Apple is testing a new feature with the Apple Music Android app that allows users to transfer a library and playlists from other music services to Apple Music. The initial report of this feature was made on Reddit by _22cm_ and has been confirmed by MacRumors.
Screenshots provided by _22cm_show the overall user interface in Italian, but the transfer feature appears in English in the app’s Library and Settings sections. However, the feature doesn’t work yet; _22cm_ said it hangs when attempting to select a service.
Other users responded to the Reddit post, stating that they don’t see the transfer feature in the betas they are using. This could indicate that Apple is performing A/B testing to gauge performance and usability, where some beta users see the feature and others don’t. Apple could be testing on the Android app to help limit the number of users in the beta test. Apple has not commented on the feature, and there is no word on whether this feature will become available in the iOS Apple Music app.
The feature seems to be done in partnership with SongShift. The SongShift app is available for iOS to transfer playlists to and from Apple Music to other services, including Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and YouTube. SongShift is free and it seems likely that the Apple Music implementation will be the basic playlist transfer support that’s in the free app. A Pro version of SongShift is available as a paid subscription service with features such as playlist sharing between services, improved performance, custom themes, and more.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.