SongSweepIf your library is full of songs you never chose on purpose, this switch is one reason. In iOS 27 it got a new name and a second job: it also decides what happens to your playlists when you delete a song from your library.
Below: where both switches are, what each position does, and when to turn them off. The facts come from Apple's guides and the reports under Sources. Where only a third-party report covers a detail, I say so.
Where are the new switches in iOS 27?
Both switches live in the Settings app, not inside the Music app itself.
On Mac, the playlist switch is in the Music app under Music > Settings > Advanced. Apple describes iPhone and Mac separately, so check every device you use.
According to iDownloadBlog, iOS 26 and earlier called this switch Add Playlist Songs, and one tip in Apple's iPhone guide still uses that name.
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll down and tap Apps
- Tap Music
- Find Add & Delete Playlist Songs and Add & Delete Favorite Songs (according to Nerdschalk, both sit in the Library section)
- Turn each switch on or off
What does Add & Delete Playlist Songs do?
The switch controls two things at once: whether playlist songs flow into your library, and whether deleting a song from your library also takes it out of your playlists.
The first two rows come from Apple's Mac guide and match Nerdschalk's description of the iPhone switch. The last row is from Apple's iPhone guide: taking a song out of a playlist does not touch your library. To remove it from your library, delete it there. Apple's older general support article from April 2024 still says Delete from Library removes music including playlists. The newer Mac guide describes the switch.
| What you do | Switch on | Switch off |
|---|---|---|
| Add a song to a playlist | It is also added to your library | It stays in the playlist only |
| Delete a song from your library | It is also removed from your playlists | It stays in your playlists |
| Remove a song from a playlist | It stays in your library | It stays in your library |
What does Add & Delete Favorite Songs do?
Same idea for favorites. Apple says that when it is on, songs you mark as a favorite are added to your library, and deleting a song from your library also removes it from your favorites.
When it is off, your favorites still collect in the Favorite Songs playlist, and deleting a song from your library leaves it in your favorites. According to Nerdschalk, favorites are then not added to your library either. Before iOS 27 the switch was called Add Favorite Songs: Settings > Apps > Music on iOS 18 and later, Settings > Music on older versions. A Favorite (star, formerly Love) adds the song to your library unless it is off (MacRumors, 9to5Mac).
What do the switches mean for a messy library?
If the playlist switch has been on for years, every song you ever put in a playlist is in your library too, even songs from playlists you deleted long ago. Deleting a playlist keeps its songs in your library.
Turning the switch off stops new songs from piling up, but it does not tidy what is already there. According to iDownloadBlog, it applies to songs you add from then on.
Deleting is where the switch matters most. With it on, a deleted song leaves every playlist, including the ones you built with care. With it off, the song leaves your library but can stay in old playlists.
When should you turn them off?
There is no right setting for everyone. Turning the playlist switch off makes sense if:
Leave it on if your library should be the one complete list of your music and a deleted song should disappear everywhere at once. Either way, decide before a big cleanup, not halfway through.
- You add songs to playlists to try them, and you do not want every test in your library
- You keep playlists you care about, and a library cleanup should not change them
- You use favorites as a quick list of songs you like, without wanting each of them in your library
Can iOS 27 delete several songs at once?
Not as far as I could find. Apple's iPhone instructions still delete one song or album at a time: touch and hold it, tap Remove, then tap Delete from Library. The iOS 27 Apple Music roundups from 9to5Mac and SlashGear list no multi-select delete either.
The options you do have on iPhone and on Mac are in the guide on deleting Apple Music songs in bulk.
How does SongSweep fit in?
SongSweep never deletes anything, because Apple does not give apps a way to delete songs from your library. When you sort out a song in SongSweep, it goes to a Sorted Out playlist in Apple Music and gets Suggest Less. You can undo, and restore sorted-out songs later. The final delete is always yours, in the Music app.
When you later delete those songs from your library, the playlist switch decides whether they also leave your other playlists. With it on, they leave the Sorted Out playlist too, so the list empties as you go.
Starting from scratch? Read how to clean up your Apple Music library and how to find duplicate songs.