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Apple Music - page 19

Rihanna is first female artist to hit 2 billion streams on Apple Music

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Rihanna
The biggest artist under Apple Music's umbrella. Ella, ella. 'Eh 'eh?
Photo: Apple

Rihanna is the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple Music, according to a tweet sent out by Cupertino.

It’s not clear whether the quick stat refers to just Rihanna’s solo songs or includes other artists’ tracks on which she appeared. However, it’s a big achievement — and proof positive of just how big Apple Music is getting.

How to create a sleep playlist for your HomePod

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Siri speaker
Look into my eye. You are feeling sleepy…
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This tip is less of a how-to, and more of a why-to. Did you ever think about creating a sleep playlist for your HomePod? It’s a great idea for a few reasons.

  • You can control the HomePod with your voice, from your bed.
  • The HomePod is silent when it’s not playing back audio, so you don’t have to turn it off or listen to it hiss.

Let’s see how it’s done.

Apple Music update fixes streaming issues on Android

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music streaming
The latest release also includes Chromecast support.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple Music subscribers who use Android devices can now enjoy stable streaming. Apple’s latest update fixes the frustrating playback issues some users were facing on certain devices. It also adds the ability to listen to music videos in the background.

Spotify is finally going public

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Spotify
The Spotify IPO is finally here.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s biggest competition is about to get an influx of Wall Street cash.

Spotify finally filed documents for an initial public offering, after rumors of going public had been floating around for years. According to reports, the company could be worth as much as much as $23 billion, but it’s still not profitable.

20 HomePod tips you need to know

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The HomePod is a lot smarter than you might think. Just take a look at these tips!
The HomePod is a smarter speaker than you might think.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The HomePod takes a lot of flak for being the dumbest smart speaker around, but it can do more than you might think. In today’s video, I’ll show you 20 HomePod tips you need to know.

(Just a quick heads-up: I’m going to be saying “Hey Siri” a few times in this video.)

Use these smart Apple Music playlists to find old forgotten favorites

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record player smart playlists
The good old days etc.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple Music is great, but sometimes swiping and tapping around on your iPhone to find the right track is the opposite of great. That’s where Smart Playlists come in. These playlists automatically update themselves, based on criteria you choose, so you can quickly listen to, say, all the songs you have Loved, or everything you’ve added recently. If you’re exploring different subscription options, you might want to look into the Apple Music package, which offers various plans suited for different listening needs. Also, don’t miss out on this hand-picked playlist for fresh discoveries.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Smart Playlists for Apple Music on your iPhone.

Apple named world’s most innovative company for 2018

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AirPower
Will we finally get a release date for AirPower?
Photo: Apple

Who said innovation was dead at Apple? Certainly not Fast Company, which just named the iPhone-maker the world’s most innovative company for 2018.

Apple secured the top spot “for delivering the future today.” AirPods, Apple Watch Series 3, ARKit, and iPhone X were recognized as its best products from the past year.

Rivals like Google and Samsung didn’t make the list.

Everything you need to know about HomePod

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HomePod news, HomePod reviews and HomePod how-tos
The HomePod may be the best speaker you can buy for under $85,000.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s HomePod arrives in homes today. It’s already sold out online, but if you’re lucky you might still snap one up in an Apple store. And you probably should, because the HomePod looks to be just about the best small speaker you can buy — in terms of musical performance, anyway.

If you want to find out how to set up and get the best of your new HomePod, or if you want to read a bit more before deciding whether to get one, you’re in the right place. Below you’ll find all our HomePod coverage: how-tos, reviews, tips and opinions.

Apple renews Carpool Karaoke for second season

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Carpool Karaoke
Enjoy Carpool Karaoke without an Apple Music subscription.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s most successful original TV show is coming back for a second act.

Carpool Karaoke has reportedly been greenlit for a second season, bringing even more odd celebrity pairings and silly singing shenanigans to Apple’s growing arsenal of original content.

Use this playlist to remove unwanted Apple Music downloads

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music piano
Who wants to hear music like this?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Shuffle and skipping are two great tools for listening to new music on your iPhone, using Apple Music. You can download lots of new music to your iPhone, then set it to shuffle while you take a walk. If you’re also wearing a pair of AirPods, a double tap on one of them will skip any tracks you don’t like. It’s a great way to listen to new music, with one big, annoying side-effect: You end up with lots of unwanted downloads cluttering up your iPhone.

But with one simple smart playlist, you can fix that right now.

