Apple Music tool to import playlists from Spotify and more looks to be rolling out

Back in February, we saw beta-testing of an Apple Music tool to import playlists from Spotify and other music services. An updated Apple support document suggests that this is now rolling out as a live feature.

Apple says you can import both your music library and playlists into Apple Music, using your iPhone, iPad, Android device, or a web interface …

We first saw the feature being tested in the Android version of Apple Music, using SongShift.

Apple Music appears to be beta testing integration with a service called SongShift, for transferring music from other services into Apple Music. The feature is currently being A/B tested in the latest beta version of Apple Music on Android.

SongShift is a third-party service that has been available for years. It lets users easily move their music libraries and playlists between different music streaming services.

The feature is now described in an Apple support document, which says it’s available also on iPhone and iPad.

It’s currently only shown as available in Australia and New Zealand, which may indicate an expanded test, but more likely signals the beginning of a global rollout. Time-zones mean that it’s typical for things to launch first in these two countries, and the document appears to be available on Apple websites in all regions.

Here’s what Apple says about it:

You can start your transfer in the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad, Android device, or on the web. You can transfer your songs, albums, and playlists from other music services to Apple Music, but what you can transfer varies by service. You can still access all of your saved content in the other service. Transferring music to Apple Music is provided by a third-party.

Instructions are provided for iPhone, iPad, and Android apps, with separate instructions for doing it on the web.

One very important point to note for Spotify users: SongShift can only import personal playlists, not those created by third-parties. However, there is a workaround. I’m providing instructions here for the Mac app, but you can also do it on mobile devices.

1. Create a new personal playlist, and leave it empty
2. Go to the public playlist, click any song, and use CMD-A to select all
3. Right-click on any selected song (two-finger tap on a trackpad) to bring up the contextual menu
4. Select Add to Playlist
5. Select your empty personal playlist

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Spotted by MacRumors. Photo by omid armin on Unsplash.