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WiseOwl85

Q: Do I have to download the song to my device to pay it or can I play it from the cloud?

I'm trying to save space. Can I play my music direct from the cloud or do I need to download it first when using iTunes match?

iPhone 5, iOS 8.2

Posted on Apr 1, 2015 5:50 AM

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Q: Do I have to download the song to my device to pay it or can I play it from the cloud?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Apr 1, 2015 3:26 PM in response to WiseOwl85
    Level 7 (27,397 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 1, 2015 3:26 PM in response to WiseOwl85

    From: https://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/   Frequently asked Question section

    Does iTunes Match stream or download songs?

    On a computer, any songs stored in iCloud will stream over the air when played, though you can download them at any time by clicking the iCloud download button. iOS devices will start playing tracks from iCloud as they download and will store them so that you can listen to them later even if you don’t have a network connection. Apple TV only streams songs.

  • by WiseOwl85,

    WiseOwl85 WiseOwl85 Apr 2, 2015 6:12 AM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 2, 2015 6:12 AM in response to Phil0124

    Is there a way to just stream it on an iOS device? I wanted match as I thought that I could play all my music without it taking up space on my iPhone?

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Apr 2, 2015 9:18 AM in response to WiseOwl85
    Level 7 (27,397 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 2, 2015 9:18 AM in response to WiseOwl85

    Nope, though you can delete them after playing them.  Match is just a way for your songs to be available on all devices, but they still need to be downloaded in some way to be played.  Streaming downloads the files too, it just deletes them after playing, iOS devices do not do this at this time, so the only option is to manually delete them after having played them.

  • by Ziatron,

    Ziatron Ziatron Apr 3, 2015 2:26 PM in response to WiseOwl85
    Level 4 (3,930 points)
    Apple Watch
    Apr 3, 2015 2:26 PM in response to WiseOwl85
    I could play all my music without it taking up space on my iPhone?

     

    This is what the iPod classic is for. 160 GB dedicated to music.

  • by Murilo.mac,

    Murilo.mac Murilo.mac Apr 4, 2015 10:06 AM in response to WiseOwl85
    Level 2 (152 points)
    Apr 4, 2015 10:06 AM in response to WiseOwl85

    actually if I understood your question...

       When I'm listening to my songs through iTunes Match, i DON'T NEED to download it on my Mac or iPhone, I just double click it on iTunes and it it start streaming on my iTunes, of course this stream has to download the song while streaming, but it is automatically deleted when the music is over. If I want to listen to the same song minutes later, I will have to wait iTunes to buffer the song again.

         on iOS the same, I can listen to all of my songs through wifi/3G, but they are not downloaded on iPhone/iPad, just streamed.

     

      If you want, you have the option to download all the musics to listen to them when you're offline, but it's up to you

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Apr 4, 2015 12:07 PM in response to Murilo.mac
    Level 7 (27,397 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 4, 2015 12:07 PM in response to Murilo.mac

    Murilo.mac wrote:

     

    actually if I understood your question...

       When I'm listening to my songs through iTunes Match, i DON'T NEED to download it on my Mac or iPhone, I just double click it on iTunes and it it start streaming on my iTunes, of course this stream has to download the song while streaming, but it is automatically deleted when the music is over. If I want to listen to the same song minutes later, I will have to wait iTunes to buffer the song again.

         on iOS the same, I can listen to all of my songs through wifi/3G, but they are not downloaded on iPhone/iPad, just streamed.

     

      If you want, you have the option to download all the musics to listen to them when you're offline, but it's up to you

    As explained above, on iOS devices, the song is downloaded as it plays, but it is not removed afterwards.

     

    iOS devices will start playing tracks from iCloud as they download and will store them

    i.e, they will not be removed after playing.

     

    This is straight form the iTunes Match FAQ:

    https://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/