Apple Music Users Report Seeing Other People's Playlists in Their Libraries

Apple Music appears to be sparking serious privacy concerns for some users, with multiple complaints on Reddit about other people's playlists randomly appearing in their music libraries in the Music app.

music strange playlists 2
Redditor adh1003, who contacted MacRumors about the issue, has compiled several reports from users complaining about the appearance of strange playlists in the app that they do not recognize. MacRumors has since found other posts on Reddit from users reporting the same behavior.

In some cases, unknown playlists have been merged with users' existing playlists. In other cases, users' playlists have gone missing or been replaced by unrecognized ones.

Some users have expressed concerns that their Apple accounts have been hacked, but the more likely cause of the issue is an unspecified problem with Apple's iCloud server. Unsyncing and then re-syncing iCloud for the Music app (Settings -> Apple ID -> iCloud -> Show All) has worked for a handful of users, but not all.

Based on reports, the appearance of unrecognized playlists is only occurring in the Music app for iPhone, with the Music app for macOS remaining unaffected. User reports regarding the issue date back to mid February, suggesting the problem could be related to the release of iOS 16.3.1, which included a bug fix for iCloud settings.

Some users have contacted Apple support to resolve the issue but none have reported success. We've contacted Apple about the problem and will update this article if we learn more.

The issue is reminiscent of another iCloud bug that occurred last year in which some users reported videos and images from strangers appearing in their Photos library.

Popular Stories

iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
Cyber Week Deals 2025

Best Cyber Week Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Big Plans for iPad Mini 8

Friday November 28, 2025 8:39 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPad mini 8. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The next-generation version of the iPad mini is expected to feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple...

Top Rated Comments

Burger Thing Avatar
35 months ago
As long as i don’t see a playlist with U2, I am cool with it…
Score: 95 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
35 months ago
At Apple, our top priority is your privacy and security...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chester Stone Avatar
35 months ago
I wonder if this has to do with older devices being reset and sold, without completely erasing device linkage to the original owner's iCloud account. (just a theory)

This hasn't exactly happened to me in Music, but I've seen it happen where even after erasing an old device, the new user can see certain remnants even after restarting, such getting a 2FA notice, a random notification/password request, or having access to an iCloud Shared Photo Album until linking/creating anew. It's clear that a factory reset doesn't completely nuke the device of all traces of old account, with some pointers still server-side. (i.e. the device is reset, but it's still linked to an iCloud account from the user's iCloud page, or server-side device list.)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
35 months ago
This could be a fun way to get exposed to new music. (I know it's a bug but it seems like it's relatively harmless).

On a bug note. I have not seen this but there have been a few times I have not received pictures people send through iMessage.

Although, if we're talking about iCloud bugs, one time a few years ago my spouse sent me a picture of something through iMessage and I ended up with a random photo of someone’s child. I tried to figure why she sent me a random photo of a random child but quickly realized it was an iMessage/iCloud error. Bits crossed in the sending. Someone else likely received the image she sent — a picture of something at a store. That was the most random iCloud-related bug I've ever seen. It's mostly just funny because it was harmless (cute child playing and I quickly deleted the image) but it could have been a major issue if the crossed images had been more sensitive or private.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ApplesAreSweet&Sour Avatar
35 months ago
Nothing strange happening in my Music library. And it is all synced to iCloud.

Well, plenty of odd playlists and strange albums. But I’m to blame for all of it.



Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bryan Bowler Avatar
35 months ago
I have been dealing with strange syncing issues for about a month now and it’s driving me crazy. I have not noticed it in Apple Music yet, but no matter how many times I change notification settings in Find My and Weather, weird synching issues keep changing things back.

It’s become a major annoyance because I get anywhere from 40-60 Watch notifications a day that I left an Item behind and I cannot stop the notifications from happening.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)