Apple Music Format Not Supported? How to Fix?

"I am getting 'Cannot Open, This media format is not supported' error message when I try to listen to Apple Music with my WIFI network. It seems that I am not the only one experiencing this. Does anyone know how to fix this?"

On Apple Community, an Apple Music user reported this problem of Apple Music format not supported. And there are almost 300 people said "I have this question too". This might be caused by some troubles with Wi-Fi, the mobile phone getting stuck in system operation, or Apple Music tracks' formats are not supported by your device. But don't worry, now you can find solutions here.

Part 1. For the Reasons of Wi-Fi or Mobile Phone

As mentioned above, the reason why your iPhone is saying format is not supported varies. When there are weak Internet connection or some error with your Mobile phone, your Apple Music will fail to play. For this reason, you can try the possible solutions below to fix the Apple Music not supported problem.

Solution 1. Turn Airplane Mode on/off

Go to "Settings" and turn on and then turn off the Airplane Mode. By doing so, you can stop all services and drop resources used by your device’s network. Wait a few seconds, then you can turn on the Airplane mode again to activate all network services of your device, which can somehow help you fix the problem that Apple Music format not supported error.

Solution 2: Restart Your Device

Restart your iPhone and open your Apple Music app again. Play the songs to check whether your "Apple Music format nor supported" issue is fixed.

Solution 3. Reset WiFi Connection

If you are having this issue when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, turn off your Wi-Fi and router. Close the Apple Music app. Then reset network settings by going to "Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings". Then restart your Wi-Fi and router.

Solution 4. Update iOS

Go to "Settings > General > Software Update" and update your iOS device.

Solution 5. Force Reset Your iPhone or iPad.

To do this, press and hold the Sleep and the Home buttons at the same time until you see the Apple logo.

Part 2. For the Reasons of Apple Music Format

To know why the Apple Music format not compatible with your device, you need to know what the Apple Music format is. Apple Music is encoded in AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) format with 256kbps bitrate. And all Apple Music songs are the protected AAC files with .m4p file extension. Therefore, Apple Music songs might be incompatible with your devices. And it can be fixed as long as converting Apple Music songs to other formats.

A helpful tool is called TuneFab Apple Music Converter, which will help you legally remove DRM from Apple Music songs and convert them to MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, etc. All original data information and audio quality will be well preserved in converted files. The steps are really easy. So let's see how to finish a conversion below.

Step 1: Download and install TuneFab Apple Music Converter.

Step 2: Find the Apple Music that shows "The media format is not supported" message. You can directly search for the song in the built-in Apple Music web player. Then add the songs to the conversion list.

Step 3: Choose the output format as the most compatible MP3. Then click "Convert" to change Apple Music format to MP3.

Now the error of "Apple Music format not supported" will be fixed successfully. You just need to transfer the converted Apple Music songs to your devices and enjoy them freely.

Part 3: More Reading: What File Formats Does Apple Music Accept?

Apple Music accepts the following file formats:

1. AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)

• File Extension: .m4a
• Details: A preferred format for Apple Music, which offers high-quality audio at small file sizes.

2. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3)

• File Extension: .mp3
• Details: A widely-used format that provides perfect compatibility across various devices and platforms.

3. ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec)

• File Extension: .m4a
• Details: A format provides lossless audio compression.

4. WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)

• File Extension: .wav
• Details: An uncompressed audio format with a large size that provides high-quality sound.

5. AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)

• File Extension: .aiff or .aif
• Details: Another uncompressed audio format similar to WAV, often used in professional audio environments.

6. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

• File Extension: .flac
• Details: It is a lossless compression format, ensuring no quality loss while keeping file sizes smaller than uncompressed formats.