Apple Music is a popular subscription-based music streaming service that offers access to over 90 million songs. With Apple Music you can create customized playlists to share with friends. But what if your friend doesn’t have an Apple Music subscription? Can you still share your Apple Music playlists with them?
Overview of Sharing Apple Music Playlists
Sharing playlists is a great way to recommend music to your friends and family. Unfortunately, Apple Music places certain restrictions on sharing playlists to non-subscribers.
There are a couple different ways you can share Apple Music playlists with non-subscribers:
- Share a playlist link
- Export the playlist and share the files
However, these options come with limitations. Read on for details on how to share Apple Music playlists with friends who don’t use Apple Music.
Share an Apple Music Playlist Link
When you create a playlist in Apple Music, it generates a shareable link. You can text or email this link to anyone. When your friend clicks the link, it will open in Apple Music (if they are a subscriber) or on the web player for non-subscribers.
However, non-subscribers will be limited to only previewing the playlist. They can play short 30-second previews of each song, but won’t have full access. Non-subscribers will see a pop-up banner prompting them to “Join Apple Music” in order to play the entire playlist.
So sharing an Apple Music playlist link allows your friends a sneak peek, but not full listening access if they aren’t subscribers.
Export and Share Playlist Files
Another option is to export your Apple Music playlists as audio files, then share those files with your friends. Here’s how:
- Open the playlist you want to share in Apple Music
- Click the 3 dots “…” next to the playlist name
- Choose “Share Playlist”
- Tap “Export Playlist”
- Select the audio quality and file format
- Tap “Export” and save the files to your computer
- Share the exported audio files via email, cloud drive, USB stick, etc
This allows you to freely share the playlist audio files with whoever you’d like. However, there are a couple downsides to this method:
- It can be time consuming to export large playlists
- You lose the benefits of a streamed playlist that updates dynamically
- You have to manually update and re-share the playlist if you want to add new songs
So exporting and sharing playlist files works, but lacks some of the convenience of a link that streams directly from Apple Music.
Can You Share Apple Music with Family Plan?
If you and your friends or family want full access to each other’s Apple Music playlists and libraries, there is one more option – the Apple Music Family Plan.
The Family Plan allows up to 6 people to share one Apple Music subscription. Family members can all access each other’s playlists and music libraries.
To set up Family Sharing:
- The Family organizer enables sharing and invites up to 5 people
- Family members accept the invite and sign in with their Apple IDs
- Apple Music settings like playlists and preferences are merged
With the Family Plan, you and your friends can fully access the same Apple Music content. The only catch is you’ll need to decide if sharing a subscription plan together makes sense for your situation.
3 Key Takeaways on Sharing Apple Music Playlists
To recap, here are the key things to know about sharing Apple Music playlists with friends and family:
- You can share playlist links for previewing, but full access requires a subscription
- Exporting and sharing audio files works, but lacks the dynamic features of a true playlist link
- Apple Music Family Plan allows full playlist sharing and library access when you share a subscription
Hope this helps explain your options for sharing Apple Music playlists! Let your friends preview songs so they’ll want that full access. Or consider a Family Plan if you frequent share playlists and libraries with each other.
FAQ’s about Sharing Apple Music Playlists
Can I share my entire Apple Music library?
Unfortunately you cannot share your full Apple Music library with friends unless they are part of your Family Sharing plan. The best you can do is share playlists.
Do non-subscribers see what’s in shared playlists?
When sharing a playlist link, non-subscribers can see the full playlist details including song titles, artists, album names, and playlist description. But they are limited to 30-second previews.
Can I export and share iTunes purchased music?
Yes, music you purchased through iTunes can be freely exported as files and shared with friends, even if they aren’t Apple Music members. Purchased music is DRM-free.
Do all Family Sharing members see the same library?
With Family Sharing enabled, all members see the same shared Apple Music library including full playlists. Personal libraries remain private unless you choose to share playlists.
Can Family Plan work across iOS and Android devices?
Apple Music Family Plan sharing works seamlessly across iOS devices. But Android users have limited functionality, unable to access shared libraries or see what others are playing.
Conclusion
While Apple Music places some restrictions around sharing content with non-subscribers, you do have options to share playlists – either as preview links, exported files, or via Family Sharing. Choose the option that works best for your situation. The easiest full access is to invite friends to join your Family Plan, if appropriate. Hopefully this guide gave you some useful tips and answers around sharing your Apple Music playlists!