The company is updating iTunes with more safeguards
is a Senior Producer on Decoder. Previously, he reported on the technology and gaming industries for more than a decade.
Apple today acknowledged iTunes users who claim the software deleted their music files, saying it will issue an update to iTunes next week that includes additional safeguards. The company confirmed, in a statement given to iMore, that “in an extremely small number of cases, users have reported that music files saved on their computer were removed without their permission.” However, Apple was unable to reproduce the bug, indicating it doesn’t really know what’s going on here.
The issue, which has persisted since the launch of Apple Music last year, resurfaced when iTunes user James Pinkstone published a blog post last week titled, “Apple Music stole my music. No, seriously.” The post, which went viral, detailed how Pinkstone’s library of 122GB of music suddenly disappeared. He was allegedly told by an Apple representative that his files were deleted without his permission when he signed up for Apple Music. Pinkstone says the Apple rep told him Apple Music replaced his songs with cloud-based versions from its digital collection, deleting the originals in the process.
Apple says it was unable to reproduce the issue
Apple apparently walked back those statements in a follow-up phone call to Pinkstone. The company's full statement today also makes clear that file deletion is not an intended function of the company's streaming service:
In an extremely small number of cases users have reported that music files saved on their computer were removed without their permission. We’re taking these reports seriously as we know how important music is to our customers and our teams are focused on identifying the cause.