It has been just over a month since Apple's last round of expansion for its iTunes Match service, but it appears that the company may be preparing to add Japan to the mix.
As noted by Mac Otakara, the "iTunes in the Cloud" music component has gone live in Japan, with the "Purchased" tab within the desktop iTunes Store and the iOS music application now allowing users to access their previously-purchased iTunes Store music. The iTunes in the Cloud service has until now been limited to apps and books in Japan.
Apple's iTunes Match service that allows users to match or upload their entire libraries of music acquired from any source to Apple's iCloud is a step further than the music re-download service just now rolling out. There are, however, currently no other countries in which Apple offers iTunes in the Cloud music capabilities without also offering iTunes Match. iTunes Match is currently available in 37 countries, and if iTunes in the Cloud music downloads are now appearing in Japan it seems that iTunes Match may not be far behind there.
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
I think iTunes match is a joke. Doesn't do album covers perfectly, currently replaces explicit tracks with clean tracks...and with data caps, even less useful.
I'm as big an Apple fan as it gets, and unfortunately I have to agree with you.
I love iTunes Match for both what it is, and what its supposed to be, but Apple has done a terrible job of implementing it.
The fact that they're continuously rolling it out to new markets without fixing the problems it has, fills me with dread for their current leadership.
I don't want to get into the "if steve were here" nonsense.....but I don't understand how Apple, a company with such high standards, can be happy with iTunes Match as it is, and continue deployment without addressing very serious problems.
1. Album Artwork.
2. Explicit/Clean confusion (which is akin to data loss)
3. Inexplicable Matching errors, where certain Matchable tracks are uploaded instead.
4. Lack of support for AudioBooks.
Sure hope iTunes Match launches better over in Japan because the iTunes Match in the US is still buggy, matching explicit with clean lyrics never mind the disaster it leaves your iTunes library looking like.
I'm as big an Apple fan as it gets, and unfortunately I have to agree with you.
I love iTunes Match for both what it is, and what its supposed to be, but Apple has done a terrible job of implementing it.
The fact that they're continuously rolling it out to new markets without fixing the problems it has, fills me with dread for their current leadership.
I don't want to get into the "if steve were here" nonsense.....but I don't understand how Apple, a company with such high standards, can be happy with iTunes Match as it is, and continue deployment without addressing very serious problems.
1. Album Artwork.
2. Explicit/Clean confusion (which is akin to data loss)
3. Inexplicable Matching errors, where certain Matchable tracks are uploaded instead.
4. Lack of support for AudioBooks.
Agree strongly with 1 & 2. I hope they have a remedy for this. All my Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg is censored now!
I think iTunes match is a joke. Doesn't do album covers perfectly, currently replaces explicit tracks with clean tracks...and with data caps, even less useful.
