FAQ: Everything You Wanted to Know About Apple Music

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The official launch of the Apple Music music service took place today. We got Beats 1 Radio, an updated Music app for iOS, personalized playlists, and more. Many of you are now just bursting with curiosity, so we have prepared a detailed guide in which we answered all questions related to Apple Music in one way or another.

The basics

What is Apple Music?

All the music you have and need.

This is how Apple describes the new service. Marketing aside, Apple Music wants to integrate your music library with the vast iTunes catalog.

You can compose playlists online and offline from your music and any tracks from the iTunes Store, listen to individual artists or playlists created by music experts. Apple Music also includes the public 24/7 Beats 1 radio station, tunable stations similar to iTunes Radio, and the social network Connect, which lets you connect with artists and bands.

Why a streaming service?

More and more people prefer to listen to music online rather than buying it and storing it locally on their devices. Being able to listen to any songs in general, and not just the thousand tracks that you purchased from iTunes, looks very tempting.

It's kind of like iTunes Match and isn't limited to just your library. With Apple Music, you can listen to absolutely everything. Apple plans to recommend new music to you using Beats 1 and curated playlists.

Do you have to pay for this?

Yes, but not right away. In the first three months, Apple Music is available for free on iOS devices, Mac and PC. After that, you will have to spend 169 rubles every month.

Can you save money?

Yes, Apple provides an opportunity to save money. Buying a family subscription for six people will cost you 269 rubles. You don't have to use the same Apple ID; everything works on a family basis.

What's included in the subscription?

For the first three months, all Apple Music features are available for free. After that, without a paid subscription, you can:

• listen to your music locally or from the cloud (using iTunes Match),
• listen to Beats 1,
• listen to certain Apple Music radio stations with ads and track skipping limits,
• follow performers in Connect.

With a paid subscription (as well as in the first three months), you get all of the above plus the following:

• unlimited track skips for Apple Music radio stations,
• the ability to like, comment, save and play content from Connect,
• unlimited listening to any music from the Apple Music catalog,
• the ability to add tracks from Apple Music to your library and listen to them offline,
• the ability to listen to all purchased and added music online from the cloud (like in iTunes Match),
• access to curated playlists and recommendations.

What happens if I don't buy a subscription after the trial period ends?

You will no longer be able to listen to tracks added to your library from the Apple Music catalog, access to Connect content will be closed, and there will be a limit on skipping tracks when listening to Apple Music radio stations. Streaming your music from iCloud will also not be available (unless you have iTunes Match).

What devices can you listen to Apple Music on?

Apple Music is available today on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, and PC. Apple TV and Android devices will receive support in the fall.

Stop … Android? Are you seriously?

Quite. To give users flexibility, Apple needs to make the service available on multiple platforms. After all, Beats Music had an Android app. So it’s not surprising.

How Apple Music will work on Apple Watch?

Thanks to the dedicated volume for media content, you can download tracks from your Apple Music library to your Apple Watch as a regular playlist. That is, you don't need an iPhone to listen to music.

I already have a subscription to Google Music, Spotify, Yandex. Music, etc. Why is Apple Music better?

The main advantage of Apple Music is its integration with the Apple ecosystem. You do not need to download additional software or link a card for payment. The app is already available on all your devices, and money will be debited from your Apple ID balance.

Apple Music is right for you if you:

• want to listen to music from your collection and an extensive online catalog,
• do not want to download applications and pay for services through third-party services,
• love Beats Music playlists,
• want to use a budget-friendly subscription for the whole family.

And don't forget that the first three months of using Apple Music are free. Why not give it a try?

What exactly do you need to listen to Apple Music?

IOS 8.4 for iPhone and iPad has been released today, along with an update for iTunes - all of which support Apple Music. All you need to do is update iOS on your device or iTunes on your computer.

What about Apple Music support in iOS 9 beta?

@lokithorrrrr a new iOS 9 seed will support Apple Music

We have great news for the impatient! According to Eddie Cue's tweet, there will be a special update for iOS 9 that will add support for Apple Music. As it became known, iOS 9 beta 3 will be released next week.