Stop other HomePod users from polluting your music recommendations

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Apple HomePod smart speaker Listening History
Don't let everybody else's bad taste ruin your music recommendations.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Instead of recognizing the voices of various users and serving up their personal tunes, HomePod is tied to one person’s Apple Music library. That leads to an unfortunate side effect: Whenever anyone in your home tells your HomePod to play a track, that song is added to your listening history.

That means your teenagers’ ironic Ramones session, or your spouse’s un-ironic David Hasselhoff listen-a-thon, will pollute your listening history — and affect your future recommendations. Here’s how to stop that from happening.

Sonos trolls HomePod with hidden message in Spotify playlist

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HomePod
HomePod is a fruit machine, apparently.
Photo: Apple

HomePod has landed. If you’re an Apple fan who loves audio, it’s a wonderful day. If you’re a speaker company, however, you now have to compete against the biggest tech brand in the world.

Sonos has shown it’s not scared by trolling HomePod with a Spotify playlist that contains a hidden message.

HomePod meta review: Superb sound, stupid Siri

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The HomePod was a no-show in 2017.
HomePod is finally here.
Photo: Apple

 In the first reviews for Apple’s new HomePod speaker, everyone totally raves about the smart speaker’s pristine sound quality. Siri, on the other hand, doesn’t sound so brilliant. Many critics argue that Siri sucks compared to other voice assistants, highlighting its struggles with accuracy and responsiveness.

Apple seeded a few review units to major outlets ahead of this Friday’s HomePod launch. The embargo lifted this morning, and the early reviews reveal a few surprising tidbits about the HomePod.

Here’s what people are saying:

Apple Music recruits new head of editorial

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Apple Music
Alex Gale joins Apple Music.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Music journalist Alex Gale is the new head of editorial for Apple Music, according to a new report. Gale, who has previously worked for the likes of Billboard, XXL and Vibe, will be responsible for all written content on Apple’s music platforms.

How to control Apple Music and HomePod with Siri

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HomePod siri
Siri is the primary way you'll communicate with HomePod.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple Music on your iPhone or Mac can be controlled with fingers, mouse, keyboard, or voice. But with the HomePod, you’d better get used to talking. While you can stream music to your HomePod with any AirPlay device, if you want to control the speaker direct, you’ll have to do some talking. Happily, you can get practicing right now. Siri already has a bunch of useful Apple Music commands you can use, so let’s take a look.

Apple Music could overtake Spotify this summer

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music is on track to overtake Spotify as the biggest music streaming service in the United States. Apple’s service has been growing twice as fast, according to industry sources. If it maintains its current pace it will topple Spotify this summer.

What to expect from Apple’s first earnings call of 2018

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Earnings call
Apple's Q1 2020 earnings report will probably break some records.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The first big Apple earnings report for 2018 is nearly here. And, based on analysts’ expectations, it will likely be Apple’s biggest moneymaking quarter ever.

After weeks of waiting, investors will finally get their first look at how well the iPhone X is selling. Apple’s holiday sales probably hit historic levels. But with recent reports that Apple slashed iPhone X orders in half, there could be quite a few surprises in store.

As usual, Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog all the action as it transpires on Thursday, February 1, at 2 p.m. Pacific. Get ready to watch for these six things during the call:

Spotify’s new app is a Pandora copycat

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Spotify Stations
Stations are coming to Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify is testing a new tool to up the competition with Apple Music by stealing a key feature from one of the oldest companies in the streaming game: Pandora.

Stations, a new stand-alone app from Spotify, launched on the Google Play Store in Australia this week allowing users to listen to curated stations without any type of manual controls.

Apple exec Eddy Cue joins SXSW 2018 speaker lineup

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Eddy Cue
Apple VP Eddy Cue runs Apple's media business.
Photo: CNBC

The 2018 SXSW Conference is adding a fresh crop of faces to its speaker lineup this year, including one of Apple’s most popular executives.

Apple media boss Eddy Cue is set to make an appearance at the annual conference that’s a celebration of music, tech, movies and TV. All of which are areas Apple is planning to dominate in 2018.

HomePod version of Siri comes with big limitations

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HomePod
The HomePod version of Siri is a lot dumber than the iPhone version.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new HomePod speaker might be the dumbest smart-speaker on the market.

Based on early reviews and leaked info, it appears that Apple has seriously crippled Siri on the new HomePod speaker and removed some features, making it vastly different than the version of Siri that lives on your iPhone.