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Importing from the Music App

The Music App source imports the songs you own from Apple’s Music app. iTunes Store purchases and downloaded iTunes Match tracks copy straight into your BitDek library, on your device, with no computer involved.

You’ll find it in the Import Music screen’s Music Sources section, above your bookmarked source folders.

What You Can Import

Section titled “What You Can Import”

BitDek imports the songs you own:

  • iTunes Store purchases downloaded to your device
  • iTunes Match tracks downloaded to your device

Apple Music subscription songs are protected, so they stay in the Music app. BitDek works with the music you own.

What Happens to Your Files

Section titled “What Happens to Your Files”

Nearly everything comes across untouched:

  • Lossless files stay lossless. They copy with no re-encoding.
  • AAC tracks copy over exactly as they are. iTunes purchases and iTunes Match downloads transfer unchanged.
  • MP3s convert to AAC on the way in. The Import Summary notes each converted track.

Before You Start

Section titled “Before You Start”

Two things to know:

  1. Tracks must be downloaded. Songs still in iCloud can’t be imported until you download them in the Music app. The picker shows you which tracks are ready.
  2. BitDek needs Music access. iOS asks for permission the first time you use this source. If you decline and change your mind later, allow access in the Settings app under BitDek.

Step by Step

Section titled “Step by Step”
  1. Open BitDek and go to the Import Music screen
  2. In the Music Sources section, tap the import button on the Music App row
  3. The Select Music picker opens, listing your library by artist
  4. Expand artists and albums to reach individual tracks
  5. Check the artists, albums, or tracks you want. Select All grabs everything
  6. Tap Import and confirm

How Selection Works

Section titled “How Selection Works”

Checkboxes work at every level. Check an artist to take everything of theirs, check an album to take all its tracks, or check individual tracks. A dash instead of a checkmark means a partial selection: some tracks inside are checked, some are not.

Tracks Still in iCloud

Section titled “Tracks Still in iCloud”

Songs in your Music library that aren’t downloaded show greyed out with a cloud icon, and they can’t be selected. Tap one and BitDek explains why, with an Open Music button that jumps straight to the Music app.

Albums and artists with some tracks still in the cloud show a dashed cloud icon and a dash instead of a full checkmark. A checkmark always means the complete set will import.

The picker keeps up on its own. Download a track in the Music app, return to BitDek, and it flips from cloud to selectable. No need to close and reopen the picker.

The Import Process

Section titled “The Import Process”

After you confirm, a single progress bar tracks two phases:

  1. Preparing - BitDek exports your selections from the Music app
  2. Importing - BitDek adds them to your library and organizes albums and artists

Results appear in the Import Summary section, the same as every other import method: tracks processed, albums created, skipped files, and data quality notes for any MP3s converted to AAC.

Duplicates and Album Versions

Section titled “Duplicates and Album Versions”

BitDek recognizes what you already have:

  • Tracks you already imported from the Music app skip instantly, with an “Already in your library” note in Skipped Files
  • A different edition or format of an album you own becomes a version inside the album group, not a duplicate
  • True duplicates are skipped. Same album, same format, same edition gets skipped even when the copy arrives from a different source, like an iTunes Match copy of an album you originally imported from a folder

Free Version Limit

Section titled “Free Version Limit”

The free version of BitDek holds 30 tracks. Select more than your remaining room and BitDek offers a partial import: bring in what fits, or unlock the full version. Either way, tracks already in your library are skipped first.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

The Picker Is Empty

Section titled “The Picker Is Empty”

“No owned, downloaded songs were found in your Music library” means exactly that. Two common reasons:

  • Your purchases live in iCloud and aren’t downloaded to this device. Open the Music app and download them.
  • Your Music library contains only Apple Music subscription content, which can’t be imported.

BitDek Can’t See Your Music

Section titled “BitDek Can’t See Your Music”

If you see “Allow Music access in Settings to import,” permission to read your Music library was declined. Open Settings, find BitDek, and allow access to Media & Apple Music.

A Track Won’t Select

Section titled “A Track Won’t Select”

Greyed out with a cloud icon means the track isn’t downloaded. Tap it, use Open Music to download it, then come back. The picker updates on its own.

A Track Imported as AAC

Section titled “A Track Imported as AAC”

It was an MP3 in your Music library. MP3s convert to AAC during import, and each one is noted in the Import Summary’s data quality section. Every other format comes across untouched.

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