My Music Library Looks Empty in Stezza

Troubleshooting steps when your music library shows as empty or incomplete in Stezza.

Stezza reads directly from your iOS device’s Music library, the same library the built-in Music app uses. If Stezza looks empty, the problem is almost always with the library itself, not with Stezza. Work through this list.

1. Check the Music app first

Open the built-in Music app and look at your library there.

• Music app is also empty? The issue is upstream, nothing has been synced or added to the library yet. See the sync guides for Mac or Windows.
• Music app has your songs but Stezza doesn’t? Continue below.

2. Grant Stezza access to your music library

If you tapped “Don’t Allow” when Stezza first asked for library access, it has nothing to read.

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music → Stezza and make sure it’s on.

Then force-quit Stezza and reopen it.

3. Check Sync Library (Apple Music / iTunes Match users)

If your music lives in Apple Music or iTunes Match, you need Sync Library enabled on the device.

Settings → Apps → Music → Sync Library, make sure it’s on.

After turning it on, wait a few minutes for the library to populate. Large libraries can take 15+ minutes.

4. Make sure you’re signed into the right Apple ID

Apple Music and iTunes Match libraries are tied to a specific Apple ID. If the device is signed into a different Apple ID than the one that owns your music, your library won’t appear.

Settings → [your name] at the top shows the Apple ID in use. For Music specifically, check Settings → Apps → Music → Account.

5. Restart Stezza

Sometimes Stezza’s view of the library gets out of sync after a large change (just enabled Sync Library, just completed a cable sync, etc.).

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and swipe Stezza away. Then reopen it.

6. Restart the device

If everything above checks out and the library is still empty, a full device restart clears any lingering state in the Music framework. Press and hold the power button (and a volume button on Face ID devices) to power off, then turn it back on.

7. Check for a cable-sync in progress

If you’re mid-sync from a Mac or PC, the device’s library can be in a transitional state. Let the sync finish completely. The sync indicator at the top of Finder or the Apple Music / iTunes window tells you when it’s done.

Using Stezza on a Mac?

Stezza for Mac reads the library of the Music app on the same Mac. The steps above are for iPhone and iPad. On a Mac, check these instead.

1. Open the Music app. If its library is empty, Stezza is empty too. See How to Add Music to Stezza on Your Mac to import files, turn on Sync Library, or download past purchases.
2. Give Stezza access. Choose Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music and turn on the switch next to Stezza. Then quit Stezza and open it again.
3. Check Sync Library. In the Music app choose Music → Settings → General and make sure Sync Library is ticked. Wait a few minutes for a large library.
4. Check the Apple Account. In the Music app choose Account and confirm it is the account that owns your music.
5. Quit and reopen Stezza. Stezza for Mac does not watch the library live. An empty library reloads when you switch back to Stezza. A library that already has songs refreshes on a pull-down on the home screen or on relaunch.

Still empty?

If none of the above helped, get in touch with:

• Your iOS version (Settings → General → About → iOS Version), or your macOS version (Apple menu → About This Mac)
• Whether you use Apple Music, iTunes Match, or neither
• How your music got onto the device (cable sync, Sync Library, File Sharing, etc.)
• Whether the built-in Music app shows the same problem

That’s usually enough for us to figure out what’s going on.

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