Apple has, according to The Loop, introduced a fix for a persistent and irritating Apple Music bug that caused preexisting music libraries to sometimes be improperly matched with songs. The Cupertino-based giant is using iTunes Match audio fingerprint now for Apple Music to make sure songs are correctly matched.
The new iTunes Match more accurate
The iTunes Match audio fingerprint is a more accurate method than the metadata matching, which was previously employed by the smartphone maker. Now, just like iTunes Match, Apple Music matching also offers up DRM-free music files. The iPhone maker has been deploying iTunes Match audio fingerprint to all Apple Music subscribers quietly, says the report. Previously, the smartphone maker was using a less accurate metadata version of iTunes Match on its Music service, and it would not always match the correct version of a particular song.
“We’ve all seen the stories of a live version of a song being replaced by a studio version, etc. Using iTunes Match with audio fingerprint, those problems should be a thing of the past,” the report notes.
The version of iTunes Match available now to Apple’s music service subscribers is actually the same iTunes Match service that iTunes users have been paying for as a separate subscription. Now all Apple Music subscribers are eligible to use the full version of iTunes Match for free, reports The Loop. However, there is this confusion that even when Apple Music had song matching available previously, it was not the same service that was offered through iTunes Match.
Apple slowly rolling out the new feature
Those who currently subscribe to both iTunes Match and Apple Music can allow their iTunes Match subscriptions to expire and will continue to receive the same functionality with no changes. iTunes Match users who are not Apple Music subscribers will have to continue to pay for iTunes Match. There will be a “Matched” label in the iCloud Status of iTunes on the Mac so subscribers to Apple’s music service will know if they have access to iTunes Match.
Thanks to the changes the Silicon Valley giant has implemented, users who had songs matched incorrectly through iTunes Match will now see their songs re-matched. Also no downloaded copies of the songs will be deleted.
The iPhone making giant is gradually deploying iTunes Match by switching 1% to 2% of Apple Music subscribers over to the new version each day. Apple is supervising the process to make sure there are no hindrances. The full roll-out will take some time.
