It’s easy to dismiss Apple Music if you’re an Android user, especially since the iPhone version of the app seems to get all the attention. But anyone looking to leave Spotify for a new streaming service shouldn’t dismiss it so quickly — certainly not when there’s a big update on the way,
The latest beta version of Apple Music has started rolling out to Android users (via 9to5Google). With it comes a pretty hefty upgrade to the app’s home screen widgets, as well as a hint at what Apple’s upcoming standalone classical music app might be called.
Apple Music has had widgets for a long time, but the update gives them a brand new overhaul. The main benefit is that they don’t have the annoying thick empty border, which leaves a bunch of unnecessary space on your home screen.
Widget backgrounds are also in flux, changing according to whatever the current song’s album artwork is involved. While the default pink color-scheme hasn’t completely gone away, it’s going to make looking at Apple Music significantly nicer.
Not to mention the fact that the widgets are also better at conveying information, with larger album art and text. Which is always helpful, especially if you’re only able to glance at your screen.
And for the classical music fans, code within the latest Apple Music APK suggests that the long-awaited standalone app will be called “Apple Classical." Hardly inventive, but you can’t fault the accuracy of that moniker.
This service is being spun out of Apple’s acquisition of Primephonic, a service that was shut down shortly afterwards. A new app was promised to be coming in early 2022, and it looks like that might be happening sooner rather than later.
The code also suggests Apple Music will let users open any supported tracks in the new classical-friendly app.
While the update may seem minor to some, the fact is that Apple hasn’t forgotten about Android users. They may not be the company’s main priority, for obvious reasons, but your money is just as good as an iPhone user’s. So if you’ve decided the Joe Rogan controversy means Spotify isn’t for you, then Apple Music is as good an alternative as any — especially since it has hi-res music support.
In other streaming news, the YouTube TV iPhone app is about to leapfrog YouTube's app on PiP. Oh, and ... MoviePass 2.0 is coming this summer. Seriously, it is.
