It has been just over a month since Apple's last round of expansion for its iTunes Match service, but it appears that the company may be preparing to add Japan to the mix.
As noted by Mac Otakara, the "iTunes in the Cloud" music component has gone live in Japan, with the "Purchased" tab within the desktop iTunes Store and the iOS music application now allowing users to access their previously-purchased iTunes Store music. The iTunes in the Cloud service has until now been limited to apps and books in Japan.
Apple's iTunes Match service that allows users to match or upload their entire libraries of music acquired from any source to Apple's iCloud is a step further than the music re-download service just now rolling out. There are, however, currently no other countries in which Apple offers iTunes in the Cloud music capabilities without also offering iTunes Match. iTunes Match is currently available in 37 countries, and if iTunes in the Cloud music downloads are now appearing in Japan it seems that iTunes Match may not be far behind there.
Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall.
At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface.
The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas.
Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial
The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive.
If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging."
Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs.
We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else.
iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
I think iTunes match is a joke. Doesn't do album covers perfectly, currently replaces explicit tracks with clean tracks...and with data caps, even less useful.
I'm as big an Apple fan as it gets, and unfortunately I have to agree with you.
I love iTunes Match for both what it is, and what its supposed to be, but Apple has done a terrible job of implementing it.
The fact that they're continuously rolling it out to new markets without fixing the problems it has, fills me with dread for their current leadership.
I don't want to get into the "if steve were here" nonsense.....but I don't understand how Apple, a company with such high standards, can be happy with iTunes Match as it is, and continue deployment without addressing very serious problems.
1. Album Artwork.
2. Explicit/Clean confusion (which is akin to data loss)
3. Inexplicable Matching errors, where certain Matchable tracks are uploaded instead.
4. Lack of support for AudioBooks.
Sure hope iTunes Match launches better over in Japan because the iTunes Match in the US is still buggy, matching explicit with clean lyrics never mind the disaster it leaves your iTunes library looking like.
I'm as big an Apple fan as it gets, and unfortunately I have to agree with you.
I love iTunes Match for both what it is, and what its supposed to be, but Apple has done a terrible job of implementing it.
The fact that they're continuously rolling it out to new markets without fixing the problems it has, fills me with dread for their current leadership.
I don't want to get into the "if steve were here" nonsense.....but I don't understand how Apple, a company with such high standards, can be happy with iTunes Match as it is, and continue deployment without addressing very serious problems.
1. Album Artwork.
2. Explicit/Clean confusion (which is akin to data loss)
3. Inexplicable Matching errors, where certain Matchable tracks are uploaded instead.
4. Lack of support for AudioBooks.
Agree strongly with 1 & 2. I hope they have a remedy for this. All my Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg is censored now!
I think iTunes match is a joke. Doesn't do album covers perfectly, currently replaces explicit tracks with clean tracks...and with data caps, even less useful.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
