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.
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.
Apple Music could be even prettier. Photo: Lior Azulay
iOS 12 will focus on fixing all the problems plaguing iPhone and iPad users. This concept imagines what it could do for Apple Music. It showcases a gorgeous new design with improved controls, and a dark mode that would be perfect for iPhone X.
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.
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.
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.)
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 continues to promote the U.K. music scene. Photo: Brit Awards
Apple’s sponsorship of the 2018 Brit Awards, the musical awards ceremony held last night in London, brings special playlists and an exclusive live performance for Apple Music users.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Apple Music is continuing its meteoric rise. Photo: Apple
Apple has added an extra 79 regions to its list of locations offering Apple Music student membership — with three more being added on February 26. New markets offered include Israel, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, and Taiwan.
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.
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 thatSiri 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Is HomePod finally sold out in the U.K.? Photo: Apple
With HomePod just over one week away from making its debut, Apple has confirmed which audio sources are officially supported. Apple Music and AirPlay are obviously on the list, but there are some big omissions.
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 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.
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now. Photo: Apple
Apple Music will be forced to cough up increased royalties over the next five years. The Copyright Royalty Board has ruled to boost interactive streaming rates by nearly 44 percent for songwriters and publishers — but there is no increase for artists.
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.