What to do if a song is “not currently available in your country or region”

Apple Music connects you to over 50 million songs, but how many of them are currently available in your country or region? Lots of iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iTunes users are getting this error message, which stops them from playing items in their music library. Follow the tips below to fix it.

“This song is not currently available in your country or region.”

For some users, this error message appears when they add new songs to their favorite playlists. Others come across it when revisiting albums they burned from a CD years ago. Sometimes, there’s no apparent pattern and the error message blocks random songs indiscriminately.

We’ve explained why you might see this error message and what you can do to fix it below.

Quick Tips

Follow these quick tips to fix unavailable songs in your music library:

1. Use or disable your VPN to access music from your home country.
2. Close Apple Music or iTunes and restart your device.
3. Download the latest update for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or iTunes.
4. Remove and re-sync all the unavailable songs in your library.
5. Sign out of iTunes, Apple Music, and iCloud then sign back in.

Related:

• iTunes songs grayed out, how-to
• ‘Not signed in to Apple Music’ error message
• How to fix Apple Music not working on iPhone or iPad
• Apple Music missing, blank, or empty after iPhone or iPad update? Fix it today! 

Why are songs suddenly unavailable in my country or region?

This is a widespread issue with a lot of potential causes. If songs in your Apple Music or iTunes library are grayed out, saying they’re unavailable to you, it’s probably down to any one of the reasons below.

That song isn’t licensed for the country or region you’re in

The only reason you should ever see this error message is when you’re trying to play a song that isn’t licensed for the country you’re in. This is unlikely to be the case for most people, but if you’re traveling or using a VPN that could explain the problems.

Apple Music is available in 100+ countries across the globe. Generally speaking, the entire library of more than 50 million songs is available in each of those countries, but there are exceptions.

Occasionally, a song isn’t licensed for worldwide distribution through Apple Music and sometimes a national government censors songs from Apple’s platform. In either of these cases, you can’t listen to that song until you leave the country.

Although you could get around that restriction with a VPN. Change your VPN settings to trick your device into thinking you’re in a different country. Et voila!

Apple Music can’t match your song to its database

When you add music to your library using Apple Music, all it does is tell your device to stream or download those particular songs from Apple’s database. This means the music can’t get corrupted and is quicker to download.

This is also what happens when you import music. Apple Music or iTunes finds the matching song on Apple’s database and directs your device to that version instead. The only time this doesn’t happen is when you import wholly original music that Apple doesn’t have a match for.

Unfortunately, this means your devices sometimes get confused if Apple’s database is updated. Occasionally, an artist or a record label might edit the metadata for their music: the song name, release year, composer, or lyricist for example.

When this happens, Apple Music or iTunes can struggle to match the songs in your library to the updated songs in Apple’s database. Your device might believe this is because the song is not available in your country or region.

Updating the software introduced a bug to Apple Music or iTunes

It isn’t uncommon for Apple to release a bad software update. In the past, these have caused all manner of problems ranging from data loss to slow performance. It’s entirely likely — and not unheard of — that you can’t play songs in your library because of a new software bug.

Notably, this happened with the release of iOS 12.2 earlier this year and again with the beta release of iOS 13.1. 

Typically, the only permanent fix for a software bug is when Apple releases a new update patching up the problem. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of time for them to develop this update and it can replace the old problem with new ones.

In the meantime, use the troubleshooting steps laid out below to see what you can do to fix iTunes or Apple Music yourself!

What can I do if a song is not currently available in my country or region?

As you’ve seen, there are a few different reasons you might come across this problem. Because of that, there are also a few different ways to fix it.

Try each of the methods below, testing Apple Music or iTunes again after each one. Sound off in the comments at the end to tell us which solution worked for you!

1. Turn off your VPN and check your country’s licensing

We already mentioned that the licensing rights differ from country to country. If you’re traveling abroad, take a look at this page on Apple’s website to make sure the country or region you’re in supports Apple Music or iTunes. 

