Apple Music is a subscription-based service that gives you access to the biggest on-demand collection of music. You can enjoy curated playlists and personal recommendations, music videos, exclusive live performances, and content created by specific artists that are available on other platforms.
When you download Apple Music, you get high-resolution lossless audio, Dolby Atmos support for spatial sound, offline downloads, and cross-platform playback. It’s a perfect solution whether you’re a casual listener or a sophisticated audiophile with an extensive audio setup.
While the service is preinstalled on all Apple devices, you can also get it on Windows computers and Android smartphones, and tablets. If you’re using a product from Apple, the app allows you to control playback via Siri on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, as well as CarPlay. You can also install Apple Music on gaming consoles and smart TVs.
Why should I download Apple Music?
With a catalog of over 100 million songs, Apple Music is known as the most comprehensive music streaming service on the market. In its collection, you can find songs from various genres, regions, and decades, even the more niche ones. You will also appreciate that Apple Music supports Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, which gives you an immersive surround sound, especially with headphones that offer this feature. It’s a significant improvement from the classic surround sound found in most Apple Music competitors.
For those who need access to high-quality audio files, Apple Music offers lossless, high-resolution tracks that aren’t compressed for streaming purposes. You can enable this setting in the app preferences, and it’s built into the subscription plan at no additional cost.
Similar to other streaming services, Apple Music also offers a selection of curated playlists, like New Music Daily or Rap Life, created by in-house music editors, not AI models. You can browse mood-based playlists or decade retrospectives from different regions, or enjoy seasonal tracklists.
There’s also a live radio called Apple Music Radio, where various DJs and celebrities host their shows. You can listen to interviews, deep dives into multiple albums, or song premieres. There is also a Listen Now section that is tailored to your listening habits; you can create shared playlists and explore an extensive collection of music videos, live concert recordings, and even short-form documentary films about music and artists. Apple Music also has a feature that displays synchronized song lyrics as you listen to music.
If you have vast MP3 or iTunes collections, you can easily synchronize them and upload them to the cloud, so they become available on all devices where you’re logged in to Apple Music with the same Apple ID. This way, even if you have tracks that generally aren’t available in the service catalog, you can still listen to them without any barriers.
With Apple Music, you can also save tracks and playlists to your devices and play them even without an internet connection, which is perfect when you’re traveling or have a limited data plan. Apple Music is integrated into the entire Apple ecosystem, so the app is fully supported whether you’re using iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple Watches. You can also control it via voice on HomePod or CarPlay. You can also download Apple Music on Windows computers and Android devices without losing any functionality.
Is Apple Music free?
Currently, Apple Music doesn’t offer a freemium plan. To use Apple Music, you need to purchase a subscription plan after your trial period expires. You can get a solo plan monthly or a version for a Family with up to 6 members. There are also special editions for Students, and Apple Music is part of the Apple One subscription bundle.
What operating systems are compatible with Apple Music?
You can download Apple Music on a wide range of devices beyond computers and mobile devices, making this a truly cross-platform service.
You can get Apple Music on iOS 12 or later, Android 5.0 or higher, and on computers running Windows 10/11 and macOS 12 or newer.
The service is also available on WatchOS, starting with version 6.0, Amazon Echo, Smart TVs, HomePod, PlayStation 5, or Xbox. There’s also a web service you can log into to run Apple Music from your browser.
What are the alternatives to Apple Music?
For those who enjoy YouTube and spend a lot of time on it, YouTube Music is a music streaming service with video clips as well as live performances. It smoothly integrates with other YouTube collections and Google services, and you can use it for free with ads. If you decide to purchase the premium version, you won’t get any advertisements, but you will also be able to play music when you’re offline and play your audio in a background mode on mobile devices. YouTube Music is available on Android and iOS devices, as well as through its web service.
Amazon Music is a service that is smoothly integrated into Alexa, but is also available on mobile devices and web browsers. You can get a limited catalog that’s part of the Amazon Prime subscription or access a bigger music collection with Amazon Music Unlimited. Apart from the expanded library, this plan also brings HD and Ultra HD audio files, which makes it perfect if you’re a more demanding user.
Spotify is now an industry leader that you can use for free with ads and other limitations, or subscribe to its paid service. Apart from music, you can also use Spotify to listen to podcasts, collaborate with others on playlists, and enjoy its advanced recommendation algorithms. With this app, you can also follow your friends or artists, and Spotify is available on almost all devices that support playing music, be it computers, mobile phones, gaming consoles, or TVs.
If you’re looking for a service that offers lossless FLAC streaming, Deezer is an option. With this service, you get a personalized music feed, can sync song lyrics, and listen to podcasts from different creators. There is a freemium version that plays ads from time to time, or you can subscribe to its paid plan and use Deezer on iOS and Android devices, as well as desktop computers and web browsers.
