It looks like Apple’s iTunes Match is about to launch in the UK. Earlier reports indicated that some users found it available, only for it to be removed shortly after. I personally logged into my iTunes account and successfully signed up for a subscription to iTunes Match in the UK.
The service costs £21.99 a year here in the UK. As of now, it doesn’t seem like you can use iTunes Match just yet, although I was able to purchase it and received an email from Apple confirming my subscription to iTunes Match, which you can see below.
We suspect iTunes Match will be available to everyone in the UK and Europe later today. If you have subscribed to it and have managed to get it working, leave a comment and let us know.
What is iTunes Match?
iTunes Match is a service offered by Apple that allows users to store their entire music library in iCloud, including songs that were not purchased from iTunes. This means that users can access their music from any Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, as well as from a PC with iTunes installed. The service scans your music library and matches your songs to the ones available in the iTunes Store. If a match is found, the song is made available in iCloud at 256 kbps AAC DRM-free quality, regardless of the original quality of the song.
Benefits of iTunes Match
One of the primary benefits of iTunes Match is the convenience it offers. By storing your music in iCloud, you can free up space on your devices and still have access to your entire music library wherever you go. This is particularly useful for users with large music collections that would otherwise take up significant storage space on their devices.
Another advantage is the quality upgrade. Even if your original music files are of lower quality, iTunes Match will provide you with high-quality versions of the songs available in the iTunes Store. This can significantly enhance your listening experience.
Additionally, iTunes Match offers a backup solution for your music library. In case you lose your original files due to a hard drive failure or other issues, you can easily download the matched songs from iCloud.
How to Use iTunes Match
To use iTunes Match, you need to have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer. Once you have subscribed to the service, you can enable iTunes Match by going to the “Store” menu in iTunes and selecting “Turn On iTunes Match.” The service will then begin scanning your music library and matching your songs to the ones available in the iTunes Store. This process may take some time, depending on the size of your music library.
Once the matching process is complete, your music will be available in iCloud, and you can access it from any of your Apple devices. To download a song to your device, simply tap the download icon next to the song in your music library.
iTunes Match is a valuable service for music lovers who want to access their entire music library from any device and enjoy high-quality versions of their songs. While the service is currently in the process of being rolled out in the UK and Europe, it is expected to be fully available soon. If you have already subscribed to iTunes Match and have managed to get it working, please leave a comment and share your experience with us.
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