Even if you’re in your home country, a VPN on your iPhone, iPad, computer, or router could trick Apple Music or iTunes into believing you’re somewhere else. Disable your VPN and try playing the unavailable songs again. If this works, edit the settings on your VPN to keep your Internet access local.

How do I disable a VPN on my iPhone or iPad?

1. Open Settings and toggle the VPN button near the top.

How do I disable a VPN on my Mac?

1. Go to  > System Preferences > Network.
2. Select your VPN from the sidebar.
3. Click ‘Disconnect.’

How do I disable a VPN on my PC?

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > VPN.
2. Select your VPN connection.
3. Click ‘Remove.’

2. Quit all your apps and restart your device

This seemingly simple solution is often wildly effective. If you haven’t already, close down every app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC, then restart the device.

The act of forcing Apple Music or iTunes to stop all processes and close itself down can resolve any number of irritating software issues. As you open the app again, after restarting your device, it connects to your songs a second time. Sometimes that’s all you need.

How do I close down apps and restart my iPhone or iPad?

1. Double-click the Home button or swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
2. Push all your open apps of the top of the screen to close them.
3. Press and hold the Side button with either Volume button.
4. When prompted, slide to power off your device.
5. Wait at least 30 seconds before restarting it.

How do I close down apps and restart my Mac?

1. Use these two keyboard shortcuts to switch between and quit your apps:
   1. Command+tab switches to the next open app.
   2. Command+Q closes your active app.
2. From the menu bar, go to  > Shut Down.
3. Confirm you want to shut down your Mac.
4. Wait at least 30 seconds before restarting it.

How do I close down apps and restart my PC?

1. Click the ‘X’ button on each app to close it.
2. Go to Start > Shut Down.
3. Confirm you want to shut down your PC.
4. Wait at least 30 seconds before restarting it.

3. Check for new software updates

A software bug is the most likely reason Apple Music or iTunes thinks a song is not available in your country or region. When you think this is the case, keep checking for new updates from Apple. The only permanent fix is a patch update that gets rid of the bug.

How do I update the software on my iPhone or iPad?

1. Connect your device to the Internet.
2. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
3. Download and install any new software updates.

How do I update the software on my Mac?

1. Connect your Mac to the Internet.
2. Go to  > System Preference > Software Update.
3. Download and install any new software updates.

How do I update iTunes on my PC?

1. Connect your PC to the Internet.
2. Open iTunes and go to Help > Check for Updates.
3. Or check for new updates in the Microsoft Store.
4. Download and install any new updates to iTunes.

If Apple hasn’t fixed your problem through a software update, you still might be able to resolve it using one of the other suggestions below.

4. Reset Warnings in Apple Music or iTunes and sync your device

Lots of users fixed this problem by resetting the dialogue warnings in Apple Music or iTunes and re-syncing their devices. This causes a few one-off alerts to appear, but all your music should be available again after the sync.

Don’t sync your device over Wi-Fi, make sure you use an official Apple cable instead. Third-party accessories are often missing crucial components, resulting in an incomplete sync.

How do I Reset Warnings in Apple Music or iTunes?

1. Open Apple Music or iTunes on your computer.
2. On a Mac: Go to [Music/iTunes] > Preferences > Advanced.
3. On a PC: Go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced.
4. Click ‘Reset Warnings’ then click ‘OK.’

How do I sync my device with Apple Music or iTunes?

1. Use an official Apple cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer.
2. Make sure your device is awake, unlocked, and on the Home screen.
3. On macOS Catalina or later: Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar, under Locations.
4. On macOS Mojave or earlier, or a PC: Open iTunes and select your device from the top-left of the window.
5. Click ‘Sync’ in the bottom-right and wait for it to complete.

5. Remove and re-add your music

If there are still songs in your Apple Music or iTunes library you can’t play, try removing them then adding them back to your library again. You can do this within Apple Music itself or by syncing your device to a computer.

Although it can be time consuming, we suggest you use a computer to remove all the music from your device. Even if some of it still works. This seems to have been the most effective solution based on other users’ experiences.

