Having an Apple Music subscription means that you get to access 100 million songs ad-free, can listen with lossless audio, integrate your music across Apple devices, and more. That’s great, but there are more features that we think Apple Music could introduce to make sure you’re getting bang for your buck.
1 Apple Music Connect
A major opportunity that Apple Music is missing out on right now is having its version of Spotify Connect. With a feature like “Apple Music Connect,” you would be able to remotely control listening to music on one device from your primary device. Unfortunately, Apple’s current version of this feature is limited to your Apple devices, such as the Apple Watch and Apple Homepod, or Airplay.
The Apple Music app can work as a remote control for your Homepod, and you can control music from your Apple Watch. However, controlling music playing on your Mac or other devices using your iPhone as a remote, for instance, is not something that works. If you are not deeply immersed in the Apple ecosystem or use Apple Music on an Android device, this restricted version of Connect is pretty much impossible to use. What I like about Spotify Connect is the simplicity of playing songs regardless of the brand of device you are using, and this is something that Apple Music could bank on to make that subscription seem lighter on the pockets.
2 Pin Playlists on Top
If you are a big fan of making a long list of playlists on Apple Music, you might be wondering why you are still unable to pin some of your favorite ones to the top for easy access. This is a feature that could also carry over to your music library, with the ability to pin specific songs to the top. I always find it frustrating to scroll down my 1,300+ song catalog to find my recent obsessions, which are buried among songs that I discovered on TikTok and Instagram a month ago.
One more thing Apple Music could bring to the table in terms of the app is the ability to access recently played songs in a custom playlist. While you can sort your music library by recently added songs, I find that I sometimes lose track of new songs I discover when I cannot recall song names.
3 Customize the Home Tab
A vital feature that an Apple Music subscription could include to be worth every penny is the ability to customize your Home tab on the app. This could include custom widgets for quick access to any element of your choice, the option to move around and organize your playlists, and even an option to add and remove genres or moods that you are currently interested in so that your playlist recommendations are more streamlined.
This feature could also include a dashboard to track your listening activity so that you can view your top artists, songs, albums, and genres. A potential dashboard like this could be more beneficial for you to be engaged with Apple Music’s app and could also flesh out Apple Music Replay, which is the yearly recap you get for your listening trends for the entire year.
Apple Music could also bring more customization and flexibility to your music library beyond the fact that you can sort all your liked songs on the basis of artist, recently added, and title. This could look something like a “Listen Later” option similar to YouTube’s Watch Later playlist or expand song sorting options to genres and languages.
4 Access Your Listening History
Although you can access your listening history in your Mac’s settings, it is currently not possible to access it inside the Apple Music app. Your listening history is also recorded to improve recommendations, and you can disable this as well. But if you like to revisit your recently played songs and listening history, this could be an exciting feature if Apple Music introduced it.
While Apple Music has a good collection of genre-based playlists, curated, listening activity-based playlists that you can access from the comfort of your library, such as “Just Listened,” “Most Played,” or “Current Obsessions” would be something that could engage listeners and stay on the app for longer listening sessions.
5 Saving and Liking Radio Stations
While Apple Music’s Radio feature is a great way for you to discover new stations and songs, it can be hard to lose your favorite station or DJ just because you do not have the option to save and like a station or DJ. Apple Music could also introduce a separate tab for your favorite radio stations inside the “Radio” tab so that you can access your most listened-to stations as easily as you access your saved songs. A radio library of sorts could prove to be a great feature that helps you sort, like, save, and remove radio stations while also making it easier for you to share stations with others.
Another feature that Apple Music could bring, from the likes of Apple Podcasts, is live transcripts for radio, which can be a game-changer. This would not only make the music streaming platform’s radio stations accessible but could also be helpful for anyone looking to make the best out of the content, RJs, and live songs that they are listening to.
6 A Mood Change for Stations
Apple Music’s “Create Station” option is one of the best features that it offers. While listening to a song from your library, you get to create a station that plays similar music, which is one way Apple Music makes sure you get to grow your library. But a nice touch that could improve this feature is the option to change the mood of the station while it is playing.
A “Change Mood” feature could let you swerve the direction of your automated playlist and offer moods such as Chill, Dreamy, Quirky, Ambient, and more. This could help you change your music discovery mid-session, depending on what mood you are in. Aligned with a mood change in stations, Apple Music could then also curate dedicated mood-based playlists and radio stations that appear in your music library, which could tie the whole thing together neatly.
Apart from these features, Apple Music has the potential to introduce so many interesting elements in the future. You can subscribe to Apple Music as a new user and get a 3-month free trial. You can also get three months free after you purchase an eligible Apple device. The student plan comes with one month of free Apple Music (and access to Apple TV+), as well as if you just subscribed to Apple One.
