Soda Music FAQ center: six categories, answered in one place

Soda Music shares the same account system as Douyin, so for your first time you just need a mainland China (+86) phone number that can receive SMS verification codes. There are three ways to sign in: one-tap authorization with an existing Douyin account, phone number plus SMS code, or carrier one-tap login. If your phone number has never registered with Douyin, the system automatically creates a Douyin account for you, and you just add a profile photo and nickname. Registration itself is free, and you can listen as a guest without logging in, but you must log in to save playlists and favorites. One caveat: Douyin accounts require real-name verification, and purely overseas ID documents are difficult to get approved.

Yes. Not having a Douyin account is no obstacle. When you log in to Soda Music directly with a phone number, if that number has never been registered with Douyin before, the system automatically creates a new Douyin account for you, and you can then fill in a nickname and avatar. The real hurdle isn't whether you have a Douyin account, but whether your phone number can receive the verification code and pass real-name verification. Overseas Chinese who only have a local number often get stuck on these two steps, so it's best to prepare a mainland China phone number first.

No, you don't need an existing Douyin account first. Soda Music shares one account system with Douyin, but you can register and log in directly with a phone number - if that number has never registered for Douyin, the system automatically creates a Douyin account for you, so the linking happens behind the scenes. You can also browse and preview songs as a guest without logging in, you just can't create, save playlists or add favorites. To use everything fully and sync your Douyin music favorites, you'll need to log in to this shared account.

Yes, you can register for Soda Music with a phone number alone. The phone number is a standalone login method, so you don't need to already have a Douyin account. The flow is: Me - Phone number login - enter your number - get the SMS code - fill it in to finish. If the number has never been registered with Douyin, the system automatically creates a Douyin account and links it to you. The key requirement is that the number can reliably receive the verification code and pass real-name verification, so a mainland China (+86) number is the safest choice.

In practice, registering Soda Music with an overseas phone number is very hard to pull off. Although the sign-up page lists country codes for many countries, the company has not opened registration to overseas users and still requires a mainland China (+86) phone number; in January 2025, Douyin publicly denied the rumor that it had "opened international registration." The bigger blocker is real-name verification: only 5 ID types are accepted, and the only one that works for foreigners is the "Foreigner's Permanent Residence Permit" - a foreign passport will not pass. So if you only have an overseas number and no Chinese ID card or permanent residence permit, you typically get stuck either not receiving the verification code or failing real-name verification.

In practice, it basically won't work. Soda Music uses Douyin's real-name registration system, and the platform hasn't opened registration to overseas or Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan numbers, still requiring a mainland China (+86) mobile number. Even though the registration page lets you select the +852 country code, the real-name verification step offers only 5 ID types, and the only one open to non-mainland residents is the Foreigner's Permanent Residence ID Card, which ordinary Hong Kong/Macau residents can rarely pass. We recommend registering with a mainland China number that can receive verification codes instead. Whether +852 actually receives codes has no per-number test results from public sources, so verify it yourself.

There is no solid, publicly verified result confirming whether Taiwan (+886) numbers can specifically receive Soda Music verification codes, so you would need to test it yourself. What is certain is the bigger picture: officially, overseas registration is not supported and a mainland China (+86) phone number is still required, while real-name verification offers only 5 ID types, the only one open to non-mainland residents being the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card. In other words, even if you do receive a code, you will most likely get stuck at the real-name verification step. The safest approach is still to prepare a mainland China phone number.

It's hard to get through on its own. Soda Music uses Douyin's real-name registration system; overseas registration isn't officially supported, and a mainland (+86) phone number is still required. Real-name verification offers only 5 ID types, and the only one available to foreign nationals is the Foreigner's Permanent Residence Permit. Whether a Singapore (+65) number actually receives the verification code has no verified number-by-number test results in public sources, so you'll need to test it yourself. Even if you can log in, listening overseas on a local IP is still blocked by regional licensing restrictions, which is a separate issue. It's best to prepare a mainland phone number first.

