FAQs
What does Unplayed do?##
Unplayed is a listening list. When you hear about a release you want to play but have no time for right now, you save it here instead of forgetting it. Saved releases sit in your Library. Once you have listened, you mark a release Played and it moves to a separate list. Save, listen, mark played — that loop is the whole app.
Does Unplayed play music?##
No. Unplayed streams nothing itself. Tapping a release opens it in the app that does play it: Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, and so on. Unplayed is the note you leave yourself, not the record player.
Which music services are supported?##
You can add releases from Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, YouTube Music, and Douban. You can also add anything by hand, including music that is on no streaming service at all.
What are the limits of the free version?##
The free version holds 10 releases in total. That total counts both lists together — your Library and your Played list. Marking a release Played does not free up a slot, because the release is still saved.
At 10 you cannot add more until you upgrade to Pro or delete something. Reaching the limit never deletes or hides anything you have already saved.
What does Pro unlock?##
- An unlimited number of releases
- iCloud sync across your devices
- The Queue and Spotlight home screen widgets
- Open In, which sends a release to your preferred streaming service rather than the app it came from
Animated cover artwork, every way of adding a release — including the Add Music widget and the share sheet — and colour theming are all free.
I bought Pro. How do I get it back on a new phone?##
Sign in with the same Apple Account you bought it with, then open Unplayed’s Settings and tap Restore. A purchase belongs to your Apple Account, not to a device.
Do I need to create an account?##
No. Unplayed has no accounts, no sign-up, and no password. Your data lives on your device, and — with Pro and sync turned on — in your own iCloud account.
How does iCloud sync work, and why is mine not syncing?##
Sync is a Pro feature. It copies your library into your own iCloud account so your devices stay in step. The data goes to your iCloud, not to us, and we cannot read it.
If it is not working, check that you have Pro, that every device is signed in to the same Apple Account, that iCloud Drive is turned on in iOS Settings, and that the device has a network connection. Sync runs in the background and may take a moment to catch up after a change.
How do I add a release from another app?##
Find the release in Spotify, Apple Music, or a browser, tap Share, and choose Unplayed from the share sheet. The release is imported in the background — no waiting, no switching apps.
If Unplayed is not in the share sheet, scroll to the end of the row of apps and tap More to turn it on.
Why is a release missing or wrong?##
Unplayed has no music database of its own. It shows what the streaming platforms publish, so a platform’s typo, missing release date, or wrong cover shows up here the same way.
Some sources are found by searching rather than by an exact identifier. Douban links work this way: Unplayed searches for the title and artist and takes the best match, which is occasionally the wrong edition. If a result looks wrong, you can edit the release by hand.
What happens if I add the same release twice?##
Nothing bad. Unplayed recognises it and merges the two rather than creating a duplicate. A release is identified by the set of streaming links it points to together with its barcode, so the same release added from Spotify one day and Apple Music the next is understood to be one release.
How do I add a widget to my home screen?##
Open Unplayed’s Settings and tap Add Widget to preview every widget with your own releases in it. To place one, touch and hold your home screen, tap the plus button, and search for Unplayed. Apple’s own guide walks through the steps.
The Add Music widget is free. Queue and Spotlight require Pro.
Still stuck?##
Write to i@heyshigeru.com