Anyone experiencing trouble with the App Store or Apple Music on Monday can relax. Apple reports that it resolved the issues that plagued these services earlier in the day.
This is after they were down for about eight hours.
Apple revealed who will call the games, and what production enhancements to expect, for its upcoming sports show, Friday Night Baseball. The new broadcast hits the field with a doubleheader Friday on Apple TV+.
iTunes has become a slow and bloated mess over the years — which is why it no longer exists on Mac. But for those who are stuck with Windows, suffering iTunes is necessary if you want to enjoy Apple Music. Or is it?
There are other ways to take advantage of your Apple Music subscription on third-party machines. You could use the web app in a browser of your choice, or you could download Cider, a new and far greater iTunes alternative.
Cider, which is also available on Mac if you aren’t happy with the default Music app, offers a clean and simple user interface and almost all of the features we’ve come to expect from Apple’s streaming service — plus extras.
Kanye West’s upcoming Donda 2 album will not be available on Apple Music — or any other streaming service. The rapper claims he turned down a $100 million deal with Apple because it doesn’t pay artists enough.
“No one can pay me to be disrespected,” read one of a number of Instagram posts that have since been removed. Donda 2 will now be exclusive to West’s own platform, the $200 Stem Player that allows listeners to “customize” songs.
In the tradition of media personalities helming book clubs — Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon — Apple Books welcomes a new book club with a new host. The Canadian is not exactly a household name in the U.S., but he has a track record with Apple. It’s Apple Music Hits live radio host George “Strombo” Stroumboulopoulos, who said in a tweet on Tuesday he’s going literary.
The new club is called Strombo’s Lit. Bookworms in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia can check it out now on the Apple Books app.
A reference to the unreleased “Apple Classical” service this week appeared in a new Apple Music beta for Android. The discovery suggests that the service is nearing its official debut ahead of an Apple event in March.
Apple last year acquired (then closed down) Primephonic, the streaming platform for classical music. Fans have been waiting for it to be integrated into Apple’s services lineup ever since — and that wait could soon be over.
Since Apple Music launched in 2015, it has offered first-time subscribers a three-month free trial — a very tempting proposition in a competitive streaming market. But now the service has cut the free trail for first-timers to one month, starting this week.
Apple Music continues to offer a six-month free trial to those who buy eligible audio devices.
Apple Music has launched a huge Neil Young promotion just days after Spotify began pulling all of the singer’s content from its platform.
Listeners will today find a “We Love Neil” section under the “Browse” tab that features albums, interviews, and playlists. Cupertino has also send out tweets and push notifications that call Apple Music “The home of Neil Young.”
With a 15% share of the market, Apple Music is now the second-biggest music streaming service in the world, according to the latest data. It remains significantly bigger than rivals like YouTube Music and Deezer. Over the years, Apple has consistently evolved its music offerings, with features like apple.music replay allowing users to revisit their favorite songs and discover their listening trends.
However, Apple Music will have to fight to stay ahead of Amazon Music, while catching up with Spotify will be an incredibly difficult task.
If you’re yet to try out Apple Music, now’s your chance. Shazam is offering five months of free and unlimited access to new subscribers who sign up before January 31, 2022. Some existing subscribers can get two months free.
You’ll need to use your iPhone (or an Android smartphone if that’s what you’re into) to redeem the offer.
Apple is testing an improved version of its Music app that’s built to run entirely natively on Mac. Parts of the app, such as the music library, were native on macOS before, and now the rest of it is catching up for improved performance.
You can try out the new Music app now by installing the macOS 12.2 Monterey beta, which is available to all through Apple’s public Beta Software Program.
macOS 12.1, the first major update to Monterey, went out Monday. The major new feature is SharePlay, but there are some other enhancements. But it does not include the much-anticipated Universal Control.
It comes on the same day as the release of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3.
iPhone users can now upgrade to iOS 15.2. The update adds a cheaper Apple Music option, plus there’s a new App Privacy Report, and parents will be alerted if their children send or receive nudes.
iPadOS 15.2 is also available with these same updates. And there’s overlap with the just-released watchOS 8.3 and macOS Monterey 12.1.
