I want to subscribe to iTunes Match so that I have access to all my music on devices with limited storage (such as my MacBook Air & iPad mini), but I DON'T want to delete the stored songs I have on my phone. Will subscribing automatically delete the store music on my phone and force me to access it via the cloud and re-download each song individually?
Hello NateCook,
Technically speaking, subscribing to iTunes Match thereby enabiling "iCloud Music Library" in Settings>Music should not affect locally stored data on your iOS devices, but iTunes Match is designed to replace your music library such as playlists,etc. However, this can be tricky since the music stored on your device, at least most of it, probably got there by using the "sync" method when connecting to your computer via the power/sync cable. And some may be iTunes Store purchases which should not be affected if downloaded to your device at the time of purchase. Prior to enabling iTunes Match, a.k.a. ICloud Music Library on your device, I recommend connecting your device to your computer just as you did when originally syncing your music and uncheck/turn off the music options applicable. Some users lose music tracks when converting to iTunes Match having previously used the sync method with their computer since iTunes Match is designed to replace your existing library with that from iCloud. In any event, I can't guarantee that your music will remain on the device. But iTunes Match will provide flexibility in downloading tracks directly from iCloud as opposed to connecting to a computer. Please note the following per Apple:
Okay, so I get it, because it's no longer syncing with my computer, anything not purchased from iTunes and downloaded to my iPhone will be removed so that it can sync with the cloud...
Is there any quick and easy way to then tell the device to download the entire library to the phone? Essentially, I listen to my iPhone music during my commute... I have large capacity iPhone and it holds my library fine. I don't want to have to stream everything, since that'll eat up my data plan, but I also don't want to subscribe to Match, have most of it removed, but only available via streaming. I don't want to have to go through and download every song individually. That would be a pain.
For starters, purchased songs do not necessarily remain stored on your device either. It's more of a component pertaining to the fact that your phone has synced songs from a computer. Also, you can download entire albums instead of just individual tracks if that helps. Since you use your phone in the exact same manner as myself combined with having a lot of memory to work with, ITunes Match will not only store all your music safely should anything happen to your other devices but you can easily manipulate your device by downloading most of your music yet being able to delete it should you ever need some memory. Far more efficient than dealing with the sync routine plus it acts as a backup. It sounds like it might work well for you once you get past the initial issue of having to download your music again. But once your finished with the download process, it has its advantages in terms of flexibility with the device itself versus needing a computer to make changes. The is a chance that your locally stored songs will not be deleted when converting to iTunes Match so it may be worth it.
Keep in mind that iTunes Match is a download based stream service as opposed to Apple Music which is a full stream service. In summary, I download most my music tracks and remove and add as I go along. Here's an example of what download stream means...
Will subscribing to iTunes match automatically remove the stored music on my devices such as my iPhone?
