Apple Music users are loving the new AutoMix feature in iOS 26, but one big limitation is dividing opinion
Apple Music's AutoMix feature has rolled out to iOS 26 public beta
Despite going viral, AutoMix has the habit of cutting songs short
Though AutoMix has had mostly positive reviews, a lot of users have noticed this habit
Apple is gearing up for the launch of its huge iOS redesign, and now that iOS 26 public beta is live, we're one step closer to its full rollout, which is expected to arrive in September. One of the star features of iOS 26 is AutoMix in Apple Music, which has garnered a lot of attention.
Apple Music's AutoMix function (which uses AI to mix between songs on the spot) was announced at WWDC and immediately went viral. It was a hit in developer beta, resulting in a wave of viral videos showcasing its clever beat-matching abilities, and is now even more accessible since rolling out to public beta.
During its early roll-out stages, users have praised AutoMix for enhancing the Apple Music experience, adding that it could spark an even more competitive relationship between other music streaming platforms, most notably Spotify. But despite the positive reception, there's one common limitation that test users have picked up on.
Apple Music's flagship DJ sacrifices song runtime
There's no denying that AutoMix can do almost everything a DJ can during a live set, and it's a huge step up from the standard crossfade setting. However, its uniqueness has been shadowed by its song-shortening habits, which haven't gone unnoticed by Apple Music fans on Reddit and TikTok.
Many users have spotted that when a song comes to an end and AutoMix starts doing its thing, it has the habit of starting the mixing process far too early, chopping the last 30 seconds off a song. In some cases, AutoMix will even sacrifice the beginning of the next song in the queue, starting playback 30 seconds into a track.
One user shared a video on TikTok mixing two Taylor Swift songs, showing the first song ending with 25 seconds remaining and the second song starting 49 seconds in – completely skipping over the first verse.
While this isn't the case for all AutoMix examples, it's been a common occurrence for a number of users, leading them to question whether AutoMix needs a few more touches here and there before its wider rollout. But as with any AI feature, it's not guaranteed to get it right every single time, but when it does, it sounds pretty good – just take a look at the video below, which shows AutoMix at its best without cutting the songs short.
There is still some time left before iOS 26 is set to roll out to everyone, meaning that there's time for Apple to crack down on the minor issues that have surfaced with AutoMix. It has a lot of potential to outshine other streaming platforms, and though I'm mainly a Spotify user, I might stick with Apple Music beyond my free trial when AutoMix drops.
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