Apple iOS 16.3 arrives next week with new functionality and at least one critical iPhone fix. Now its code has leaked the existence of a new app: Apple Music Classical.
Spotted by iSoftware Updates, code in the iOS 16.3 Release Candidate (released Wednesday) contains references to “Open in Apple Music Classical” and “Explore this artist in the app designed for classical music.” This makes sense. Back in August 2021, Apple promised “a dedicated classical music app next year” following its acquisition of classical music streaming service Primephonic. But radio silence followed — until now.
Apple iOS 16
Splitting the Apple Music app, which currently houses all genres of music, may actually annoy some fans. Notably those who like to create a mix of genres in their playlists or simply feel that Apple is overcomplicating things. After all, Spotify, Tidal and other major streaming services simply offer classical music as a genre within their main app.
On the flipside, in its Primephonic acquisition press release, Apple promised “a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits.”
Apple music may be splitting into two separate apps
“In the near future, we’ll deliver a dedicated classical experience that will truly be the best in the world,” added Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. While his timescale was off, the additional wait means hopes will be high that the newly leaked app lives up to these claims.
While there is no suggestion in the iOS 16.3 Release Candidate code that Apple will launch Apple Music Classical with the update, all will be revealed in a matter of days.
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