It's most likely because registration isn't officially open to overseas numbers. Soda Music follows Douyin's real-name system and is still built around mainland China (+86) phone numbers - even if you can select your country code on the page, you'll often hit a 'system busy' error or simply never receive the code. Whether a Malaysian (+60) number can actually receive the verification code has no per-number tested conclusion from public sources, so you'd need to test it yourself. Also, even if registration succeeds, listening from an overseas IP still runs into regional licensing restrictions. The most reliable approach is to have a mainland China number that can receive the code.

You can pick a country/region code on the registration page and the system will add the matching prefix. In practice, though, only mainland China (+86) numbers actually work - overseas registration isn't officially supported, so +86 is the way to go. The signup page does let you choose overseas codes like +886, +852, or +60, but they're more for show: overseas numbers often fail to receive the code, and the follow-up real-name verification only accepts 5 ID types, with foreign passports not eligible. So adding a code is fine; what matters is that the number itself can receive the code and pass real-name verification - use a +86 mainland number if you can.

Soda Music is an online music app from ByteDance (Douyin), focusing on AI recommendations and scenario-based playlists, claiming a catalog of 50 million+ licensed tracks that can sync with your Douyin music collection. It works across phones (iOS/Android) and computers (Windows/macOS official clients), and the same account can sync playlists, favorites, and playback history. It supports Simplified Chinese and English. A reminder for Southeast Asian Chinese communities: its catalog licensing mainly covers mainland China, so on an overseas IP most songs can't play due to copyright regional restrictions.

Soda Music is produced by Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd., a ByteDance subsidiary, with the App Store copyright page marked (c)2022. It is the same company and same account system as Douyin, its official site is qishui.com, and its Android package name is com.luna.music. Note that it is a different product from ByteDance's overseas distribution platform SoundOn - do not confuse the two. A reminder for Southeast Asian Chinese users: the app's catalog licensing mainly covers mainland China, so under an overseas IP most songs cannot play due to copyright-based regional restrictions.

It's officially made by Douyin, not a knockoff. Soda Music is produced by 'Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd.' under ByteDance, belongs to the same company as Douyin, and shares the same account system (you can log in with one tap using a Douyin account, and it syncs with Douyin music favorites); the official site is qishui.com. To avoid downloading a counterfeit package, it's best to download from the official site, the App Store China, or Tencent App Store and other legitimate channels. A note for Southeast Asian Chinese: even the official app is subject to regional licensing restrictions on an overseas IP, most songs won't play, and you need a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node.

Yes. Soda Music is a product under ByteDance (Douyin), released by 'Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd.', with the App Store copyright page marked ©2022, and it shares the same account system as Douyin. It's a different product from ByteDance's overseas distribution platform SoundOn - don't confuse them. A note for Southeast Asian Chinese users: precisely because it's a Douyin-family product using region-segmented licensing and IP-based region detection, most songs are blocked under an overseas IP, showing 'service is not currently supported in your region', so you need a back-to-China VPN connected to a mainland node to listen normally.

Soda Music is an app aimed at mainland China, listed on the mainland China App Store; officially it only recognizes the mainland China music service, the library's licensing also mainly covers mainland China, and there's no official international or overseas version with its own licensing plan. The overseas-version downloads you see online are mostly third-party repackages, not officially confirmed. It's a different product from SoundOn, ByteDance's overseas distribution platform. Southeast Asian Chinese opening it on a local IP will see that the service isn't available in the current region, so to listen you need a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node.

By origin, Soda Music is a legitimate app from ByteDance's "Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd.," listed on the China App Store and distributed through official channels like the Tencent App Store, so downloading it from these official channels is itself safe. To avoid risk, the key is not to download a repackaged "cracked / overseas version" from shady third-party sites - those officially unverified packages are the ones more likely to carry risk. When sideloading an APK on Android, also make sure the source is trustworthy. A reminder for Chinese users in Southeast Asia: even the legitimate app is still subject to copyright regional limits on an overseas IP, so you need a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node to listen normally.

