

This is a known issue and doesn’t seem to have a fix.

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Answer 6

Worfrat Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 23, 2019 10:59 AM in response to Joseph_S.

Thank you Joseph. Yes that box is checked for all my smart playlists.

it’s funny, only the first track of the day from each phone shows up as being played, but every one after that doesn’t update my play counts.

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Answer 7

Worfrat Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 23, 2019 3:09 PM in response to CarlAVII

Thanks for the suggestion. I turned it off and on a few times, and it there was no change. I tried rebooting in between and not.

I also made sure that Preferences in iTunes had the check mark next to Sync playback across all devices.

I also went re-added my PC using the iTunes Match link on the store page in iTunes. This resulted in the first song I play from my phone updated these fields, then stopped working for the rest. I played 10 songs after and none updated.

I've noticed this since the last iOS update on my phone if that helps. My AppleTV seems to update these fields after some time. It may be the new update that broke it, I don’t know.

I will create a trouble ticket soon. I am getting a new iphone next week and will try it on that one.

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Answer 8

Worfrat Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 23, 2019 4:30 PM in response to Worfrat

Correction - this issue was occurring before the update to iOS 13 for the iPhone. Sorry I couldn’t edit my post above.

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ITunes Match not updating 'Last Played', Play Count field in iTunes from iOS devices.

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