Apple acknowledges iTunes music deletion bug, promises fix

An issue involving Apple's iTunes app deleting music stored on a user's computer has officially been acknowledged by the company after weeks of isolated reports from users.

Apple isn't sure what the cause of the iTunes bug is, as it hasn't been able to reproduce the problem, but in a statement to iMore the company acknowledged the bug and promised a fix next week.

"In an extremely small number of cases users have reported that music files saved on their computer were removed without their permission. We're taking these reports seriously as we know how important music is to our customers and our teams are focused on identifying the cause," Apple said in a statement to the site.

"We have not been able to reproduce this issue, however, we're releasing an update to iTunes early next week which includes additional safeguards. If a user experiences this issue they should contact AppleCare."

We have not been able to reproduce this issue, however, we're releasing an update to iTunes early next week

Although some users have posted isolated reports of such a bug, the problem gained major attention earlier this month after a detailed account of the issue was posted by an Atlanta-based user.

"Although several people had described problems similar to mine, they were all dismissed by condescending 'gurus' who simply said that we had mislocated our files," wrote the user. "When I signed up for Apple Music, iTunes evaluated my massive collection of MP3s and WAV files, scanned Apple’s database for what it considered matches, then removed the original files from my internal hard drive. REMOVED them. Deleted."

This is just the latest in series of complaints plaguing Apple Music since its debut last year. Many users, including some high profile ones, have reported difficulty navigating Apple Music's somewhat complicated system. 

However, in addition to the reported upcoming iTunes bug fix, Apple is rumored to be prepping a major overhaul of Apple Music during its WWDC conference in June. 

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