- Apple Music is rolling out five new features in iOS 24.6, including new Playlist Playground and Concerts Near You features
- You will also receive a new UI design for albums and playlists.
- Despite its new look, users are divided and criticize Apple for its lack of accessibility features.
Apple will unveil its next set of new products in a couple of weeks at its March 4 event, but it’s already teasing some of the new updates coming to Apple Music in iOS 24.6, and there’s no doubt they’ll breathe new life into one of the best music streaming services.
If you’re enrolled in the iOS 24.6 beta, you may have already caught a glimpse of the new Apple Music features that are expected to roll out widely in the coming weeks. Unlike Spotify, it’s not like Apple Music to release one new feature after another, so the fact that it’s bringing five new updates at once is great news.
As we recently covered, Playlist Playground is one of the notable new features coming to Apple Music: If you’re familiar with Spotify’s AI playlist tool, Playlist Playground isn’t all that different.
It works very similarly, in that you enter a text message or select a preset idea, and it will then generate a playlist of songs based on your request. It’s Apple Music’s second AI music streaming tool, following the launch of its clever AutoMix beat-matching feature.
It’s clear that Apple Music has its eyes on what’s working on Spotify and, like Spotify’s live events hub, Apple Music is introducing a ‘Concerts Near You’ feature. While we don’t know what this looks like in the app yet, we know it’s on the way and it will be refreshing to see Apple Music connect its subscribers with live concerts; I’m surprised he hasn’t done it before.
Additionally, Apple Music is finally removing a tedious playlist restriction by allowing you to add a song to multiple playlists at once, a freedom subscribers to other platforms have always had. And, building on last year’s Ambient Music feature, Apple is making it available as a new home screen widget in different sizes, giving those who frequent the app a new shortcut.
So, this Apple Music update is quite significant, but it doesn’t end there. Its album and playlist interfaces are getting a makeover, and while it puts the cluttered Spotify app to shame, not everyone is happy with the result.
Apple Music UI updates are polished and eye-catching, but lack accessibility
Although Spotify has all the fun features, its cluttered interface attracts a constant backlash from users, and now that Apple Music has revamped its albums and playlists, many Spotify users are asking for the same.
Previously, Apple Music’s playlist and album pages featured a large, and sometimes immersive, graphic with the song list on a white background below. In iOS 24.6, the album/playlist art is now used for the entire page, so the song list will now be placed in the most prominent color of the art. A user shared a comparison image on Reddit (see below).
Apple has KILLED Spotify with the r/truespotify UI
During my time testing Apple Music while taking a break from Spotify, its clean design was one of my favorite parts of the UX and highlighted everything I didn’t like about Spotify’s design. There’s no doubt that Apple Music is making leaps and bounds here; However, users were quick to point out Apple’s disregard for accessibility and I can see why.
The Liquid Glass redesign is still dividing iPhone users, and while I enjoy some aspects of its shine, the new Apple Music UI is quite difficult to read in places, and I prefer the clear separation between the colorful art and the song list. And yes, the option to disable Liquid Glass exists alongside other accessibility features, but the default option might be better suited for those with reading disabilities.
Does this change how I feel about Spotify’s cluttered UI? Not at all, I still think I could take some notes from Apple Music. That said, I have a feeling that Apple isn’t done expanding its new aesthetic across all areas of its music streaming app — it’s a stretch to expect it to happen.
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