Author: Juli Clover
Apple Music is Apple's streaming music service, comparable to other similar streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Google Play Music, Tidal, and others.
Apple Music boasts access to a total of 50 million songs. Content can be streamed or downloaded for offline play, and there are also song and genre-based radio stations available along with the curated Beats 1 radio station.
Apple Music integrates with your existing iCloud Music Library, so you can combine Apple Music songs with songs that you have previously purchased on iTunes all in one unified location.
Apple Music's Unique Features
All of the streaming services have differences, and with Apple Music, Apple has focused on human curation. While there are some algorithmically created playlists, a lot of the content highlighted on Apple Music is done by Apple Music editors.
Apple offers regularly updated personalized playlists in a "For You" tab, including a favorites mix, a chill mix, a friends mix, and a new music mix, along with other playlist options that are updated on a daily basis.
Apple Music also often has exclusive album releases, documentaries, and music videos that aren't available on other platforms as a way to lure subscribers.
Beats 1, Apple Music's 24/7 live radio station, is also one of the service's most unique features. It features songs curated by DJs along with a multitude of special shows, sometimes created by artists.
What's Included in a Subscription
Apple Music is available in over 100 countries and regions, with a full list of countries available on Apple's website.
Device Compatibility
Apple music works on all of Apple's devices, including iPhone (CarPlay included), iPad, Apple Watch (with no iPhone on LTE models), Apple TV, Mac (in iTunes), and HomePod.
It's also available on non-Apple devices, so you don't need to be an Apple user to get it. It works on on PCs with the PC version of iTunes, on Android devices with the Android Apple Music app, on Sonos devices, and on Amazon-branded Echo devices.
Cost
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported music tier. A paid subscription is required for all Apple Music content.
A standard Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States. With UNiDAYS verification, college students can sign up for a discounted Apple Music subscription that costs $4.99 per month.
A family plan is available for $14.99 per month, and it allows up to six people to listen to Apple Music. A family subscription requires Family Sharing to be set up, which requires all people in the family to use the same credit card for iTunes billing purposes.
Pricing does vary by country, but is similar to the U.S. pricing.
In the United States, Verizon subscribers with Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited data plans can access Apple Music for free.
Free Trial
Apple offers free three-month free trials for Apple Music, and in some cases, has been known to offer additional trial months to encourage listeners to sign up for a paid subscription.
Apple Music Basics
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Apple Music is Apple's streaming music service, comparable to other similar streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Google Play Music, Tidal, and others.
Apple Music boasts access to a total of 50 million songs. Content can be streamed or downloaded for offline play, and there are also song and genre-based radio stations available along with the curated Beats 1 radio station.
Apple Music integrates with your existing iCloud Music Library, so you can combine Apple Music songs with songs that you have previously purchased on iTunes all in one unified location.
Apple Music's Unique Features
All of the streaming services have differences, and with Apple Music, Apple has focused on human curation. While there are some algorithmically created playlists, a lot of the content highlighted on Apple Music is done by Apple Music editors.
Apple offers regularly updated personalized playlists in a "For You" tab, including a favorites mix, a chill mix, a friends mix, and a new music mix, along with other playlist options that are updated on a daily basis.
Apple Music also often has exclusive album releases, documentaries, and music videos that aren't available on other platforms as a way to lure subscribers.
Beats 1, Apple Music's 24/7 live radio station, is also one of the service's most unique features. It features songs curated by DJs along with a multitude of special shows, sometimes created by artists.
What's Included in a Subscription
- Unlimited access to Apple Music songs on demand
- Personalized algorithmic playlists
- Curated playlists
- Mood-based playlists
- User-created playlists
- Beats 1 Radio
- Access to other radio stations
- Offline song playback
- Existing music matched to iTunes catalog and added to iCloud Music Library
- Music and playlist syncing across all Apple Music-compatible devices
Apple Music is available in over 100 countries and regions, with a full list of countries available on Apple's website.
Device Compatibility
Apple music works on all of Apple's devices, including iPhone (CarPlay included), iPad, Apple Watch (with no iPhone on LTE models), Apple TV, Mac (in iTunes), and HomePod.
