Strange symbol/icon in Music list on iTunes app

Question

Strange symbol/icon in Music list on iTunes app

Hello!

I recently moved my iTunes library to a new computer. When I started up iTunes on my new PC, I could see all my music files and playlists. So far so good.

I also (intentionally) deleted all of the music and playlists on my device (iPhone 6) since I wanted to start over from scratch. I did this by going to Storage>Manage Storage and then selecting Music > All songs.

When I plugged my iPhone into my computer and fired up iTunes, i noticed some strange entries in the Music list. They appeared "greyed out" with circles (on the left side). See attached screen capture. As best I can tell, these entries correspond to purchases I made from the iTune store. But not all music purchases. Since I still have the original purchased music files on my computer, I can see the grayed out list on my iPhone is far from a complete list of all my music purchases.

I can't play these "grayed out" entries on my iPhone. I can't delete them either. Any idea what I can do to get rid of them?

Thank you!

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.3

Posted on Aug 10, 2016 9:07 AM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

278,091 points

Aug 10, 2016 11:43 AM in response to Robert Marley

They appear to be evidence of a stalled transfer. I suspect iTunes is supposed to gracefully recover on the next connection but it doesn't seem to.

The following steps will usually help resolve weird syncing issues. They assume that all of the content you want on the device is in your library ready for restoring. If it isn't see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device first. I would also recommend you copy everything out of the camera roll if you haven't already.

Backup device.
Restore as a new device.
Restore the backup you made earlier.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

278,091 points

Aug 13, 2016 5:04 PM in response to Robert Marley

See About backups for iOS devices - Apple Support for more about what is and is not included in an iOS device backup. In particular media is not included, but if there isn't any on the device that isn't an issue.

See Use iTunes on your Mac or PC to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support to restore it as a new device.

See Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support to put your data and settings back.

See also About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support if you have any health data on the device that you wish to keep.

tt2

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Answer 3

Aug 12, 2016 11:51 AM in response to turingtest2

tt2,

Thanks for the help. I apologize, but I'm very novice with terminology.

My device was very recently backed up to iCloud. That part I think I am ok with.

When you say "They assume that all of the content you want on the device is in your library ready for restoring" what exactly, precisely does this mean. On my device, there is no music (I previously deleted all the music). Only my contacts, pictures, settings, apps, etc. are on the phone.

Restore device....is there an easy way to do that.

Restore the backup.... you mean restore from the iCloud?

Thanks,.

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Answer 4

Aug 13, 2016 5:08 PM in response to turingtest2

Thank you. I did everything you recommended, and it worked!

I was a little hesitant about "Restoring" my device, but much to my pleasure and relief, the Restore operation put everything back exactly where it belonged. The only thing I had to do was re-enter my email account passwords.

When I reconnected my device to iTunes, the strange entries in the Music list where gone (i.e., the "greyed out" circles business).

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

278,091 points

Aug 14, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Robert Marley

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

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