Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) has clarified that the upcoming version of its iOS operating system for mobile phones does not contain settings to set a default music service, TechCrunch reported Thursday.
What Happened: Beta testers of iOS 14.5 in February found that they could ask Siri — Apple’s virtual assistant — to play a song and it would show a list of services from which the song could be played.
Post selection, Siri would play song requests from the chosen service eliminating the need to pick again, but this is not akin to selecting a default service.
The feature is an attempt by Siri to learn the listening apps a user wants to utilize for different types of audio content — not just music.
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Why It Matters: It is notable that the feature first appeared in iOS 14.5 beta 1, but is not available in beta 2, but was again made available in beta 3, noted TechCrunch.
The feature could help Siri learn user preferences for audio, for example, a user may prefer to listen to audio podcasts in Apple Podcasts but may want to listen to audiobooks in yet another app.
The Tim Cook-led company’s clarification comes at a time when Apple and streaming rival Spotify Technologies SA (NYSE: SPOT) are at loggerheads over the latter’s policies. Spotify had opposed Apple bundling its services last year.
The Swedish music streaming company is expected to take the top spot for U.S. podcasts this year, according to eMarketer.
Price Action: Apple shares fell 1.2% in the after-hours session on Thursday to $118.69 after closing the regular session 1.58% lower at $120.13.
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