Why Is Apple Music So Slow?

In terms of music streaming services, Apple Music is one of the biggest, offering users millions of songs to listen to from their iPhones, iPads, Mac or PC, or even through Amazon Alexa Echo and Echo Dot. Normally, Apple Music is able to run quickly and has high-quality sound, with up to 24 bit at 48 kHz from Lossless audio.

While that sounds all well and good, what annoys many users is the fact that Apple Music seems to randomly start running slowly on their devices. I cannot even count how many times I’ve had a song playing on Apple Music in the car, only to have it stop after ten seconds, get stuck for about 30 seconds, then start playing again.

After digging around to find out what was causing the problem, I learned that this is a really common occurrence for Apple Music users, even those using newer iPhones. The problem is that iOS software isn’t actually using all of the bandwidth sources available, and this creates a bottleneck effect. Apple Music’s servers are perfectly well equipped to drive that data out, but it sometimes gets stuck, like when you experience a change in your connection speed or are in-between Wi-Fi connections.

There are multiple ways to troubleshoot this ultra common problem, but the core takeaway you’ll get from reading this article is that your phone, not the Apple Music app, is the real culprit behind your interrupted music.

Why is Apple Music so slow?

Apple Music is a massive app that is data-heavy. While Apple Music’s servers are able to get this data out there, your iOS might not be utilizing all the bandwidth needed and have a strong enough connection to keep the music flowing without interruption. Apps running in the background, duplicate playlists, and your Internet connection speed can also drag down Apple Music’s performance.

So, just what might be causing your Apple Music app to lag? And what can be done to troubleshoot it? Read on to learn more about what can cause Apple Music to lag and how you can enhance its operation.

Why is Apple Music so laggy?

Apple Music is a robust app that occupies a minimum of 7.4 GB in internal storage space. It is easy to burn through your cellular data and go all-out with your downloads.

You can stream music from it, and streaming can cause the app to become laggy when you aren’t on a stable connection. You’ll probably notice the most lag while listening to Apple Music in your car since you’re in between Wi-Fi connections there.

Why is my Apple Music downloading slow?

Slow download times for songs on Apple Music are common. Of course, a key factor here is your Internet speed. A slower connection speed will result in slower downloads. You might also not have enough storage space left on your device for the songs you are trying to download.

How do you speed up Apple Music?

There are a few things you can do in an attempt to speed up Apple Music. These aren’t sure-fire fixes, and they can prove to be frustrating at times. And, if absolutely nothing is working, you might have to consider your device’s age and abilities. Older iPhones are known to struggle more with Apple Music than newer ones, but that isn’t always a cause for problems with the app.

Check Your Internet Connection

The first step you can take is to check your Internet connection. A quick connection speed is necessary for optimal Apple Music performance. If you have two Internet networks or sources available, try using both to see if one works better with Apple Music than the other. Wi-Fi and cellular data should all be checked.

Remove Duplicate Playlists

Apple Music will occasionally create duplicate playlists without you prompting it to do so. This isn’t supposed to happen, but it is a known glitch.

If you already have 50,000 songs in your library, doubling that will bog down your app. Trying to load those duplicates could take quite a while. If you scroll through, look for duplicates and get rid of them to free up your app and help it run much more smoothly.

Free Up Disk Space

Freeing up disk space on your computer or on your iPhone’s internal storage might help Apple Music speed up. If you’re low on storage space, chances are this won’t be the only app getting laggy. Any data-intense app will start to feel bogged down and slow. You will want to free up as much space as you can to ensure your apps are all running as smoothly as they should.

Exit Out of Unused Apps

Multiple apps running in the background can cause slow performance speeds for Apple Music. If you double-tap the Home button on your iPhone, you can scroll left to right and see which apps are still running. Scroll up on each app to exit out of it. After you have exited out of all these apps, try running Apple Music again to see if it is any smoother.

There’s An App For That

Here’s where I’m going to tell you what I finally ended up doing for my iPhone when Apple Music got super laggy. After defeating failed fix after defeating failed fix, I finally installed an app called Speedify. I was skeptical about it at first, but I soon realized that Apple Music wasn’t to blame – my phone itself was!

The thing is, iOS is notorious for not reaping all the benefits of the bandwidth available to them. Data-heavy apps like Apple Music struggle to run smoothly when you go in between Wi-Fi networks or experience signal drops. Apple Music’s servers are delivering the data you want just fine, but it just doesn’t reach the iPhone or iPad like it needs to.

Speedify became my work-around because of how its special channel-bonding software uses every available connection – Wi-Fi, cell data, Ethernet, tethered phones, Starlink, and Satellite – all at once to give the most uninterrupted listening experience.

What’s best, you don’t need to be a card-carrying phone repair nerd to use this app. You just install it from the Apple Store and use it for any of your streaming needs. You can stick with a free account or pay into a premium one – it’s up to you.

Closing Thoughts

Apple Music can run slowly for a number of reasons. The truth is, this app is massive, and massive apps aren’t always as fluid in their operations as we’d like them to be.

Internet connections, too many apps running in the background, and iOS failing to utilize all available connections can be some of the reasons why Apple Music doesn’t run up-to-speed, causing slow downloading speeds and random playback interruptions.

Try a few of the quick fixes listed above, but when it comes down to it, you might have to try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. You can also bring your Apple device to your nearest Apple Store to have it checked over for any possible software or hardware complications.