Apple Music

Software Overview

Apple Music is a free audio player included with macOS and iOS devices, replacing Apple iTunes. The application allows you to play songs from your library and organize them in playlists, listen to free radio stations, stream over 75 million songs through Apple's Music service, and purchase music through the iTunes store.

Music supports various audio formats, including .AAC, .AIFF, MPEG-3 (.MP3), and WAVE (.WAV). You can create playlists to organize your music and browse your library by multiple categories, including artists, albums, and songs. In addition, Music offers three live radio stations you can listen to for free and provides a lyrics view to read the lyrics of songs as you listen.

While the audio player is useful without subscribing to the Apple Music streaming service, it is best suited for subscribed users. With the subscription, you have access to over 75 million songs and curated playlists from artists and other Music users to expand and refine your musical tastes. If you do not want to subscribe to the Music service but still want to purchase individual songs and albums, you can do so through the iTunes Store in Music. Also, any songs you have purchased via the iTunes Store are synced to the Music app on all of your devices via your iCloud account.

Music comes with several playback options that dictate the quality and volume levels of the audio tracks. You can play audio through the Music app directly on your device, through Bluetooth-connected speakers or headphones, or via an AppleTV. You can also send music to AirPlay-enabled speakers, such as Apple HomePod, Google Home Mini, or Sonos One.

Summary

macOS and iOS users will find Apple Music to be a suitable replacement for iTunes since it offers many of the same audio playing and organization features. However, it is not a robust media player. It is best used to play music through the Music streaming service and purchased music from the iTunes Store. If you are looking to customize your media player and play a wider range of audio and video files, look to other options, such as VLC media player.

Primary File Type

.M4AMPEG-4 Audio

Supported File Types

Additional Related File Types