In which countries will Apple Music be available?

At WWDC, Apple announced that the new music service will launch in over 100 countries at once. Russia was one of them.

What will happen to Beats Music?

Nothing. If you are a Beats Music subscriber, you can easily switch to Apple Music. In this case, your entire library and settings will be migrated automatically, and your Beats Music subscription will be canceled. You will become an Apple Music subscriber, which will be debited from the account associated with your Apple ID.

Music

What will Apple Music look like on iOS?

Apple offers content to users in five categories: For You, New, Radio, Connect, and My Music. The first contains your playlists and recommendations, the second contains the latest releases from artists you like, the third contains Beats 1 and other radio stations (formerly iTunes Radio), the fourth contains the streams of the musicians you follow, and the last contains all your music (downloaded or purchased), sorted by artist, album, and so on.

What about iTunes on Mac and PC?

In iTunes, nothing has changed except the new tabs in the menu. My Music, Playlists, and the iTunes Store remain, while Match and Radio have replaced four new tabs from iOS - For You, New, Radio, and Connect.

Apple won't automatically add music to my library, will it?

No, there will be no more scandal like the one with the free U2 album. All music that appears in your library must be added by you. Recommendations and suggested playlists will be in their respective categories, but not in the library itself.

How will Apple Music affect iTunes Radio, iTunes Store and iTunes Match?

iTunes Radio is everything. R. I. P. His place was taken by the 24-hour radio station Beats 1 and the automatic stations of Apple Music. Of course, the ability to create your own radios remains. The iTunes Store is still afloat. Well, what if it's not enough for you just to listen to tracks online and you want to buy a couple of albums? The iTunes Match functions (the ability to upload your library to iCloud and endless skipping tracks in iTunes Radio), which are available for 799 rubles per year, now completely duplicate the Apple Music subscription.

Why do you need iTunes Match then?

Without an Apple Music subscription, you won't be able to store your music library in the cloud. This is where iTunes Match comes in handy. Why not buy an Apple Music subscription then? Well, at least for the sake of economy. iTunes Match costs 799 rubles per year, while Apple Music costs about 2,000.

And what about the limit on the number of tracks in the cloud?

@karlfranks @robmsimoes 25k for launch and working to get to 100k for iOS 9

According to a recent post by Eddie Cue on Twitter, Apple plans to increase the limit of tracks in the cloud to 100 thousand for the official release of iOS 9 in the fall. In the meantime, the Apple Music limit allows you to store 25 thousand songs.

Can my iCloud songs and Apple Music catalogs be mixed?

Of course! You can compose playlists using tracks from your own library or from the Apple Music catalog.

What about offline playback?

No problem. Downloading music to the memory of devices for later listening without an Internet connection is one of the features of Apple Music.

Will there be any Apple Music exclusives?

No doubt about it! For example, Pharrell Williams' new song Freedom is only available on Apple Music. It's the same with the infamous 1989 album by Taylor Swift. And, of course, exclusive shows on Beats 1, Jaden Smith radio, St. Vincent, Pharrell and Dr. Dre along with interviews with famous artists.

How do I customize my preferences?

When you launch Apple Music for the first time, you will be prompted for genres and artists that you like. This procedure is familiar to users of Beats Music: you need to tap on the large bubbles with names. Then the system keeps track of which tracks you mark as your favorites, remembers your tastes and adapts to them.

What about new products?

The Music app has a New tab where you can open new music. And this is not just a list of charts: Apple Music selects new items strictly according to your preferences. Only the music you like.

Can you tell us more about curated playlists?

These playlists are one of the key features of Apple Music. The company has dedicated curators who manually select songs for these playlists. In addition, Apple has partnered with various music-savvy publications, so in the future we will see recommendations from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Q Magazine, DJ Mag, Shazam, Mojo, The Grand Ole Opry, XXL Magazine and more.

How can I tell my friends what I'm listening to?

You can share your playlist, favorite album, or other content with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, and Messages.

How to Search Music in Apple Music?

There are two ways: dynamic search in the app and Siri.

