App comparison
Most "iPhone backup apps"
don't back up Apple Music.
Search "Apple Music backup app" and most results either transfer your library to another streaming service, or back up your phone's photos and contacts. Neither saves your Apple Music library. Here's what each tool actually does.
Three categories, all called "backup."
The reason "Apple Music backup app" returns such a confused mix of results is that the word "backup" gets used for three very different things:
Apple Music backup
Snapshot your Apple Music library — songs, playlists, music videos, artwork — and bring it back later if anything disappears. Hezel is the iPhone-native option in this category.
Cross-service transfer
Move your library between streaming services (Apple Music ↔ Spotify, Tidal, YouTube Music). SongShift, Soundiiz, Tune My Music. Useful if you're switching services; not a backup.
Device or file backup
Back up your iPhone or Mac as a whole — photos, contacts, app data, owned audio files. iMazing, Time Machine, iCloud iPhone backup. Doesn't capture your Apple Music library.
If you only want to keep your Apple Music library safe — through subscription lapses, accidental deletions, or Apple Account changes — you need the first one. The other two solve different problems and aren't substitutes.
Six tools. Three questions.
The three questions that actually matter for an Apple Music backup decision: does it back up your library at all, where does the backup live, and does it survive if you cancel Apple Music?
| Tool | Backs up Apple Music library | Where backups live | Survives subscription lapse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hezel iPhone, dedicated |
Yes — full library Songs, playlists, music videos, and artwork. |
On-device, encrypted by iOS. Optional iCloud sync. | Yes — the backup is independent of the subscription. A restore needs an active subscription to stream the songs back. |
| SongShift iPhone, transfer |
No — transfers to another streaming service. | Temporary — on SongShift's servers during the transfer. | N/A — designed for one-shot moves, not ongoing protection. |
| Tune My Music & Soundiiz Web, transfer |
No — same as SongShift, cross-service transfer. | Their cloud, during the transfer. | N/A. |
| iMazing Mac/PC, device backup |
Partial — captures iTunes purchases and owned files. Not your Apple Music library. | On your computer. | Owned music yes. Apple Music library: no. |
| Time Machine Mac, file backup |
No — backs up Mac files; Apple Music's library isn't a file. | External drive. | Owned files yes. Apple Music library: no. |
| iCloud Music Library Apple, sync |
No — it's a sync, not a backup. Deletions copy across to every device. | On Apple's side. | No — wiped along with the subscription. |
What each one actually does.
Match — Apple Music backup
Hezel for Apple Music
iPhone-only. Built for Apple Music backup. Reads your library through Apple's official tools and stores a copy of it locally on the device. Captures songs, playlists, music videos, and artwork.
Backups can be browsed, restored when something disappears (Hezel works out what's missing and offers to put it back), or transferred via AirDrop or CSV export with Hezel Ultra. The free tier covers manual backup and restore; Ultra adds automatic background backups, CSV exports, smart storage limits, and bookmarked snapshots — see Hezel Ultra for current pricing.
Best for: protecting your Apple Music library against cancellation, account changes, sync glitches, accidental deletions, or iOS update issues.
Different category — cross-service transfer
SongShift
iPhone app for moving libraries between streaming services. Transfers playlists, songs, and albums from Apple Music to Spotify, Tidal, YouTube Music, or vice versa. Each transfer runs once through SongShift's cloud and writes the result to the destination service.
It doesn't keep a copy of your library, doesn't version it over time, and doesn't help if your Apple Music account is the one going sideways. (For taking your library to a new Apple Account without leaving Apple Music, see the Apple Account transfer guide.)
Best for: a one-time move from Apple Music to another service, not for backup or recovery within Apple Music.
Different category — cross-service transfer
Tune My Music & Soundiiz
Web-based versions of the same idea: copy playlists between streaming services. Both have free tiers (with limits) and paid tiers. Both run transfers through their own cloud.
Same shape as SongShift for backup purposes — built for migrating away from a service, not preserving a library within it.
Best for: moving your library when you decide to leave Apple Music for another service.
Partial — owned music only
iMazing
Mac and PC software for managing iPhone content without iTunes. Backs up messages, photos, app data, contacts, and locally-stored music files. Reasonably popular as an iTunes alternative for owned music libraries.
The catch: iMazing backs up files. Your Apple Music library isn't a file — it's a list of song references that lives on Apple's side. iMazing captures iTunes purchases and ripped CDs; it can't capture playlists or song references built from Apple Music's catalog.
Best for: backing up purchased iTunes content, ripped CDs, and other owned audio. Not a substitute for an Apple Music–specific backup.
Different category — file backup
Time Machine
Apple's built-in file-backup tool for Mac. Backs up the entire filesystem to an external drive, including the Music app's local library file. Survives Mac issues; restores work as expected for owned files.
But: Apple Music's library lives on Apple's side, not as a file Time Machine can capture. The local .itl file Music maintains contains a small subset of information, not your full library. Restoring an old Time Machine backup brings back ripped CDs and iTunes purchases, not Apple Music.
Best for: Mac-wide backup including purchased iTunes content. Not a tool for the Apple Music library.
Different category — sync service
iCloud Music Library (Sync Library)
Apple's built-in feature that keeps your library consistent across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the Apple Music web app. When it's on, additions on one device show up on every device.
The mismatch: it's two-way sync, not one-way backup. Delete a playlist on one device and the deletion copies to every device within seconds. There's no version history, no rollback, and no recovery if your subscription lapses or your account is wiped — the library lives on Apple's side, and that's where its life starts and ends. (More on that in what happens when Apple Music is canceled.)
Best for: the function it's actually designed for — keeping your library in sync across your devices. Not a backup. Don't treat it as one.
Things you might be wondering.
What's the best Apple Music backup app for iPhone?
Doesn't iCloud Music Library back up my Apple Music?
Will iMazing or Time Machine back up my Apple Music library?
Are SongShift and Soundiiz Apple Music backup apps?
Why does Apple Music need its own dedicated backup tool?
Is Hezel free? What does the paid tier add?
Right tool. Five seconds.
If you're here because you want to actually back up your Apple Music library — not transfer it elsewhere, not save photos and contacts — Hezel is the answer. The free tier does the job for most people. (If your library has already disappeared, start with the library disappeared guide first.)
Hezel for Apple Music
The dedicated Apple Music backup app. Free to download. iPhone only.
Last verified against iOS and macOS 26.4 in April 2026.
Read next What happens to your library when Apple Music is canceled →