How do I remove and re-add music on my iPhone or iPad?

1. Use an official Apple cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer.
2. Make sure your device is awake, unlocked, and on the Home screen.
3. On macOS Catalina or later: Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar, under Locations.
4. On macOS Mojave or earlier, or a PC: Open iTunes and select your device from the top-left of the window.
5. Go to the Music tab and deselect ‘Sync Music.’ If necessary, turn off iCloud Music on your device by going to Settings > Music > Sync Library (or iCloud Music Library).
6. On your computer, click ‘Sync’ in the bottom-right and wait for it to complete.
7. Eject your device and return to Step 1. This time, turn on the ‘Sync Music’ box and choose the music you want to add to your device.

6. Sign out of iTunes, Apple Music, and iCloud

If you’re still getting messages that “This song is not currently available in your country or region,” we suggest you sign out of iTunes, Apple Music, and iCloud on your device. Doing this prompts your device to sync with Apple’s servers again when you sign back in.

After you sign out of iTunes, Apple Music, and iCloud you can’t access content on those services. But the data still exists on Apple’s servers. Everything should return after you sign in again, so there’s no need to download anything to your device first.

Still, you might want to make a fresh backup first. Just in case.

How do I sign out of Apple Music and iCloud on my iPhone or iPad?

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out.
2. Enter your Apple ID password and confirm you want to sign out.
3. Now go to Settings > Music.
4. Tap your Apple ID address and choose to sign out.
5. Wait one minute before signing back in again.

How do I sign out of Apple Music, iTunes, and iCloud on my Mac?

1. From the menu bar, go to  > System Preferences > Apple ID.
2. Click Sign Out and enter your Apple ID password.
3. On macOS Catalina or later: Open Apple Music.
4. One macOS Mojave or earlier: Open iTunes.
5. From the menu bar, go to Account > Sign Out.
6. Wait one minute before signing back in again.

How do I sign out of Apple Music, iTunes, and iCloud on my PC?

1. Open iTunes and go to Account > Sign Out.
2. If you use iCloud for Windows, open it and click Sign Out.
3. Wait one minute before signing back in again.

iPadOS and iOS 13 Beta users

If you’re running the beta version of iPadOS or iOS 13, you might need to restore the software on your device to fix this issue. The best way to do this is using an IPSW file from a computer.

Before you start, connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer to make a new backup in iTunes or Finder. It’s crucial you complete this step, backing up to iTunes or Finder instead of making an iCloud backup, otherwise you may lose some of your music.

What is an IPSW file?

This is the file format Apple uses for software updates. It’s short for ‘iPod Software,’ but IPSW files are also used for iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices as well. You can download IPSW files from iTunes or third-party websites across the net, like IPSW.me.

How do I use an IPSW file to restore my iPhone or iPad?

1. Use an official Apple cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer.
2. Make sure your device is awake, unlocked, and on the Home screen.
3. On macOS Catalina or later: Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar, under Locations.
4. On macOS Mojave or earlier, or a PC: Open iTunes and select your device from the top-left of the window.
5. Make a backup of your iPhone or iPad to your computer.
6. Download the latest IPSW file for your beta software from IPSW.me or another third-party source.
7. Open that file in iTunes or Finder and restore your iPhone or iPad with it.
8. After the restore is complete, recover the backup you made of your device.

Let us know in the comments if everything is working in sweet harmony now. Hopefully you aren’t still getting messages that “This song is not supported in your country or region” from iTunes or Apple Music. 

If so, how did you fix it?

Dan Helyer( Senior Writer )

Dan is a freelance writer based in South West England.

He spent two years supervising repairs as a Genius Admin for Apple Retail and uses that knowledge to keep our troubleshooting guides up to date.

Long before that, Dan turned to Apple products from a musical background. Having owned iPods for years, he bought a MacBook to learn sound recording and production. It was using those skills that he gained a first-class Bachelor of Science in Sound Technology.