Why Are Apple Music Songs Censored?
You’re listening to Apple Music, and suddenly, you hear a song you know with lyrics that are being censored.
They haven’t been censored before when you were listening to them from another device or streaming service.
So, what’s the deal? Why are songs being censored on the Apple Music app?
Why Are Apple Music Songs Censored?
Some Music app songs are censored in conjunction with the FCC’s rules for TV and radio play. If your restrictions are set to not play explicit lyrics, then you will hear the radio edits. You can switch these settings off in order to hear the explicit lyrics.
As it happens, not all songs on Apple Music are censored.
You will, however, come across some radio edit versions that have been tweaked to meet the FCC’s censorship rules.
You might also be encountering some parental settings on your device that are limiting what you can listen to on Apple Music.
If this is indeed the case, you are going to have to fiddle around with your restriction settings to be able to listen to censored content.
And, don’t worry, I’m here to walk you through it.
It isn’t as intimidating of a process as you might think.
Music by everyone from the likes of Paul McCartney to BTS has shown up as censored on Music.
So, if you’re trying to play “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against the Machine and end up hearing some words getting bleeped out, don’t be surprised.
You can go into your Apple Music restrictions and turn off censorship settings.
Then, you will be able to hear Zack de la Rocha screaming strong protest lyrics with all sorts of conviction.
Now, let’s delve deeper into this issue and go over some workarounds for getting Apple Music to stop playing censored songs.
How do I stop Apple Music from censoring my music?
If you are hearing censored songs on the Music app, you might have somehow switched your restriction settings.
This will disable the app from playing explicit content.
Instead, you will end up hearing radio edits with the naughty words bleeped out.
Why are curse words censored on Apple Music?
Wondering why are some songs restricted on Apple Music? In order to be in compliance with FCC standards, Apple has to offer censored music, especially since there are listeners with age restrictions.
There are restriction settings on your phone that can be enabled and disabled, and some of them fall within parental controls for underage children.
If you are someone who is of age and is still hearing censored content, you might need to go into your device’s settings and reset the censorship settings.
Let’s go over how to do that.
How to Un-censor Songs From Your iPhone
Want to get those explicit lyrics playing again? If you are on your iPhone or iPad, here is how you can do it:
- Open up Settings.
- Tap on Screen Time.
- Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Go to Music and toggle on ‘Music (Allow Explicit Content)’. This will unlock Music’s whole library.
You will also be able to toggle the restrictions for things like TV shows, movies, and music videos from here.
How to Un-censor Songs From Your Android
Are you having this problem with your Android phone? It will be similar to how you do it from an iOS device.
Here’s how you can get those songs uncensored:
- Enable ‘Content Restrictions’
- Toggle ‘Music (Allow Explicit Content)’ to ‘ON’ in order to unlock the Music app’s full catalogue of music. Additionally, you can enable or disable music videos and profiles whenever you want to.
How to Un-censor Songs From Your Mac
If you are playing the Music app from a MacOS Catalina or above, you can un-censor songs from there.
Do this by following these steps:
- Look for the Music bar on your screen and click on it.
- Click on Preferences.
- Click on Restrictions in the new tab that just opened.
- Look for ‘Music with explicit content’ and make sure it is set to ‘off’.
- You will need to enter your administrator password to confirm this command.
Should Apple allow censored music?
I hear this debate a lot in the Apple discussion forums.
It is certainly a hot debate with folks from both sides making some really strong points.
The good thing is that, while Apple does comply with the FCC, it lets parents have control over what their kids are allowed to listen to on the Music app.
And, if you just happen to be someone who doesn’t want to hear curse words in their music, you can opt to turn the restrictions on for yourself.
At least you have these options, regardless of where you stand on the allowance of censorship.
Closing Thoughts
Apple does its best to be in compliance with the FCC’s regulations, which can seem pretty rigid at times.
However, you have the ability to toggle restrictions on and off at will (unless your parents have the parental controls on – then, sorry, you’re gonna have to talk to them).
If for any reason you are unable to get the features to toggle, you can contact Apple Support for help.
They have representatives and technicians available to assist you with additional troubleshooting measures.