Soda Music is produced by 'Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd.' under ByteDance, shares an account system with Douyin, and has a public privacy policy describing its login and data handling. Its login relies on a phone number/Douyin account real-name system and processes account, device, and other information, which is similar to mainstream major music apps. To reduce risk, we recommend downloading from official channels like the official site, the China App Store, or Tencent App Store, avoiding third-party 'cracked/overseas version' packages, and managing app permissions as needed in system settings. The specific data uses are governed by the official privacy policy (the details need to be confirmed by testing).

As an online music app from a ByteDance subsidiary, Soda Music needs permissions such as network, storage (for caching songs), and possibly the microphone (for features like song recognition), which falls within the common range for similar apps. The material provides no specific evidence as to whether it steals data (needs testing to confirm); the safe approach is to download from legitimate channels such as the official site / China region App Store / Tencent App Store, avoid third-party repackaged versions, and turn off non-essential permissions as needed in your phone's system settings, with data usage governed by the official privacy policy. Reminder: even a legitimate app is still subject to copyright-based regional restrictions under an overseas IP, so use a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node.

Soda Music is a free download and can be listened to for free. Guests can browse and preview without logging in, and free users can unlock that day's unlimited listening by watching a short ad. Downloads and lossless/high-quality audio usually require VIP (about 8元/月 or 88元/年 in RMB), but you can also temporarily unlock by watching ads or use it free by claiming 'VIP Daily Gift' each day. To save playlists and favorite songs, you need to log in with a phone number. A note for Southeast Asian Chinese: beyond the question of free or not, on an overseas IP most songs won't play due to regional licensing restrictions, so you need a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node.

Soda Music does have ads, and ads are the core mechanism of the free version: non-members need to watch a short ad to unlock all-day listening for that day, and some VIP-required songs or downloads also rely on watching ads to temporarily unlock. So using it for free means accepting 'watch ads in exchange for access'. To listen to high quality reliably and unlock downloads, you can buy VIP (about 8元/月 / 88元/年) or claim 'Daily Free VIP' each day; but note that the splash-screen ads Soda Music recently added are not removed by ordinary VIP - to skip splash ads you need a higher SVIP tier. The exact ad frequency depends on what's shown in the app (needs to be confirmed by testing). Overseas Chinese users should also note that under an overseas IP most songs can't play due to licensing regional restrictions, so you need a back-to-China VPN connected to a mainland node.

Soda Music and Douyin are the same account system and support syncing with your Douyin music collection, which is part of its deep integration with Douyin. So as long as you log in to Soda Music with that Douyin account (one-tap authorization with an existing Douyin account, or log in with the same phone number you used to register Douyin), the music you favorited/liked on Douyin will generally show up correspondingly in Soda. The prerequisite is that both sides are the same account. The exact sync entry and checkbox options are whatever the app's actual interface shows (needs to be confirmed by testing). Overseas users should also note: you can log in, but listening to the full catalog still requires a mainland IP.

Yes, it is the same account system. Soda Music is produced by ByteDance and draws on the Douyin catalog, its login methods include one-tap authorization with an existing Douyin account, and it supports syncing music favorites with Douyin. So after logging into Soda Music with the same Douyin account, the music you liked/favorited on Douyin can generally sync over correspondingly. If it does not appear automatically, first confirm whether both sides are the same account (same Douyin account or same registered phone number). A note for overseas users: logging in is one thing, but to hear the full catalog you still need a back-to-China network to get a mainland IP.

Most likely not. What Soda Music connects with is the account system and music favorites of the China version of Douyin, whereas TikTok is ByteDance's separate overseas product with a separate account system, and the two accounts aren't interoperable. In other words, songs favorited in TikTok generally can't sync to Soda. To sync favorites in Soda, you need to log in to Soda with the same China-version Douyin account. This is also a reminder: ByteDance also has an overseas distribution platform called SoundOn, which is a different product from Soda - don't confuse them. The actual behavior depends on what the app does in practice (test to confirm).

