Apple Music turns 10: Spatial audio to recommendations, check top features

Business Standard

2 days ago

Apple Music is now 10 years old and the US technology company is celebrating this by announcing Apple Music Studios, which is set to open in Los Angeles, US in mid August. This music streaming service, initially rolled out for iOS users, was launched back on June 30, 2015, and now it has been a decade since its inception. From then, to now, it has become one of the top choices in music streaming apps. But what makes it a go-to streaming service? What is so special about it?
There are a few features that have contributed significantly to the success of Apple Music, such as:
Spatial audio, powered by Dolby Atmos
Hi-Res lossless streaming
Compatible with wide ranging devices
DJ Mixes
Lyrics
Shazam integration
Apple Music: Spatial audio by Dolby Atmos
Apple Music's Spatial Audio, powered by Dolby Atmos, launched in June 2021, offers a multi-dimensional sound experience where music feels like it's coming from all around you and not just left and right, but also from above and behind. Available to all Apple Music subscribers, it works on supported devices and headphones, making songs sound more immersive and lifelike.
Apple Music: Hi-Res lossless streaming
Apple Music's Hi-Res Lossless feature, released in June 2021, lets subscribers stream and download music in ultra-high quality, going up to 24-bit/192 kHz. This means songs carry more detail and depth than standard audio, preserving every subtle element from the original recording. To enjoy this quality fully, users need specific hardware like a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in their device.
Apple Music: Compatible with wide-ranging devices
What further enhances Apple Music's popularity among users is its compatibility with a range of devices. Apple Music works across a wide variety of devices. It supports all major Apple products like iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and HomePods. It also runs on Android phones, Windows PCs, smart TVs, web browsers, and even in cars through Apple CarPlay. Since it is not restricted to just Apple products, it carries a large user base.
Apple Music: DJ Mixes
Apple Music's DJ Mixes feature lets users listen to curated song sets mixed by DJs, with smooth transitions using tools like beat matching. Subscribers can access these mixes from Apple Music's huge library of over 100 million songs. Apple Music creates the blend between songs automatically without any need for user intervention, which turns this streaming service into users' personal DJ.
Apple Music DJ Mixes were initially launched in September 2021. Later, in April 2022, Apple Music launched DJ mixes in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Apple Music: Lyrics
Apple Music has a feature for users with which they can see the lyrics of any song as it plays in the application. In most cases, the music streaming service shows lyrics on screen in a time-synced, line-by-line format as the song plays. If time-synced lyrics aren't available, the full lyrics may be displayed instead. It was released back in 2019.
Apple Music: Shazam integration
Shazam is a song-identifying app that listens to a short clip of music playing nearby and matches it to its database to tell you the song's name and artist. When linked with Apple Music, it lets users instantly play the identified track without needing to search or remember the name of the song.
It does not end here, Apple has continued making Apple Music better over the years. Earlier on June 9, during the Worldwide Developers Conference 2025, Apple announced three new features.
What's more coming to Apple Music
With next generation Apple platforms, Apple Music will get new features, including Lyrics Translation to help users understand songs in different languages, and Lyrics Pronunciation so anyone can sing along more easily. It also announced the arrival of the AutoMix feature, which builds on the DJ Mixes feature. This new feature uses smart tools like beat matching and time stretching to smoothly transition between songs, similar to what a DJ does during a live set.