Are you getting either the “unsupported URL” or the “The requested URL is not found on this server” message on the Apple Music app? Many people get them often.
Some people are going to recommend you to reboot your phone or offload the app, but I’d consider them only a temporary fix and within 24 hours, you’ll get the same error.
Since I’m not here to waste your time, here’s what you should do if you’re getting the Apple Music URL not found or not supported error. I’ve tested these fixes myself and they work.
What to do if the Apple Music URL is not supported
Many people are seeing the “unsupported URL” message on Apple Music. Once someone gets this error, it won’t be continuous but it will continue to happen randomly.
The error can happen immediately at the beginning of the song, or it can happen randomly in the middle of a song, or the song will not engage, be silent and then you’ll get the error.
And the most curious part is that this error happens only on certain songs and artists. Have you experienced this issue too? The error should look something like this:
If you’re getting the “unsupported URL” message on Apple Music, that particular song was changed by the artist on Apple Music, which means the old URL is no longer valid.
The solution is to just download that particular song and then remove the download. The song will remain in your library and Apple Music should update it to the correct version.
Another thing you can do is to search for the song. If you find the same song but it’s not in your library, add it to your library and delete the duplicate version that doesn’t play.
If a different version of the song is not available, you can simply delete the song from your library and then re-adding the song to your library. This should solve the issue.
However, Apple Music is quite confusing because there are two options between “Remove Download” and “Delete from Library” so take the time to learn about the difference.
To sum it up, the “unsupported URL” error has something to do with the song changing on Apple Music, which means that the old version of the song is no longer available.
It’s annoying that a song on Apple Music is changed and instead of replacing the duplicate, a new file is created and the only way to find out is for the old version to display an URL error.
But hey, at least there’s a solution.
What to do if the Apple Music URL is not found
Many people are also seeing Apple Music randomly skipping songs halfway through and showing the “The requested URL is not found on this server” message on Apple Music.
In fact, this problem happens on either downloaded songs as well as ones that are using Wi-Fi or cellular data streaming. The error should look something like this:
If you’re getting the “The requested URL is not found on this server” message on Apple Music, it’s because you’re streaming Lossless Audio quality, which is patchy at best.
The only workaround so far is to disable Lossless Audio and switch the audio quality from “Lossless” to “High Quality” for cellular streaming, Wi-Fi streaming, and downloads.
To disable Lossless Audio, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, scroll down and tap on Music. Tap on Audio Quality, then make sure the Lossless Audio toggle is off.
You also need to choose the audio quality for streaming and downloading audio. Select “High Quality” for cellular streaming, Wi-Fi streaming, and downloads.
Once you’ve done this, the URL not found problem is solved, so you won’t encounter the “The requested URL is not found on this server” message on Apple Music anymore.
Apple Music and Lossless Audio is not working (yet)
If you’re dealing with playback issues on Apple Music, disable “Lossless” and switch to “High Quality” instead. For the moment, this is the only workaround that consistently works.
Lossless compression is a form of compression that preserves all of the original data. It’s basically higher-resolution audio that consumes significantly more data.
Most cellular, and even Wi-Fi bandwidth, may not be enough to support lossless audio properly at this time. There are some bugs that Apple needs to iron out right now.
However, I’m expecting more to come from Apple on this (see UWB).
For audiophiles and sound professionals with big systems and expensive earphones who can distinguish between the different audio qualities, Lossless might be a big deal.
I feel sorry for them. Apple is basically selling a “premium” music streaming service that only works consistently when one of the “premium” features is disabled.
But if you’re just a casual listener listening to Apple Music via AirPods, you don’t need Lossless audio. Bluetooth connections aren’t lossless anyway, so there’s no point turning it on.
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