First check two things. First, account consistency: Soda Music syncs favorites via the same Douyin account system, so if the Douyin account you logged into Soda Music with isn't the one that favorited those BGM tracks (or you used a TikTok account), they naturally won't sync - TikTok and the mainland China version of Douyin don't share accounts. Second, regional restriction: Taiwan is judged by Soda Music as overseas, and the catalog is blocked by IP, so many songs gray out and become unplayable due to licensing regional restrictions, which looks like 'not synced' but is actually 'not playable'. First use a back-to-China VPN connected to a mainland node to get a mainland IP, then confirm whether you're logged in with the same Douyin account.

In principle, yes. Soda Music and Douyin share the same account system, so logging in to Soda Music with the same phone number you used to register Douyin logs you into the same account, and music you favorited in Douyin can usually sync over (Soda Music officially supports syncing favorites with Douyin). The key point is same number equals same account. If it doesn't sync, first confirm the phone number really matches and that you can receive the verification code and log in normally. Overseas users should additionally note: you can log into the account, but listening to the full library still requires a back-to-China network to get a mainland IP.

It comes down to which "Douyin account" you mean. What Soda Music interoperates with is the mainland-version Douyin account and its favorites; if what you use in Singapore is TikTok, that's ByteDance's overseas product on a separate account system and doesn't interoperate with Soda Music - favorites won't sync over. To interoperate, sign in to Soda Music with the same mainland-version Douyin account. Also, Soda Music judges region by IP and Singapore counts as overseas, so even after signing in, to hear the full library you still need a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node. Registering mainland Douyin / Soda Music usually also requires a Chinese phone number that can receive codes.

There's no basis in the material for Soda Music officially offering a 'import playlist from NetEase Cloud' feature, so we can't guarantee there's a one-tap import entry in the app (needs to be confirmed by testing). A generally workable alternative approach: use a third-party playlist migration tool (many support NetEase Cloud to other platforms with song-name matching), or manually search song by song in Soda to rebuild the playlist. A special reminder for overseas users: Soda is subject to IP regional restrictions abroad, and many songs will be grayed out/unsearchable, so before importing or rebuilding, it's best to first use a back-to-China network to get a mainland IP, otherwise the match rate will be very low.

The material has no basis for Soda Music officially supporting importing playlists from QQ Music, so whether there is a ready-made import entry point in the app cannot be confirmed (needs testing to confirm). The general approach is: use a third-party playlist migration tool (matching across platforms by song name), or manually search for each song by name in Soda Music and rebuild the playlist. Overseas users should first solve regional restrictions - Soda Music blocks the catalog by IP abroad, so many songs are grayed out or cannot be found; it is recommended to first use a back-to-China accelerator connected to a mainland node to get a mainland IP, and then do the migration for a normal hit rate.

The source material has no basis that Soda officially supports importing from Spotify, and whether the app has this feature can't be confirmed (test to confirm). A workable general approach: use a third-party playlist migration service that supports Spotify to match by song title, or export a list of song titles from your Spotify playlist and then manually search and rebuild it song by song in Soda. But there's an unavoidable prerequisite for overseas users: Soda applies regional restrictions by IP, so many songs are grayed out/unsearchable overseas, the catalog leans Chinese, and Western/overseas tracks on Spotify may not have licensing. It's best to use a back-to-China network for a mainland IP before moving them, and to have reasonable expectations about the match rate.

Soda Music currently has no built-in song recognition (Shazam-style audio identification) feature, and the rumored 'tap the recognize button and it identifies the song after a few seconds' is false SEO information (consistent across multiple sources: 3DM/18183/woshipm). The right way to find a song is to connect your accounts: when you come across a BGM you like while scrolling Douyin, favorite/like it, or use the 'jump to Soda Music with one tap' entry in the video, and that song will appear in Soda Music's 'Douyin Favorites' playlist; if you really need audio recognition, use a dedicated song-ID app instead. A note for overseas users: Soda Music is subject to IP-based regional restrictions abroad, so to hear the full version you first need a back-to-China network to get a mainland IP.