It's also available on non-Apple devices, so you don't need to be an Apple user to get it. It works on on PCs with the PC version of iTunes, on Android devices with the Android Apple Music app, on Sonos devices, and on Amazon-branded Echo devices.
Cost
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported music tier. A paid subscription is required for all Apple Music content.
A standard Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States. With UNiDAYS verification, college students can sign up for a discounted Apple Music subscription that costs $4.99 per month.
A family plan is available for $14.99 per month, and it allows up to six people to listen to Apple Music. A family subscription requires Family Sharing to be set up, which requires all people in the family to use the same credit card for iTunes billing purposes.
Pricing does vary by country, but is similar to the U.S. pricing.
In the United States, Verizon subscribers with Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited data plans can access Apple Music for free.
Free Trial
Apple offers free three-month free trials for Apple Music, and in some cases, has been known to offer additional trial months to encourage listeners to sign up for a paid subscription.
Apple Music Basics
- How to Sign Up for Apple Music
- How to Sign Up for an Apple Music Family Plan
- How to Sign Up for an Apple Music Student Plan
- How to Set Up Apple Music
- How to Cancel an Apple Music Subscription
- How to Use Apple Music on Android
- How to Use Apple Music on Apple Watch
- How to Sync Albums and Playlists From Apple Music to Apple Watch
- How to Stream Apple Music to an AirPlay Speaker or Apple TV
- How to Customize Apple Music With Loves and Dislikes
- How to Transfer a Spotify Playlist to Apple Music
- How to Customize Your Apple Music Library
- How to Turn on Automatic Downloads for Songs in Apple Music
- How to Turn On iCloud Music Library for Apple Music
- Managing Your Music
- How to Add Music to Your Apple Music Library
- How to Create a Playlist in Apple Music
- How to Add Photos to Playlists
- How to Download Songs for Offline Playback on Apple Music
- How to Remove Downloaded Apple Music Songs
- How to Add Star Ratings to Songs in Apple Music
- How to See Song Lyrics in Apple Music
- Useful Siri Commands That Work With Apple Music
- How to Search for Songs Using Lyrics in Apple Music
- How to Ask Siri on HomePod to Play Apple Music Playlists, Genres, Moods, and More
Sharing
- How to Share Songs and Albums With Friends in Apple Music
- How to Share Apple Music Playlists With Friends
- How to See What Your Friends Are Listening to in Apple Music
- How to Subscribe to a Friends' Playlist in Apple Music
Apple Music on Other Devices
More Apple Music Tips
- How to Set an Apple Music Song as an Alarm
- How to Limit How Much Space Apple Music Takes Up on Your iPhone
- How to Listen to Apple Music on the Web
Apple Music Comparison Guides
Trying to decide between Apple Music and another service? Make sure to check out our guides comparing Apple Music with other streaming music options that are out there.- Spotify vs. Apple Music
- Google Play Music vs. Apple Music
- Amazon Music Unlimited vs. Apple Music
- Tidal vs. Apple Music
Music Quality
Apple Music uses 256Kb/s AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files. For comparison, Spotify, Apple Music's largest competitor, uses 320Kb/s Ogg Vorbis files, but while that sounds like it's better quality, the two are not identical.
Both AAC and Ogg Vorbis are different compression formats with different sound profiles, but both are similar and the average person isn't going to be able to tell one from the other. CNET has a great comparison testing the sound quality of Apple Music and Spotify.
DRM
You can download songs from Apple Music for offline playback, but the content that you download is protected by DRM (digital rights management), much like other streaming music services.
If you cancel your Apple Music subscription, the Apple Music songs that you've downloaded were no longer work. Apple Music songs also can't be transferred to other devices, downloaded, burned to CD, or used off device in any way.
Note that with iCloud Music Library enabled, all of your Apple Music content will be available on all of your Apple Music-compatible devices.
Guide Feedback
Have an Apple Music question or tip that you don't see available in our guide? Email us at tips@macrumors.com.
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