Apple Music Browse Feature Not Working? (Do These Things)

Browse appears in the Apple Music app menu bar if you subscribe to any plan (except for the Apple Music Voice plan). It showcases the best music recommendations from music experts.

As great as the feature is, many subscribers often see that the Apple Music Browse is not working properly. If you’re dealing with the same issue, do these things.

Check your internet connection and Apple’s servers

If Apple Music fails to display anything on the screen when you click Browse or Listen Now, the first thing to do is check your Wi-Fi network and an internet connection.

Whether you’re using cellular data or a Wi-Fi network, make sure your device is connected to the internet and is working properly. Try connecting to a different network and try again.

If your network and internet are working properly, the next thing you should do is to check whether Apple’s servers are working or not by visiting the System Status page.

If one or more of Apple Music’s systems are offline, you won’t be able to use the service, and the Apple Music Browse feature will not work until the systems are online.

Firewall and Domain Name System (DNS) issue

The “Unable to Browse” error on Apple Music can be caused by a few different things, but generally, it shows up when there is a firewall or Domain Name System (DNS) issue.

First, it’s best to perform simple actions, such as removing then re-adding Apple Music, trying a different device (computer or mobile phone), and trying a different music service.

If the issue only occurs on one device, then check the device for any VPNs or security apps or any special DNS settings on the device that may cause address lookup failures.

For example, a friend of mine had a similar problem on his work computer because his workplace had just installed corporate management software on his computer.

After the software installation, it disabled Apple Music by default, thus the Browse feature didn’t work. He asked if they could lift the restriction, and they did and everything’s working again.

If the issue occurs across multiple devices, but only for Apple Music, then I’d recommend submitting a diagnostics and reaching out to Apple’s support team for further assistance.

They have the tools available to troubleshoot this issue for you. So, if you’re dealing with the Apple Music search and browse not working problem, don’t hesitate to contact them.

Resubscribe to Apple Music 

There was a time when the Browse Categories section on Apple Music wasn’t working for me. It looks unresponsive and doesn’t show anything. It looks like this:

At first, I thought it was a region-related issue because I tried using the beta web player and changed my region to the United States and it worked.

However, when I changed it back to another region it stopped loading. So, I contacted Apple Support for additional help and after many hours of troubleshooting, we found a fix.

I asked them to cancel my subscription, then I opened the Apple Music app, and all of a sudden it started showing me the Browse Categories. And then I just resubscribed and it works just fine.

Again, if you’re dealing with the Apple Music Browse not working problem, don’t hesitate to work together with Apple’s support team because they’ve been helpful to a lot of people.

Make sure Apple Music has no restrictions

Whenever Apple Music Browse is not working and not displaying content, chances are your device has set restrictions upon the Apple Music app. You’ll need to disable restrictions.

On an iOS device, open the Settings app. Navigate to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. Make sure the switch next to Content & Privacy Restrictions is turned off.

On a Mac computer, open System Settings and select Screen Time. Turn on Screen Time from the top. After that, click Content & Privacy. Now, click Store Restrictions.

You can set the restrictions on the next screen. Make sure the switch next to Allow Explicit Music, Podcasts, and News is turned on, and then click Done.

On an older version of Mac, open Apple Music. Select Preferences (on the menu bar under Music) and select the Restrictions tab. Make sure Apple Music isn’t checked.

More specifically, you want to uncheck the box beside Music with explicit content (next to Restrict). Once you’re done with the settings, select OK to save your changes.

When Apple Music has restrictions in place, explicit songs and albums are blocked from the app. This means that the Browse function won’t display the content it should.

Reauthorize your computer

When all else fails, you can try signing out of Apple Music, and then signing back in. Also, if you use Apple Music on your Mac computer, you can re-authorize your computer.

Open Apple Music. In the menu bar, choose Account and make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID. Navigate to Account > Authorizations, then choose Deauthorize This Computer.

To authorize your computer, choose Account and make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID. Navigate to Account > Authorizations, then choose Authorize This Computer.

Once you’ve reauthorized your computer, you should be able to restore the Apple Music Browse function on your device. It is a simple fix that shouldn’t take much of your time.

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