Q: iTunes Match - download all songs?

Are you sure about this? I did exactly this. Synced via iTunes with iTunes Match off. Once tracks were on my phone I enabled iTunes Match. Initially all my music remained on my device. However now (without chaging any other settings), I have no music locally stored on my iPhone, just downloadable iCloud tracks. Is there any way to make the music synced via iTunes stay on your phone once you enable iCloud?

Cheers,

Greg

Absolutely sure.

But I did  notice that after going back and forth between Match and USB a few times that iTunes became confused, and my "sync music" checkbox had gotten unchecked - so when I did a USB sync it deleted all my music. I think that's where you shoud check for a problem if 100% of your music is gone. Even though you didn't change any settings, the settings may have changed themselves.

If you're noticing that just a few tracks are gone, that's to be expected. Match is supposed to delete tracks that haven't been played in a while to make room for the ones you play from the cloud.

And if you go in Grid presentation by Album, Press Cmd+A (to select all) then right-click (ctrl+Click) and Download all ?

Couldn't one could simply creat a playlist of ALL of their music, go into the Iphone to find that (big) Playlist and click "download all"?

Yes, but downloading the music from the cloud is much slower than USB sync. For large playlists, it could be the difference between minutes versus hours. 

Using "download all" from the cloud is definitely the better approach for smaller playlists, and it's the obvious choice when you don't have access to your computer.

Use whichever method works best for you. I use both.

If you have only a small amount of songs or have most of your songs on your phone already, you could also create a smart playlist with condition "location - not local" on your phone and update the songs automatically everytime you add some to your cloud.

benjthomas wrote:

 

It is possible, just not intuitive.  Create a playlist with all your music and scroll to the bottom and then hit download all.

Holy crap!! This is a huge tip. This is exactly the soltuion I needed.

My library is too big to fully sync, so I've always handled this by using an ipod transfer playlist for syncing, but the same solution applies. Sort of a pain that it's download only. It would be nice to be able to do the initial sync via USB; my iPhone is going to be busy for a while!

Thanks for poiinting out this not so obvious feature.

i'm having problems downloading music on Match. i've done it before by using the control + click and download command. that no longer works!

i have a number of songs (that, ironically, i bought on iTunes) that now appear gray and have the download cloud icon. but i can't play it or download it. control-clicking does NOT bring up an option for download.

i've also created playlists and tried that. there is no download option!!!

i can't even play songs i bought through apple!!

is this a common problem?? is there anything i can do to actually play the music i bought???

help. before i toss my mac and go back to pc.

PS. iCloud has lost my contacts... TWICE.

Easiest way to download all songs:

Go to 'music' in your library.

Click on any song.

Press "Command + A" to select all songs.

Right click the mouse/ trackpad.

Click download.

Go eat a sandwich, cuz the download takes quite a while.

No need to create any aditional playlists. Unless you want additional playlists?

I really don't want my songs to be downloaded to my device when I play them. I want them streamed over the web, wifi. So I noticed that they are being physically downloaded and stored on my device.  Is there a way to prevent this?

Thanks Jim

No, you can't prevent iTunes Match from downloading instead of streaming.

If it's any consolation, there's really not much of a real difference between downloading and streaming - it's mostly perceptual. With "streaming", the music still gets "downloaded" (i.e., transferred to your device so it can be played) and stored in a temporary cache (so it won't skip or pause if there's a brief network problem, or if you play the song again it won't need to go through the network). There are some major differences in the size of the cache and how long the music is stored, but iTunes Match is otherwise the same - it just doesn't use the language of "streaming" and gives you some control over managing what's currently in your cache/library.

Real streaming happens with files that are extremely large, like movies. Then you only have a small portion of the file on your device at any one time - just the part that's currently playing and enough for a little rewinding or fast-forwarding.

No, there's not a big "DOWNLOAD ALL" button to sync your local library with your iPhone. However, you can download playlists, so get creative... Pack all of your stuff into a live updating playlist and you are ready to bag the bargain on your device

Nice and simple (and automatic).

Your idea of creating a playlist for all your music and clicking the "download all" link at the bottom is what I did. It's crude but it works. You just have to wait for long time for that for finish if you have a huge library, a slow connection, or both.

It's rather crude deciding to download EVERYTHING in the age of access and the Internet. Then, for a crude request a crude solution.

I'd really like to live in this idylic world of free and ubiqutious internet that Mindplay lives in. He/she obviously never has to deal with the crude reality many of us face...

• 3G/4G data caps
• spotty internet (commutes by subway, etc)
• no internet (rural areas without cellphone coverage)
• airplane flights (aside from the few with satellite interenet)
• expensive data roaming charges overseas

Since Apple doesn't allow local syncing + iTunes Match, those of us faced with the issues above, really have no other choice. Don't get me wrong... iTunes Match is great. I just wish it was a bit more flexible.