How to download your Apple Music play history

What is Apple Music's play history?

When you ask Apple for a copy of your data, the Apple Media Services information category includes a folder called Apple Music Activity. The most useful file in it is Apple Music Play Activity.csv, a spreadsheet with one row for each time a song started or stopped. It records the song, the album, when you played it, how many milliseconds you listened, how the song ended (finished, skipped, paused) and which device you used.

Next to it is Apple Music - Play History Daily Tracks.csv, a daily summary of the same listening. depth.fm uses it to fill in missing artists, or on its own if the play activity file isn't there.

How do I request it?

1. Open Apple's Data and Privacy page

   Go to privacy.apple.com in a web browser and sign in with the Apple Account you use for Apple Music.

   

   

2. Choose Request a copy of your data

   It's under Get a copy of your data.

   

3. Tick Apple Media Services information

   This category holds your Apple Music history. You can leave everything else unticked, which keeps the download small.

   

4. Pick a file size and complete the request

   Apple asks how big each file should be. Choose the largest size offered so the export arrives in as few zips as possible, then press Complete request.

   

5. Wait for Apple's email

   Apple says preparing your data can take up to 7 days. When it's ready, you get an email and the files appear on the Data and Privacy page. They stay available for 14 days.

   

6. Download the zip and upload it here

   Download Apple Media Services information. Don't unzip it; upload the whole zip to depth.fm. The music history is inside another zip within it, and depth.fm opens that for you.

   

   

What's inside the zip?

The download is usually called Apple Media Services information.zip, or Apple Media Services information Part 1 of 2.zip if Apple split it. Inside is another zip, Apple_Media_Services.zip, and inside that:

• Apple_Media_Services/Apple Music Activity/Apple Music Play Activity.csv: every play, the file depth.fm mainly reads.
• Apple_Media_Services/Apple Music Activity/Apple Music - Play History Daily Tracks.csv: a day-by-day summary.
• Apple Music Library Tracks.json and other files about your library, likes and playlists.
• Folders for the App Store, Apple Books and other Apple services, which depth.fm ignores.

Apple has renamed columns over the years (for example "Content Name" became "Song Name"). depth.fm reads both old and new versions.

How long does it take?

Apple's stated maximum is 7 days. Many requests are ready sooner, but there's no way to speed it up.

Troubleshooting

Apple sent me several zips

Apple splits large exports into parts, named like "Part 1 of 3". Only one of them has your music history: the one that contains Apple_Media_Services.zip or a folder called Apple Music Activity. Upload that one. If you're not sure, upload them one at a time; depth.fm will tell you when a part has no Apple Music data in it.

I can't find Apple Music Play Activity.csv

It's inside Apple_Media_Services.zip, which is inside the zip you downloaded, so you won't see it straight away. You don't need to find it: upload the download and depth.fm looks inside. If depth.fm says it only found the daily summary, your export didn't include the play activity file. You can still use it, with times rounded to the hour.

depth.fm says nothing was found inside the zip

Unzip the download once and upload Apple_Media_Services.zip on its own. If that doesn't work either, check that you ticked Apple Media Services information when you made the request.

The download link expired

Apple keeps the files for 14 days. Request the data again from privacy.apple.com; you'll have to wait for a new email.

The upload says the file is too large

The limit is 99 MB. If you ticked other categories such as iCloud Photos, the zip can be far bigger. Request again with only Apple Media Services information ticked.