Apple's 'Complete My Album' Feature Drops 180-Day Deadline for Upgrading - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple's 'Complete My Album' Feature Drops 180-Day Deadline for Upgrading

itunes 10 icon 150Yesterday, we noted that Apple had launched a new "Complete My Season Pass" feature for TV shows purchased through the iTunes Store, offering users who purchased individual episodes of a TV show season the ability to upgrade to a Season Pass at a discounted rate based on the amount of their individual purchases.

Apple today posted a new support document outlining an FAQ for the new service and explaining what content is and isn't eligible for the program. But in addition to the the Complete My Season Pass document, Apple also posted an updated version of its "Complete My Album" support document that offers a beneficial change for consumers.

Until now, users have generally had a window of 180 days from the date of their first individual track purchase from a given album within which they could upgrade at the discounted rate using the Complete My Album program. The current iTunes Store terms and conditions still make reference to that limit:

COMPLETE MY ALBUM ("CMA")

In some circumstances, you will have no more than 180 days from the time you acquire your first CMA-eligible song or video from a particular CMA-eligible album to accept that CMA offer, and upgrading previous purchases to iTunes Plus does not affect any such time limits.

But the updated support document posted by Apple today reveals a different answer, and it now appears that the 180-day deadline has been removed entirely.

How long do I have to take advantage of Complete My Album?

When you buy individual songs from any qualifying album, you can complete the album at any time, as long as the album is available for sale on the iTunes Store.

Many users taking advantage of the Complete My Album program obviously already do so within the previously-imposed 180-day window as they decide that they like certain songs enough to purchase the entire album. The lifting of the restriction will, however, still be of use for those who decide much later that they want to upgrade.

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...

Top Rated Comments

Icaras Avatar
194 months ago
I am just curious how this actually works...never used it before.
Just buy a track from an album and the album will appear on your "Complete My Album" page, which can be found on the front page of the iTunes store (on the right side menu).

And basically, the price to purchase the rest of the album is reduced, minus the price of the track(s) you've purchased from that album.

For example, if you buy two $0.99 cent tracks from a $9.99 album, the price to purchase the rest of the album is reduced to $8.01, regardless of how many tracks there are in the album.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
194 months ago
Is it retroactive? If so, I'm happy.
It is because I see pretty much all the albums of which I've bought only select songs from years ago on my Complete My Album page.

iTunes keeps on getting better :D

Now all I want are Movies in the cloud, 1080p content with upgrade path, and ALAC music content with upgrade path and all will be perfect.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
morespce54 Avatar
194 months ago
It's a great news...
But AFAIC, the major problem with "Complete My Album" is not so much the 180 days limit as the "as long as the album is available for sale"...
I often got caught trying to complete an album which seems to be no longer available on iTS when in fact, the album has simply been renamed (i.e. "The Gretest Hits of XYZ" instead of "Greatest Hits: XYZ").
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
firestarter Avatar
194 months ago
I'm not sure why Apple (or most probably the record companies) ever restricted this.

One of the big issues record companies have had with the iTunes model is the ability folks now have to buy just a couple of good reacts off the album, rather than the whole lot (including all the filler tracks you'll never end up listening to). Result is a loss of revenue.

Why would the record companies want to continue with a policy that discourages people further from 'upgrading' to that whole album? Makes no sense.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gubbz Avatar
194 months ago
I'd really like to see this as an extension to iTunes Match, there's lots of albums that I bought the CDs to years ago and since then they've been re-released with extras...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
194 months ago
I just noticed too that if you buy a track thats featured in both a standard album and a deluxe album, the track shows as "purchased" on both albums and also shows both albums under "Complete My Album". Awesome!

Nice way of Apple to prevent penalizing customers for buying identical music across multiple versions of an album. :)

Edit: This policy doesn't seem to extend to "greatest hits" or "best of..." albums though, which makes sense since these are released by studios to generate more sales for the artist anyway.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
56 minutes ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
2 hours ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
3 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
4 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
4 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
4 hours ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
4 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
4 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
5 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
5 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
5 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
5 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
5 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
5 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
6 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
6 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
6 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
7 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
7 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
8 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
9 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
9 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
9 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
9 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
10 hours ago
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
10 hours ago
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
11 hours ago