Move Spotify playlists to Apple Music without losing songs

How to transfer playlists from Spotify to Apple Music without losing songs is a frequent question for Australian listeners changing streaming services. Spotify and Apple Music both bill subscribers in Australian dollars, yet their subscriptions, catalogues and playlist tools differ. The goal is to recreate your saved music in the new service while keeping a clear record of anything that will not match.

A playlist is a list of references, not a package of music files. Transfer tools look for corresponding songs in Apple Music and create a new playlist using the matches they can find. Availability still depends on licensing and regional rights, so an exact copy of every playlist cannot be guaranteed. Careful preparation and verification prevent unpleasant surprises.

Start by checking whether you need the move at all. Some people keep Spotify for podcasts, discovery and social features while using Apple Music on an iPhone. Others want one home library across all their devices. Whichever route you choose, back up the original playlists before authorising any third-party service to read your Spotify account.

Know what moves and what stays

Spotify playlists and Liked Songs are stored separately. A transfer tool can rebuild a playlist you choose, while your Liked Songs collection usually needs to be selected as its own source or handled manually. Personal playlists are straightforward; editorial playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar are generated for each account and may not be available to a transfer service.

Podcast episodes are a separate category, and standard tools do not carry them into Apple Music. Keep spoken-word listening in a separate list, then use the Nigerian podcast picks to find shows worth exploring once your music library is organised.

Availability matters when the people behind your favourite tracks do not have the same agreements in Australia. International acts are usually straightforward, and Australian listeners often find local favourites such as Tones and I or Flume in both catalogues. Less common releases, live recordings and tracks tied to regional licensing can disappear from the mapping screen.

Check your destination before transferring

Your destination must be an Apple Music account, not an iTunes Store purchase history. Open Apple Music on the web or iPhone and sign in to the account you want to use. Check that the country or region shown in your account matches where you listen, since selecting the wrong store region can affect which tracks a transfer service finds.

An active Apple Music subscription is required for full library syncing across iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Start with the latest Apple Music app on the device that will hold your playlists, then sign in with the same account you intend to use for the transfer.

Only choose a transfer platform that clearly names Spotify and Apple Music, explains how it handles account data and offers support for failed matches. Legitimate services use an authorisation flow, so be cautious if a site asks you to paste your Apple password into its own form instead of directing you to an Apple authorisation page.

Prepare and back up your Spotify library

Use Spotify's data-download option to request your account information, and save any playlist files it includes. This gives you a useful reference for playlist names, track lists and creation dates. The export describes what you had; it does not contain the audio in a format you can load into Apple Music.

Open the playlists you plan to move and check for duplicates, unavailable songs and spoken-word episodes. Remove duplicates only when you are certain they add nothing, since a repeated song can affect the final count. A track missing from Spotify may still exist in Apple Music, but a tool cannot match a song it cannot read from the source playlist.

Save a link to every important Spotify playlist in a private note. If a transfer stops halfway, those links help you confirm the source and restart without relying on memory. Take a screenshot of any personal playlists with carefully ordered track lists, as destination services may rearrange the sequence.

Transfer with a reliable service

Create an account with a reputable transfer platform, such as TuneShift or SongTune, after checking its current supported services, prices and limits. Connect Spotify, select the playlists you want as sources, and then connect Apple Music as the destination. A clear naming option helps distinguish transferred lists from playlists you create yourself.

Run a small test playlist before moving your entire library. Compare the artist, title and version shown for each match, then confirm that the destination playlist appears on both the web player and your iPhone. If the test succeeds, continue with the remaining playlists in manageable batches.

The service searches the destination catalogue; it does not extract Spotify audio and convert it into a new file. Downloaded Spotify tracks and offline files do not migrate through this process. Songs that Apple Music does not licence for your region are skipped and may need to be found manually. A wrong match, such as a live recording replacing a studio version, can be corrected by editing the new playlist.

Verify matches and organise your new library

A successful transfer is not finished until you have checked the result. Open each new Apple Music playlist, compare its track count with your Spotify list and look for missing songs, repeated tracks or unexpected versions. The destination service may also add automatically matched songs, so listening is more reliable than counting alone. If a playlist is missing from your library, search for its name and save it there.

A short checklist before and after the transfer keeps small problems from becoming a messy library.

Before transferring

After transferring

If the order has changed, rebuild it in Apple Music using the original sequence. Sorting by album or artist can make large libraries easier to browse, while descriptive names prevent similar releases from becoming difficult to distinguish later.

Compare the two streaming services

Spotify remains strong for personalised discovery, social sharing and broad support across Android devices, computers, televisions and speakers. Apple Music fits particularly well for households already invested in iPhone, iPad and Mac products. Its lossless and spatial audio options also appeal to listeners with compatible hardware and subscriptions.

Your priorities determine the value of moving. Keep Spotify active while you test Apple Music if discovery is your main reason for using it. If you mainly listen through Apple hardware, one subscription may simplify access across devices. Before cancelling anything, compare favourite artists and regional releases in both catalogues, because their licensing arrangements are not identical.

Keep your music ready for daily listening

Once your playlists are in Apple Music, verify them on the devices you use most. For a Sydney or Melbourne commute, download essential playlists over home Wi-Fi before leaving, then test offline playback in Apple Music. This avoids interruptions when mobile coverage weakens and prevents an unnecessary use of mobile data.

Feature Spotify Apple Music
Direct Spotify playlist import Not available natively Not available natively
Offline listening Included with Premium Included with an active subscription
Device range Android, desktop, web, TVs and speakers iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, web and speakers
Catalogue limits Regional rights determine availability Regional rights determine availability
Features worth comparing Personalised discovery and social tools Lossless audio, spatial audio and Apple-device integration

Keep a saved export of your original Spotify lists as the reference whenever either service changes. The new Apple Music library provides the convenient daily destination, while the backup preserves your playlist structure and helps you trace any track that failed to match.