With iOS 17 coming out this coming fall, Apple Music is getting a few notable new features that should make using the music app and Apple Music streaming service in general a more immersive and enjoyable experience. Below, we run down all the changes and improvements you can expect to arrive when iOS 17 releases later this year.
1. Collaborative playlists
Perhaps one of the most requested features coming to Apple Music this year, collaborative playlists will give subscribers the ability to invite friends to add and edit songs in the shared playlist. Rival streaming services like Spotify have had similar features for a while now, so it’s nice to see that Apple has finally read the room.
Whenever someone adds a song to the collaborative playlist, their profile picture appears next to the track. People invited to the playlist will also be able to respond to their favorite songs with emojis.
Apple says collaborative playlists will be available in an update later this year, so this feature may not be included when iOS 17 is released in the fall.
2. Fade
Another feature that rival music streaming services have had for some time is cross-fading, and now it’s coming to Apple Music. That’s right – soon you’ll be able to seamlessly transition between songs so the music never stops.
If you’re running the first iOS 17 developer beta, don’t try to enable Crossfade in Settings -> Music yet — it always crashes the app. Apple clearly needs more time to iron out the wrinkles in this feature.
3. SharePlay for CarPlay
In iOS 17, when playing music via CarPlay, there is a new SharePlay option that lets you play from an iPhone other than that connected to the car.
By accepting a notification or scanning a QR code, even passengers in the backseat will soon be able to play their favorite music and contribute to what’s playing.
4. Camera support for karaoke
If you haven’t used Apple Music Sing before, the feature essentially uses the app’s built-in follow-up lyrics, adding a toggle to lower the song’s vocals to replace them with your own.
In iOS 17, you will also be able to watch yourself perform your favorite songs at your very own karaoke party. That’s because Apple Music Sing gets support for the continuous camera, which lets you wirelessly pair your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or Apple TV 4K and use it as a camera.
5. Redesigned user interface
The user interface of the Apple Music app is receiving some nice quality of life improvements and design tweaks. The music player now features full-screen animated artwork on supported albums, allowing them to seamlessly blend into the media playback controls at the bottom.
Plus, when you minimize the music player, it takes on a depth effect that makes it appear as if it’s hovering over the rest of the interface as you move through the app. Finally, Apple is making out-of-sync words easier to read by adopting a larger, legier font.
Want to try new Apple Music features for yourself? If you can’t wait for the official release — and your spare iPhone isn’t your daily driver — the iOS 17 beta is now available to download to iPhones for free.
