If you have ever tapped the star button in Apple Music and then wondered where all those favorited tracks went, you are not alone. Over the years Apple has renamed and moved this feature several times: it used to be a heart called Love, then became a star called Favorite, and the list of your loved tracks has shifted location more than once. The good news is that nothing is lost. Here is where your loved tracks live on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and how to make sure the feature keeps working.
First, a quick bit of vocabulary: tapping the star on a song, album, or playlist marks it as a Favorite, which is the modern name for Loved. MacRumors has tracked these interface changes across Apple Music versions, and the mechanics are the same in every case: favorites train your recommendations and gather in one dedicated playlist.
Find your loved tracks on iPhone or iPad
- Open the Music app.
- Tap Library at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Playlists.
- Look for Favorites — it has a star icon and is generated automatically. Every track you have favorited with the star appears here, newest first.
If you do not see the Favorites playlist, it usually means favorites have not been enabled in your settings, or you have not favorited anything yet. You may also want to make sure your listening history is set up the way you want — see our guide on how to turn off Apple Music listening history if your history keeps recording plays you do not want.
Find your loved tracks on Mac
- Open the Music app on your Mac.
- In the sidebar, go to Playlists and open Favorites. It syncs from your iPhone over iCloud Music Library, so the same songs appear on every device signed in to your Apple ID.
- If you prefer the classic approach, you can build your own smart playlist: choose File → New → Smart Playlist, set the rule to Loved is true, and click OK. This mirrors how the feature worked in older versions of iTunes and Apple Music.
If whole albums of yours have gone missing rather than individual favorites, check our guide on the Apple Music tracks disappeared fix before you panic — syncing hiccups are more common than actual deletions.
How to favorite tracks so they land there
- Play any song, album, or playlist in Apple Music.
- Open the Now Playing screen.
- Tap the star icon. It fills in to show the track is favorited.
- To remove one, tap the star again or swipe left on the song inside the Favorites playlist and choose Delete from Playlist.
Favoriting is not just a bookmarking trick: it teaches Apple Music what you like. The more you favorite, the better your personal mixes. YouTube has creators who demonstrate how quickly the For You recommendations improve. If you mostly fall asleep to music and want it to stop on its own, our iPhone sleep timer for music guide pairs nicely with a long Favorites playlist.
If it still doesn’t work
If the Favorites playlist never updates even after you tap the star, check Settings → Music and make sure Sync Library is switched on and you are signed in with the Apple ID that owns your Apple Music subscription. A forced restart of the Music app or a quick sign-out and sign-in of your Apple ID in Settings fixes most stubborn sync problems.
FAQ
Are Loved and Favorite the same thing in Apple Music?
Yes. The old heart-shaped Love button was replaced by the star-shaped Favorite button; everything you loved carries over and appears in the Favorites playlist.
Can I see favorites for albums and playlists too?
Yes. Favoriting an album or a playlist adds a star to it as well, and starred albums and playlists appear at the top of the Favorites playlist alongside your favorited songs.
Conclusion
Your loved tracks have not disappeared — they live in the Favorites playlist under Library → Playlists in the Music app, synced across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Tap the star to add more, and the list becomes the heart of your personal Apple Music recommendations.
