Purchased iTunes music plays on iMac but is unavailable on new iPhone (region error?)
Purchased iTunes music plays on iMac but is unavailable on new iPhone (region error?)
Hello everyone,
I hope someone here recognizes this issue or has found a solution, because Apple Support has unfortunately been unable to help me so far.
I have been an Apple user for over 40 years and have purchased music legally through iTunes for many years. I live in Norway and for the past ~19 years all purchases have been made using my Norwegian Apple ID, billed in NOK, through the Norwegian iTunes Store. I do not have an Apple Music subscription — all music was purchased outright.
The problem
After upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro Max to an iPhone 17 Pro Max, approximately 75% of my purchased music became unavailable on the new device.
• The tracks appear greyed out in my playlists on the iPhone
• When I try to play or re-download them, I get a message saying the item is not available in my region
• My Apple ID region is correctly set to Norway
• The same songs are still available for purchase in the Norwegian iTunes Store
• Important: all of this purchased music plays without any issue on my iMac using the same Apple ID
• The problem only occurs when the music is synced or accessed on the iPhone
This affects music that was purchased recently (this year) as well as older purchases. All the music bought after I got my new iPhone 17 plays without any issues. My iPhone is at the current iOS 26.2
What I have already checked / tried
• Verified Apple ID region (Norway)
• Logged out and back in to Media & Purchases
• Toggled “Sync Library” off and on
• Confirmed purchases appear in my purchase history
• No Apple Music subscription involved
• Multiple calls with Apple Support
Apple Support experience
Apple Support suggested that the issue might be related to not having an Apple Music subscription, and stated that there is no solution.
When I asked for escalation to iTunes / Media Services, I was told this was not possible and no further contact options were available. The call was then ended.
My questions to the community
• Has anyone experienced purchased iTunes music working on a Mac but not on an iPhone?
• Could this be a corrupted entitlement or DRM authorization issue specific to iOS?
• Is there any way to force a re-authorization or refresh of purchased media rights for an iPhone?
• Has anyone successfully resolved this without deleting all data or losing content?
Any insight, shared experience, or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.
Best regards,
Ewout
Norway