Apple seeded the iOS 15.2 release candidate to developers on Tuesday, along with the iPad equivalent. When released to the public, iPhones will alert parents if their children send or receive nudes, there’s a new App Privacy Report, and users will be able to look for AirTags that might be tracking them.
The macOS 12.1 RC and watchOS 8.3 RC also went to devs on Tuesday.
Apple Music subscribers will receive “exclusive gifts” as part of a new holiday promotion. The gifts include a special EP from Coldplay — exclusive to Apple Music — as well as playlists and other “goodies” from A-list artists.
Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Elton John, and DJ Khaled are a few of the names who are onboard. Gifts will be rolled out every day over the next week, and you must have a valid Apple Music subscription to receive them.
To mark World AIDS Day, Apple celebrated 15 years of fighting AIDS with Product Red on Wednesday. The company also outlined new ways customers can support its ongoing efforts — like buying Red versions of iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7.
Through December 6, Apple will donate $1 to the Global Fund for every purchase made with Apple Pay at an Apple Store, through the Apple Store online and in the Apple Store app.
The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo are among the biggest winners in the 2021 Apple Music Awards. This year, Apple Music also added Regional Artist of the Year awards, which recognize “artists who made the greatest impact culturally.”
Apple called the past 12 months “a remarkable year for music.” You can watch its Awards celebration through Apple Music and the TV app on December 7.
Spotify’s new synchronized song lyrics — much like those we’ve enjoyed inside Apple Music for a while now — are now rolling out globally. The feature is available to both free and paid users across almost all devices.
Lyrics were one of the most requested features among Spotify users, the company said. They first entered testing among a smaller number of customers early this year, and now everyone can enjoy them.
Apple has been named alongside Travis Scott, Drake and concert promoter Live Nation in a new $750 million lawsuit over this month’s catastrophic Astroworld Festival. Houston attorney Tony Buzbee filed on behalf of 125 concert attendees, including the family of 21-year-old victim Axel Acosta.
“No amount of money will ever make these plaintiffs whole,” Buzbee said. The damages sought are intended “to punish and make an example of all involved” in the event — and to encourage better safety measures in the future.
Apple’s latest iOS 15.2 beta lets users search inside Apple Music playlists for the first time. The update makes it easier to quickly locate tracks, which should make it a little quicker to keep your favorite playlists in order.
This was one of the most requested features for Apple Music playlists. As users have noted, however, the service still has a long way to go before it catches up with rivals on playlist features.
Apple Music is now available on compatible LG smart TVs, just a few weeks after expanding its reach to PlayStation 5. The app is almost identical — in design and functionality — to Apple Music on the Apple TV.
Users can access their entire music library, as well as playlists, radio stations, and even music videos.
You don’t have to splash out on an Apple TV to enjoy Apple TV+ and Apple Music alongside all your other favorite streaming services. They’re now available on a whole host of brilliant third-party devices — many of which are on sale now.
Unlike Apple, the likes of Amazon and Roku are offering big Black Friday discounts that are already live. Here are our picks of the best Apple TV alternatives that you can buy today from just $19.99.
After weeks of speculation surrounding a new Apple Music app for PlayStation 5, the streaming service has finally landed on Sony’s newest home console, allowing subscribers to enjoy their favorite playlists while they game.
However, the app is missing one of its most impressive features. Users have discovered that spatial audio with Dolby Atmos is not available for Apple Music tracks on PlayStation 5.
Apple’s website has been updating to include a reference to Apple Music for “gaming consoles.” It comes less than a week after the service was first spotted (but unavailable to download) on PlayStation 5.
The reference all but confirms Cupertino is indeed working to bring Apple Music to the latest game systems from Microsoft and Sony, alongside Apple TV, which is already available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.
Apple Music is now more affordable for those who agree not to use buttons. A new “Voice Plan,” unveiled Monday during Apple’s big “Unleashed” event, lets you access the entire Apple Music catalog using only your voice for just $4.99 a month.
That’s half the price of a regular Apple Music subscription — and it might just be ideal for HomePod users.