The latest beta of the HomePod system software adds support for Apple Music lossless audio. This allows both the large and small versions of Apple’s smart speaker to play music in a very high-quality format.
The new Music Widget, which is actually a standalone app, brings back to life the original Mac OS X (Tiger) iTunes widget. So you can party like it’s 2005 with your tunes.
The Tiger OS, released in 2005, offered nifty little widgets through its Dashboard. Now programmer Mario Guzman gives us an exact replica of the defunct iTunes widget, but for modern Macs.
Apple has confirmed that its Apple Music Lossless and Spatial Audio features will be coming to India. The features debuted elsewhere for users in May at no added cost.
Apple’s Support Twitter page notes that “We appreciate your interest. Dolby Atmos on Apple Music will be coming to India soon. Keep an eye out here.” Meanwhile, the Apple Music page for India also makes mention of the feature. No official launch date has yet been announced.
You’ll need some special equipment to enjoy high-resolution lossless audio tracks inside Apple Music. But spatial audio with Dolby Atmos is available to everyone who has a set of decent headphones.
Here’s how to enable it on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
Spatial audio inside Apple Music will get dynamic head tracking later this year, Apple has confirmed. The feature promises an even more immersive experience by adjusting sound based on your movements.
The confirmation comes just as Apple rolls out spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless music for Apple Music subscribers.
Apple launched the promised new Spatial Audio service for Apple Music on Monday. The feature was announced in May, and the wait is over. Spatial Audio allows songs seemingly come from all around the listener, even from above. If the track has been mixed to support it, of course.
The Belkin Soundform Connect could be just what you need to connect your speakers to Apple Music’s upcoming high-quality lossless audio. The wireless adapter allows iPhone and Mac users communicate with any speaker over AirPlay 2 using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.
I ran some tests, and I’m impressed with the usefulness of this tiny accessory.
Apple smart speakers will be able to play Apple Music’s lossless audio after an upcoming software update. Both HomePod and HomePod mini will get support for the high-quality audio format, according to Apple.
This is good news for HomePod owners who may have been feeling disgruntled about being left out of a signature new Apple Music feature.
If you are unable to play Apple Music tracks when you’re driving or out and about, it’s probably because you need to enable streaming over a cellular connection. We’ll show you how.
There’s hope for AirPods users unhappy that the new Apple Music lossless option won’t work on their wireless headphones. Tipster Jon Prosser said on Wednesday that Apple will introduce a software update that will allow the earbuds to play lossless audio. Supposedly, AirPlay and Wi-Fi are just waiting to be enabled in AirPods.
Apple will roll out lossless audio and Dolby Atmos support on Apple Music next month, and the upgrades will come at no additional cost to subscribers. But they do have one rather significant caveat.
High-resolution lossless tracks can’t be enjoyed on AirPods — not even the $549 AirPods Max. So what can you enjoy them on? We’ll explain everything you need to make the most of Apple Music’s big changes.
Apple Music fans who are super-excited about the just-announced lossless audio option should be aware that it won’t work with AirPods or HomePod. Not even the $549 AirPods Max.
But Apple’s headphones and smart speaker do support Spatial Audio for songs mixed in Dolby Atmos, another new feature of Apple Music.
Apple Music is going lossless — at no extra cost to subscribers. Apple revealed the free upgrade Monday, a day ahead of its rumored launch. The company said Apple Music will bring lossless audio to more than 75 million tracks starting in June so listeners can hear songs “the way the artists created them in the studio.”
In addition, Apple Music will add Spatial Audio support for songs mixed in Dolby Atmos. That means customers who own AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and Beats headphones featuring an H1 or W1 chip — or using the built-in speakers in the newest iPhone, iPad and Mac — will be able to hear certain songs in the immersive format.
Apple is teasing a special announcement regarding Apple Music is “coming soon,” possibly referring to a new Apple Music HiFi lossless audio tier. And Apple believes it’s going to send shockwaves through the industry.
The “coming soon” tease can be seen in the Browse section of Apple Music. There is a short animation showing the Apple Music logo spinning around, getting closer and closer to the camera as it does, with multiple copies appearing as it does.
A message accompanying the video notes that users should, “Get ready – music is about to change forever.”
Apple Music Hi-Fi, a version of the streaming music service offering higher-quality audio, could debut “in the coming weeks,” according to an unconfirmed report.
What the new streaming rate will be is unclear. But it will have to take an on improved version of archrival streaming service Spotify.
The European Commission accused Apple on Friday of wielding an unfair advantage over Apple Music rivals because of Cupertino’s tight control of the App Store’s commission system.
“By setting strict rules on the App Store that disadvantage competing music streaming services, Apple deprives users of cheaper music streaming choices and distorts competition,” said Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in a statement. “This is done by charging high commission fees on each transaction in the App Store for rivals and by forbidding them from informing their customers of alternative subscription options.”
Today is Earth Day and, to celebrate the occasion, Apple’s introduced a plethora of “Earth Day programming” across its various platforms, including the App Store, Apple TV+, and Apple Watch. For today, at least, no matter where you go for your Earth Day reminders, Apple’s got you covered.
Apple’s music service pays musicians double what archrival Spotify does to stream each song to subscribers.
This amount doesn’t directly affect users of either service, but it might make some people consider using the service that sends artists more money.
Apple is investing millions of dollars in UnitedMasters, a music distribution platform for independent artists. The company makes an app that’s designed to help indie musicians release music to streaming platforms.
UnitedMasters lets users upload their music to platforms like Apple Music within seconds. They can then get paid royalties through PayPal.
Apple will highlight the contributions of women to society in many ways during Women’s History Month, including suggesting relevant outstanding books, podcasts and apps. It also plans virtual Today at Apple sessions led by female creators.
Plus, there’ll be an International Women’s Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge for March 8, and there’ll be other ways of observing this day.
iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 offer the ability to share lyrics directly from Apple Music for the first time. You can use the feature to send snippets from your favorite tracks to social media, messaging apps, and more.
We’ll show you how to use it on iPhone and iPad.
Apple has paid out a massive $163,338,890 in “accrued historical unmatched royalties” for Apple Music. That’s more than any other streaming music service, including Spotify, which currently leads the overall global market share.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective received a total of $424.3 million in these historical royalties. Variety notes this means some songwriters and publishers will receive a big “windfall.”
Apple launched its Replay 2021 playlist on Monday, giving Apple Music users a way to easily see a ranking of their most listened-to songs.
Unlike Spotify’s ultra-popular Wrapped feature, which summarizes annual listening, Apple updates its Replay feature constantly throughout the year. Updated rankings show up every Sunday.
With the global pandemic causing many students to rely on remote learning, it’s not a great time to be in higher education. But there is one small bright spot: Cupertino just doubled the free trial period for Apple Music for students in select countries.
Instead of the standard three-month trial, students in higher education can now get six months before they must shell out a monthly fee. The extended trial, only available to new Apple Music customers, runs through April 30.
Apple turned to country music legend Dolly Parton, Squarespace and the Super Bowl to promote Shazam and a new deal on Cupertino’s streaming music service.
You can use Shazam when listening to Parton’s just-released 5 to 9 advertisement to get five free months of Apple Music. That’s two months more than the usual offer.