Neil Hughes
While Apple's iTunes Radio is set by default to block songs with explicit language from streaming, the current filters are far from perfect, with profane content slipping through the cracks to the surprise of some listeners.
A reader who contacted AppleInsider said that although they had purposefully left the explicit content filter on, they found that multiple uncensored songs continued to play. In one example, an uncensored version of the track "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars, which features a prominent "f-word" in the opening lines of the song, was said to have played on numerous occasions in front of children.
In our own tests, we also found that explicit content was slipping through the cracks, though many censored songs were also playing with the toggle enabled. Still, many songs with language considered to be unacceptable on radio and television in the U.S. were still being played through iTunes Radio.
Conversely, it seems that the same issue also exists in reverse: Users turning off the filter, in order to allow explicit content to play, report continuing to hear censored tracks, rather than the original explicit language.
The issues have existed since iTunes Radio launched to the public last September, as indicated by numerous threads on the Apple Support Communities website. Users have suggested that competing streaming music services do not have this same issue.
"The 'allow explicit' is turned on for iTunes Radio and it's still playing explicit songs," user "Ben Hur" wrote. "We recently switched from Pandora where we didn't have this problem at all."
There have also been reports of unexpected content that may not be appropriate for certain audiences creeping into unexpected custom streaming stations. One user posted last year claiming that the station "Disney World Attraction Radio" began playing rap songs intended for mature audiences in front of their child.
There are two ways to enable or disable explicit content in iTunes Radio. The easiest is tapping the "i" button at the top of the screen while playing a station, then flipping the switch for "Allow Explicit Tracks."
Users can also disable all mature-language iTunes content by opening the iOS Settings application, choosing General, and then Restrictions. Under "Allowed Content," users can uncheck "Music & Podcasts," which will change the content filter to "clean." Doing so also removes the ability toggle such content back on through iTunes Radio.
AppleInsider Staff
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
66 Comments
This is awesome news. I've been looking to add a few words to my vocabulary for some time now. ;-)
This isn't exactly breaking news. The problem with Apple's filters is that it's filtering what is labeled explicit in the iTunes Store.
Lots of items are labeled incorrectly in the store. And older (pre-iTunes store era release items) items might not be labeled at all. The service isn't perfect, and it seems Apple hasn't made updates or changes to it since it debuted.
Well, f*ck me!!!
Wish they'd get a move on and offer iTunes Radio to their international customers, come on Apple you released this half a year ago. Show some love to the customers that pay far more for your goods than your American customer base!
I have to weigh in because this is the one major issue I've had with iTunes Match since day one. The root of the problem goes back to iTunes itself. The "Explicit" tag needs to be separate item that can be selected under View Options, similar to "Part of a Compilation". In my experience, iTunes Match incorrectly censored most of the Explicit songs in the Hip-Hop/Rap genre. I think part of the problem is that you are not given the opportunity to select Explicit or Censored when iTunes makes a match. Almost all music ripped from CDs or purchased from Amazon are incorrectly matched to censored versions. Since I used iTunes Match to replace all of my lower nitrate songs with higher quality versions, I'm forced to re-rip from CD or re-purchase to fix the problem. What I'd really like the ability to do is toggle between Explicit and Censored on the fly for music in my library in the same fashion that iTunes Radio offers (once it's fixed). I manage all the music on my kid's iPod Touches to sync to playlists that only include "approved" songs that I deem appropriate. I've even run into an issue before buying a song that wasn't labeled Explicit that contained a prominent use of the S-word. iTunes was kind enough to refund the purchase, but I find the whole process very cumbersome. I'd gladly pay a nominal fee to have access to both versions of a song when I make purchases - maybe $1.49 instead of $1.29. I've also had an issue with a Guns n' Roses album incorrectly matching to a censored version but it's not as obvious when it happens to a Rock song as when it happens in Hip-Hop/Rap. Until Apple offers a fix, I guess I'll continue providing feedback (Provide iTunes Feedback) and hope that enough people do the same until the issues are resolved.