Cannot add playlists to iPhone 14

Device backups don't include media. What you have stored elsewhere isn't relevant when it comes to my advice on backing up your device as thoroughly as possible before you try taking my advice on your original issue, which is to restore your device as new, then reload a backup, then restore your music.

For the avoidance of doubt I'm a fellow user of Apple's products and services. I'm giving advice based on my personal and sometimes hard won experience, and that of others, and I'm trying to make sure you have relevant information before choosing how to proceed. I'm not promoting Apple's services on their behalf. Please accept my apologies if that has come across in any other fashion. I hope you find a solution to getting your content copied over to your iPhone.

tt2

GregoryEF wrote:

... and when I select "sync" it starts the process and suddenly cuts out, not completing the task.

In general if sync operations aren't completing successfully then you likely need to backup your device, ideally to both iTunes and iCloud in case one backup won't restore correctly, restore as new device, and then restore your backup, after which you can try syncing your media back to the device.

And to reiterate regarding the Apple Music subscription service. If you have this enabled on device (see Use Sync Library with your Apple Music subscription - Apple Support) then you cannot sync music over USB and are instead meant to enable Sync Library AKA iCloud Music library in your computer and have your content transfer over the cloud. While this should work, it does require an ongoing subscription, which might not be what you wanted.

tt2

As previously stated, if you are using Apple Music (the subscription service), even in the free period (for which you are not charged, despite what you say), then you will not be able to access your personal library.

If you have a lot of music that you already know is not available on Apple Music, in addition to all the music that you have purchased, then why are you using Apple Music? Yes, it's free for the first month, but after that you will be paying monthly. Apple make no secret of that. Why pay for something that you already have?

If you still want a service that gives you access to a lot of music, perhaps you should look in the App Store for one of the alternatives, such as Amazon Music of Spotify, both of which can be used without affecting your personal library. Note that this is a suggestion, I'm not being prescriptive.

Spotify has a free, advertisement-based model. I don't know about Amazon Music.

If you decide to end the Apple Music trial and regain access to your personal library, then if you are still having issues with synchronising your music to your device, post back with some detail about what happens when you try. ("It doesn't work" won't do I'm afraid.) But before you do, make sure that there are Sync options set for your iPhone, which may have been turned off when you tried Apple Music. That's found by looking (in iTunes) on the Device (arrowed in the screenshot below):

and then on Settings/Music (1.):

Then make sure that Sync Music (2.) is ticked (checked) and that you have selected one of the two options in 3. Note that if you choose Entire music library (3.), you will not see any of the sections numbered 4.

Then tap the Apply (or Sync) button in the lower right corner of the iTunes window.

That's quite an old version of iTunes that you are using. I suggest that you update iTunes to the most recent version, which on the day of writing (20th December 2024) is 12.13.4.4

There have been seven updates to iTunes since the version you're using was released. One of those updates added support for iOS 17 and another added support for iOS 18. What that means is that if your phone is using iOS 18.2 (which became available on 11th December 2024), you must use either iTunes 12.13.3.2 or 12.13.4.4 on your computer.

GregoryEF wrote:

Apple Music seems happy to charge my (free month!) however.

I don't understand what you mean. If it's a free month, then there will be no charge. But (and this is important), if you're subscribed to Apple Music, then you won't have current access to the music you've purchased and therefore won't be able to Sync that music to your device.

So please be specific, are you currently subscribed to Apple Music (even if it's the free period)?

GregoryEF wrote:

When I bought a new PC, more current versions caused issues and this form suggested downloading and staying with an older version which has worked just fine.

Well that's not true, is it? You've posted here because the old version that you were using doesn't work correctly and I have explained why that is the case. Not sure what you mean by "this form" (perhaps this forum), but Apple's advice is to always use the up to date version of iTunes.

One more thing.

If you have installed Apple Music (the app, not the monthly subscription service), Apple TV or Apple Devices, those too will prevent your access to your personal library. Uninstall them, they are not yet a suitable replacement for iTunes.

GregoryEF wrote:

... I do not wish to pay for iCloud.

Every Apple ID includes 5Gb of iCloud storage. This is typically enough to hold a device backup and is also used automatically by some apps to store data/settings.

tt2