Apple Music is lagging behind Spotify in the music streaming wars. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been using Apple Music since its release day in 2015, but after almost six years of its release, I don’t think I can defend Apple for not fixing some glitches or adding features to users. I really want.
Before 2015, I used to rip my CDs to my iPhone or buy them from the iTunes Store. When Apple Music was released, I deleted all the albums I had previously just to start over with the streaming service. Before the launch of Apple’s service, I didn’t even consider using Spotify or paying a monthly subscription to have all the songs I would like to listen to, but there I was subscribing to Apple Music and listening to all my favorite songs on demand.
It was not an easy start. For no reason, Apple Music just deleted all my songs sometimes. Then with every major iOS update, the streaming service changes almost completely. Apple was still figuring things out. Do you remember Connect? I don’t know why that existed, but I was there commenting and liking the posts of my favorite artists.
Over time, Apple Music improved and added some of the most requested features by users: a repeat of the year mix, the ability to listen to Apple on a web page, share a song on Instagram Stories, but there is still a lot to do. .
What Spotify has that Apple Music doesn’t have, and I wish it had
Music is what brings people together and I don’t know how Apple couldn’t come up with a way to make Apple Music feel more personalized and at the same time shareable. I know we can set up a profile, add friends and also see what they are listening to, but it is not enough.
First, Apple needs to make these functions more powerful. On the “Listen Now” page, you can see what your friends are listening to, but you don’t know when they heard it. An hour ago? In the past week? Now? This is one of the Spotify features that appeals to me the most.
I would like to know what my friends are listening to at the moment and what they are discovering. It helps to strike up a conversation, find similar tastes, or just meet a new artist.
Another thing that I would love to have is the ability to edit a playlist with someone else. Prepare a party playlist with my friends, share a playlist with my girlfriend with songs that remind us of each other, etc.
Finally, Apple Music should also add a private mode. I know I just said that I would love to share what I hear and see what my friends are discovering, but it would be amazing if I could sometimes listen to the sounds of rain or other content, and not count on my reproductions.
Errors that bother me and HiFi
I don’t know what’s going on with Apple Music, but it’s having trouble finding some covers by popular artists. I’ll give two examples: Taylor Swift is releasing a remade version of her album Fearless. It has a new cover, but for whatever reason Apple Music gives me the original Fearless album cover. And weeks have passed. The same goes for the Deluxe version of Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa.
I deleted the song, the album, downloaded it again and nothing happens. Sometimes the cover is right on the Discover tab, but not while I’m playing it.
Have you also noticed this? Whenever a famous artist or band releases a new album, it always takes me a while to find it on Apple Music because the app says it is not available. I don’t know if it’s a Brazilian thing where the servers need a moment, but all my friends on Spotify can listen to an album as soon as it’s released.
Now HiFi. We need to talk about a better audio quality experience. Spotify is launching a new subscription level only for people who want the best possible quality. With mobile devices reaching 512GB of storage and the deployment of 5G networks, I don’t think anyone will complain if a song uses more data than the average.
When it comes to streaming quality, Apple Music is superior to Spotify, but with the launch of a new level of hi-fi in 2021, this could change. Apple Music has its own Digital Master, which should mean that you can hear much better sound quality without paying more for it. But if that’s really the case, why isn’t Apple promoting this feature in AM? If you want to know if a song has a Digital Master version, you need to search for it in the iTunes Store. Strange, right?
Now with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, Apple sells some really nice headphones, but you can’t seem to get the most out of them. Is the company planning a hi-fi version of its service?
Conclution
I’m not here to tell you that I’m switching to Spotify or that I don’t think Apple Music is worth the price. I think it is, as I thought it was six years ago, but Apple needs to address these features and fix bugs to keep up with Spotify.
Apple could lose even in the podcast arena. One analyst said the competing streaming service is poised to overtake Apple’s podcast listeners in the United States, which means Spotify must be doing something right.
Apple needs to better communicate with its audience. A revamped “Listen Now” and “Browse” tab, promoting personal profiles and sharing playlists, could help Apple Music feel fresh.
Ultimately, these are shareable experiences and Spotify knows best. Your wrapped playlist for the year can be 100% shared with great insights. Apple, on the other hand, shows me what I’ve listened to, how many hours, and how many artists, but it wasn’t designed to share online or with friends.
What do you think of Apple Music? Do you need new features? Let us know in the comment section below.
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