Apple Music rolls out rival-service transfer tool via SongShift

Apple Music has rolled out a new tool that lets users import songs, albums and playlists from rival streaming services, the company said, expanding a beta test launched in Australia and New Zealand in May. The feature is now available on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France, Brazil and Germany, and appears in Music settings under an option labeled Transfer Music from Other Music Services.

Apple said users can sign into another service from that menu, choose which items to import and add them to their Apple Music library. The company cautioned that what can be transferred varies by service and that some tracks may not have exact matches in Apple Music’s catalogue. Apple’s support pages offer step by step instructions and an alternate web-based transfer flow. The transfer capability is provided through a third party, SongShift, which Apple says helps match and move content between services.

The feature supports transfers from several major services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal and YouTube Music, according to documentation and user guidance. Users must have an Apple Music subscription, the latest version...