Why Does iTunes Split Albums and How to Fix?

Sometimes when you transfer music from iPhone to iTunes but find some tracks on an album combine properly into a single album. It may appear as two, three, or more separate albums.

Don't worry, you're not alone, many users have the same problem with their music albums in iTunes or iPhone Apple Music apps. If you want to know why does iTunes split albums and how to iTunes from splitting albums, then this article is the right choice for you.

Why does iTunes split albums?

Let's first figure out why does iTunes split an album into two or more albums. Generally, metadata conflict is the most likely cause of the split album issue, as follows:

▲ There is more than one artist on the same album.
▲ The Album Artist field in the Sorting tab does not match.
▲ The Album Artist field does not match the Artist field.
▲ Some songs on the album have different release dates.
▲ The album was released on a different label and publisher, but the songs are exactly the same.

Therefore, if an album has multiple artists, or is a compilation album, Apple will split the album into separate albums that match a specific artist name. It also creates a split when the Album Artist field and the Artist field are different on the sort tab. That’s why does iTunes split artists/ albums.

In addition, it's quite common for record labels to release different versions of an album. So, if are different versions of the same album, iTunes albums will not be grouped together.

✍Tip: iTunes is an old tool for managing iPhone media. To avoid issues, you can skip to the Bonus part to manage your iPhone easier.

How to fix split albums in iTunes

This is a fairly common problem with iTunes or Apple Music for iPhone, and luckily, there are some easy solutions. You can apply the following methods to solve the problem.

✍Note: Most instructions should be performed on iTunes, so make sure you have the latest iTunes installed on your computer.

1# Confirm the Albums Artist field is the same

If the album is split in two but shared with the same artist, check to see if the Album Artist tag is the same between the split albums. If the artist name is different, you can delete and re-enter the album artist name to ensure that both albums use the same album artist and artist tags. Follow the steps below to ensure Album Artist field is identical.

Step 1. Run iTunes on your computer, find the separated albums.

Step 2. Select the album, right click and choose Album Info.

Step 3. Under the Details, rename the Album Artist field for the individual album. After this, the separated albums will be grouped into one album.

2# Check  and uncheck "Compilation" box in iTunes

If the problem persists after renaming the same artist tag in two separate albums, try to check the Compilation box in iTunes. Under Step 3 in the first method, in Details tab, select and deselect the Compilation box, then click OK.

3# Remove album from library and re-add it

Another method that might work is to delete the separate albums from the iPhone and then add them back manually. And transfer them to iTunes again, select the separate album, right click to choose Delete from Library.

4# Turn iCloud Music Library off and on

Turning off iCloud Music Library means that all songs you've downloaded from Apple Music will be deleted. Then you can turn it back on and redownload the song from iCloud.

Steps: Go to the Settings > Music > Turn off iCloud Music Library.

Bonus: Transfer and manage your music with iTunes alternative-FoneTool

Most of you use iTunes to sync or transfer music, radio, and other media files between Windows PC and Apple devices. However, you may encounter issues with iTunes split albums combine and you have to clean up your library on a weekly basis.

If you are tired of iTunes sync issues or just want an easier way to sync music between iDevices and computer, you can try an excellent iTunes alternative named FoneTool to transfer and manage your media files between iPhone/iPad/iPod and computer with no effort.

With this tool, you can easily manage your music library albums on your computer folders without splitting them. Compared with iTunes, FoneTool has several amazing features and advantages, as follows:

✌ Selectively transfer music: You can transfer all music playlists or selected songs (both purchased and non-purchased music) from iPhone to iPhone /computer or vice versa.
✌ Transfer more types files: Apart from music data, it can also help you transfer photos, videos, contacts and messages, etc.
✌ No data loss: Unlike the sync feature in iTunes, it doesn't erase any media files or any other existing files on your device during the transfer.
✌ Faster speed: Simple interface and design make transferring files not take too much of your time. For example, it can transfer 1000 songs in 9 minutes and 13 seconds.

Click the icon below to download FoneTool and have a try.

Step 1. Launch FoneTool on your computer, connect your iPhone. If asked, click Trust this computer.

Step 2. Click Phone Transfer > Select iPhone to PC or iPhone to PC according to your need. Here we choose iPhone to PC and click Start Transfer.

Step 3. Click the plus icon, choose the music you want to transfer/sync, and then click OK.

Step 4. Choose a storage path from Transfer Settings to save your files, finally, click Start Transfer to start.

Note: If needed, it can also help you transfer music from computer to iPhone/iPad/iPod without erasing data.

Conclusion

That’s the answer to “why does iTunes split albums”. Even after redoing and manually entering all meta tags and re-importing the file, iTunes will continue to split some albums, and when you set it up correctly and show it as one album, it will inevitably split again the next time you open the app. So why not choose FoneTool to help you manage your music albums freely.

Also, it can help you backup your iDevices data including music, photos, videos, messages, contacts to protect them.