How does dynamic search work?

Just start typing the name of the genre, track, or artist and Apple Music will display the corresponding results. However, you can filter them to display only songs from your library or only from the Apple Music catalog. In addition, the system remembers your recent searches, and also displays the most popular searches of other users of the service.

And Siri? Does she know about music now?

And then! Siri's musical knowledge has improved dramatically. You can ask her to include the top songs from 1980, and she will put together a playlist for you with the tracks that were at the top of the charts that year. Or another example: while listening to a song, you can ask Siri to play more similar tracks, and she will compose the corresponding playlist for you. You can also use Siri to add songs you like to your library and queue up a playlist.

Radio

Apple Music Radio Will Replace iTunes Radio Now?

Yes, iTunes Radio features will be taken over by Beats 1 and themed radio stations. Plus, you can always create your own stations based on a track or artist.

Beats 1 is a 24/7 radio station where, in addition to music, exclusive interviews, celebrity programs, new song launches and more will appear.

Can you tell me more about Beats 1?

As mentioned above, this is a full-fledged station with guest DJs and celebrities, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is available to every Apple Music user, even those without a subscription. Beats 1 started working with Apple Music and is available in over 100 countries around the world (not yet available for users with Russian accounts).

Beats 1 is broadcast live. Even pre-recorded content will only be available to listeners once. Subscribers may be able to listen to interviews and some other exclusive content on Connect, but this is not yet known for certain.

Who will host the show?

Apple has hired three top-notch radio DJs. BBC1's Zane Lowe will host Los Angeles, WQHT Hot 97's Ebro Darden in New York, and Julie Adenuga will take over London.

But will there be other stations besides Beats 1?

Yes, in addition to radio with DJs, you can enjoy a variety of themed stations - performers, genres and moods for all tastes.

Can I create my own radio?

Of course! Similar to iTunes Radio, you can create a station based on a song, album, or artist - and Apple Music will create an endless playlist for you based on your preferences. Each station can be customized even more precisely by adding likes and dislikes to the songs.

Connect

Okay, what is Connect? Wouldn't it be as bad as Ping?

Connect is a place where musicians can connect with their audience, talk about their songs, the story of their creation and other important things. Let's hope Connect doesn't suffer the same fate as Ping.

What type of content can I find on Connect?

Performers can post whatever they see fit in their feeds: behind-the-scenes photos, lyrics for new songs, links to alternative versions of clips, song excerpts. If you have a subscription, then all of this content can be uploaded to your media library.

And can I leave comments?

Yes! At the same time, your favorite performer can even personally respond to your comment. The entries can be shared on social networks, so that the content will not gather dust only “within the walls” of Connect.

Can you find more music from the musician you like through Connect?

Yes, all artists on Connect have full discography, biography and content they shared on Connect. This list will also show you which of the available artist content you have already downloaded.

Will Connect be indie artists?

Any musician with an iTunes Music account can register a Connect page and post their songs to Apple Music. So yeah, there will be indie artists on Connect.

Usage

How do I subscribe?

Launch Music on iOS or iTunes on your computer and agree to start a trial. To activate the service, your Apple ID must have 169 rubles on your balance or a card for payment must be linked. Don't worry, everything is free - the money will be debited only after three months.

How do I turn off auto-renewal of my subscription?

For the convenience of users, automatic subscription renewal is enabled by default. If you do not plan to use Apple Music on a paid basis, you can turn off auto-renewal.

To do this, open the profile settings in "Music" and click the "View Apple ID" button, go to the subscription management menu. Here you just need to turn off the old-school auto-renewal toggle switch.

How do I register a nickname?

You can also set a unique Apple Music username in your profile.

To do this, tap on your photo and press "Change" to drive in the desired nickname.

How do I include profanity songs?

Most of the cool albums contain profanity, that is, swearing. By default, a limit is set on it, so many tracks, or even entire albums, will not be available to you.

To fix this, open "Settings" - "General" - "Restrictions". In the "Allowed content" section, go to the "Music, podcasts" item and turn on the Explicit toggle switch.

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