“Hi, I have recently bought an iPhone, but I am facing a peculiar issue with Apple Music. I can play only the previews of the songs instead of the entire songs. Can you please explain why does Apple Music only play previews and what should I do to fix the issue?”
Many Apple users have reported their inability to play full songs on Apple Music. Instead of playing the full song, Apple Music plays only the preview of the selected song. Since most Apple users stream music from the Apple Music app, it is very annoying to see Apple Music putting a restriction on playing the entire song.
The issue can occur on the Apple Music app as well as the Apple Music web version. You need to find out the potential cause behind the issue so that you can fix the problem instantly. More often, the problem occurs due to certain actions Apple users perform. We will explore all the possible causes why Apple Music plays only the excerpts of songs. We will also illustrate all the solutions to fix the problem.
Why Does Apple Music Only Play Previews?
It is important to know the reason behind a problem before you can take steps to fix it. There could be multiple causes why Apple Music plays only the previews of songs instead of the entire songs. Here is the list of the possible causes you should go through and conclude which one is applicable to your case.
- Apple Music subscription plan is not active.
- Multiple devices are using one Apple Music account.
- Wrong country is selected on your Apple Music account.
- You are using an incompatible VPN on your device.
- Temporary glitches with your Apple account.
- Malfunctioning of web browser’s cache and cookies.
- Outdated iOS version or Apple device.
How to Fix Apple Music Only Play Previews?
First, you need to ensure that you have an active Apple Music subscription to play any song entirely. When that is taken care of, You need to identify the cause of why does Apple Music only play previews on your Apple device. In that case, you can find the specific solution for the cause from the following methods. If you are not sure about the cause, you should perform all the following solutions sequentially until the problem is resolved.
Check the Devices Using Apple Music
If you do not have an Apple Music Family plan, you can use Apple Music from one device only at a time. If you have Apple Music running on another device while you access Apple Music on your device from the same account, Apple Music will only play previews. Even when Apple Music is not running actively on another device, it can cause problems on your device.
The first thing you need to do is to check all your devices except the one you are currently using. Close Apple Music if it is running actively or in the background on any device. Disconnect the internet connection on those devices for some time. After that, relaunch the Apple Music app on your device or refresh the Apple Music webpage and see if you can play the entire song now.
Change the Country or Region
If you access Apple Music from your web browser on your computer, you need to open the appropriate website of Apple Music based on your country. For example, if your current location is in the United States, you need to open “music.apple.com/us.” But if you are currently in Australia, you need to open “music.apple.com/au.” Apple plays only previews of songs when you try to access the Apple Music web version from a different country where you are currently not located.
If you are using the Apple Music app, you need to check if your country or region is correct. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1. Open the Settings app. Tap on your Profile icon and navigate to Media & Purchase.
Step 2. Tap on the View Account and sign into your Apple account if prompted.
Step 3. Tap on the Country/Region. If the country is not correct, tap on the Change Country or Region option to correct it.
Turn Off VPN on Your Device
Apple Media’s terms and conditions state that you cannot use Apple Music from outside your location using a VPN service. Even when you use a VPN service to change your region within your state or country, Apple Music won’t play the entire song.
This is because Apple does not trust internet connection with VPN service turned on. Instead of playing full songs, it plays the previews only. That is why you need to turn off the active VPN service on your device, and Apple Music is likely to work normally.
Sign Out and In Of Apple ID
Many Apple users have fixed the issue simply by signing out from their Apple account and signing back in. When you log back into your Apple ID, the session gets refreshed, and all the associated data gets reloaded into the memory. This fixes any temporary glitches associated with your Apple account and all the services related to it, which is Apple Music in this case. Here are the steps to sign out of Apple ID from your device.
On iPhone:
Step 1. Open the Locations app and tap on your Profile icon.
Step 2. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on the Sign Out option.
Step 3. You will be asked to enter the password of your Apple ID. Tap on the Turn Off option.
Step 4. You will see a list of data, and you need to turn on those whose copy you want to keep on your device.
Step 5. Tap on the Sign Out option for confirmation.
Step 6. Restart your device and sign back into your Apple account with the credentials.
On Mac:
Step 1. Go to the System Settings from the Apple Menu.
Step 2. Click on your Apple ID and click on the Sign Out button.
Step 3. Turn on the iCloud data that you want to keep on your Mac and click the Keep A Copy option.
Step 4. You will sign out of your account successfully, and you can log back into the same account.
Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Web Browser
When you experience an issue with a web player, the cache and cookies of the web browser can be the culprit. If the cached data and cookies get corrupted, the normal functioning of any website, especially the ones where you are streaming media. If the Apple Music web player is not playing the full song, you need to clear the cached data and the cookies of your web browser. Safari is the default web browser, and here are the steps to clear the cache.
Step 1. Open the Safari app on Mac and click on the Safari menu option.
Step 2. Click the Settings option from the menu.
Step 3. Click the Privacy option from the top.
Step 4. Click the Manage Website Data button.
Step 5. Select Apple Music and click the Remove All option to clear all cache.
Update iOS System
iPhone users need to update the iOS system to the latest available version so that the Apple Music app also gets updated to the latest version. The latest version of any app fixes the bugs and issues with the previous version. Since Apple Music is an inbuilt app, updating the iOS system automatically updates the Apple Music app. Here are the steps to update the iOS system.
Step 1. Open the Settings app and go to the General option. Tap on the Software Update option.
Step 2. Tap on the Automatic Updates and turn on the iOS Updates option under the Automatically Install and Automatically Download sections.
Step 3. Your iPhone will look for the latest available iOS version. It will download and install the latest iOS version on your iPhone automatically.
Step 4. After the successful update, open the Apple Music app and see if you can play full songs.
Frequently Asked Questions Apple Music Only Play Previews
How to use the same Apple Music account from different devices at the same time?
You need to purchase an Apple Music Family plan if you want to use the same Apple Music account from multiple devices. The family plan allows you to use the same account on up to six devices at the same time. Once you have the family plan, you won’t face the Apple Music playing previews only issue even when Apple Music is running in the background of other devices.
Why does Apple Music not work when I turn on my VPN service?
Apple Music does not trust the devices that use any VPN service. That is why it restricts Apple Music service when the VPN is turned on and plays only the previews of songs.
Why cannot Apple Music play full songs from iTunes Store purchases?
If you have not authorized your Mac, Apple Music cannot use iTunes Store purchases. To authorize, open Apple Music and go to Account> Authorizations> Authorize This Computer. You will need to confirm your Apple ID credentials and click on the Authorize option to get it done.
Conclusion
We have answered the commonly asked question by Apple Music users, “Why does apple music only play previews?”. We have explained the reasons behind the problem briefly for your understanding. Mostly, people use the same Apple Music from multiple devices, and Apple Music running in the background on other devices causes the problem. You can check out the solutions for mobile as well as computer users so that you can overcome the restrictions and play full songs on Apple Music.
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