Music is inherently social. Whether you are building the ultimate road trip mix, curating a gym workout playlist, or just trying to introduce a friend to a new genre, you eventually want to share your creations. Unlike the old days of burning mix CDs, streaming services allow you to share a constantly updating list of songs with a single tap.
Apple Music makes it incredibly simple to send a specific playlist to anyone else who subscribes to the service. When you share it, they can add it to their own library, and if you add a new song to your playlist tomorrow, it will automatically update on their device as well.
This guide explains how to share an Apple Music playlist from your iPhone.
Step 1: Locate the Playlist
First, you must find the playlist you want to share. Note that you can only share playlists that you have personally created, or public playlists curated by Apple. You cannot re-share a private playlist that someone else sent to you unless they made it public.
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Library tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap on Playlists.
- Scroll through your list and tap on the specific playlist you want to share to open its detail view.
Step 2: Share the Playlist Link
Now you can generate the sharing link.
- Look at the top right corner of the playlist screen. You will see a circle with three dots inside it. Tap this button to open the context menu.
- From the menu, tap the Share Playlist… option (the icon is a square with an arrow pointing up).
- The standard iOS Share Sheet will slide up from the bottom of the screen.
From the Share Sheet, you have several options on how to deliver the link:
- Messages: The most common method. Tap a recent contact’s face, or tap the green Messages icon to text the link directly to them. It will appear in their text thread as a beautiful, clickable widget featuring the playlist’s cover art.
- AirDrop: If your friend is sitting right next to you, tap AirDrop to beam the playlist directly to their phone instantly.
- Copy Link: If you want to post the playlist on social media, in an email, or on a forum, tap the “Copy” icon. You can now paste the raw URL anywhere you like.
Important: Making Your Playlist Public
If a friend clicks your link and receives an error message saying the playlist is unavailable, it is because your Apple Music privacy settings are restricting access.
To fix this, go back to the Library tab, tap Playlists, and open the playlist again. Tap the three dots in the corner, but this time select Edit. Look at the very top of the editing screen and ensure the toggle switch for Show on My Profile and in Search is turned ON (green). This makes the link active so anyone with the URL can view and listen to your mix.