We’re finally getting some quality time with Apple’s new Music service and Beats 1 radio station. There’s a lot to digest with these new services, but in our testing, we’ve discovered some handy tips that’ll make listening a little bit easier. Read on for our list of useful Apple music tips and tricks.
#1. Use the mini player in iOS
The Music app on iOS includes a mini playback tool towards the bottom of the Music app. The mini player remains in its spot, allowing you to browse through the app and still control your music. You can switch between the mini player and the full player. Just tap the mini player to expand it, and then tap the triangle in the upper left-hand corner of the full play to switch to the min player.
You can also swipe down on the swipe on the artwork to switch to the mini player.
#2. Replace the ‘Connect’ tab in Apple Music with ‘Playlists’
Users may enjoy the quality music in Apple Music, but not everyone will be interested in the new Connect social network. Thankfully, Apple has provided a way to remove the Connect tab from Apple Music in iOS. Just open Settings > General > Restrictions and toggle the ‘Apple Music Connect’ option. This will disable the ‘Connect’ tab and replace it with a useful ‘Playlists’ tab that will let you listen to your playlists in just a few taps.
Read more: How to replace the ‘Connect’ tab in Apple Music with ‘Playlists’
#3. How to Shuffle songs
To shuffle songs, you need to tap on the mini player above the tabs to access the Now playing song. Then tap on the Shuffle icon at the bottom, to the left of the Repeat icon, to shuffle the songs.
Alternatively, you can also use Siri to shuffle songs. Press and hold the Home button to launch Siri, and say “Shuffle Songs”. Siri will shuffle your songs randomly in your library, like the old “Shuffle” functionality in the Songs tab.
➤ How to Shuffle All Songs in iOS 8.4’s Music App
#4. Use Siri with Apple Music
As it has in the past, Siri still play nice with the new Music app. Launch Siri and ask her to play any song that want. The voice assistant will scour the Apple Music library to find the best match. You can also use Siri’s handy Shazam integration to identify songs that are playing in the background. Once Shazam recognizes the tune, you then can ask Siri to add the track to your library.
#5. Turn off automatic renewal of your Apple Music subscription
Apple provides three free months of Apple Music for current subscribers of the service. When that trial period ends, Apple automatically will charge you for your first month of paid service. You can enjoy three months of listening and not worry about this payment by turning off auto-renewal now in the Music app.
Just open up the Music app on your iPhone or iPad and tap the My Account shortcut icon in the top-left corner. Then select “View Apple ID” to login to your iTunes Store account. Tap “Manage” under the subscriptions header and look for the Automatic Renewal toggle. It is turned on by default — just tap it and confirm the change to turn it off.
Read more: How to turn off automatic renewal of Apple Music subscription
#6. Save songs from Beats 1 or Music Radio to your Music library
You can send any song that is playing on Beats 1 or any other radio stream to your My Music library. Just tap the ellipses button, and then choose “Add to My Music.”
#7. Add more favorite music genres and artists after configuring Apple Music
When you begin using Apple Music, you have the option to select your favorite music genres and artists. if you want to add to this list, you can do so by selecting your profile icon in the upper left corner and then selecting “Choose Artists For You.” This then opens the selections bubbles you used initially to select the music that you like.
#8. Manage the musicians you follow on Connect
By default, Apple Music automatically follows artists when you add their music to your Musci library, These artist then appear in Connect, a social network that’s meant to connect musicians to their fans. You can turn off this automatic following and manage the artists that you follow on Connect. Open your Music profile by tapping the profile icon in the ipper left corner. Then select “Following” to view a list of the artists on your Following list. If you wish to remove an artist, simply tap the “Unfollow” button next to the musician’s name. You also can turn off automatic following using the toggle at the top of the screen.
#9. Make songs and albums available offline
You can save songs for offline playback by tapping the ellipses button next to a song or an album. Then you can select the option to “Make Available Offline.”
Read more: How to save songs for offline listening in Apple Music
#10. View your music download progress
When you save a song for offline playing, Apple Music will display a progress bar that is present at the top of most of the tabs in the Music app. Tap the progress bar to view the downloads that are in progress.
#11. Queue up songs for playback
When browsing through the Apple Music catalog, you can queue up songs by touching the ellipses button next to a song. Then select “Play Next” to play it right away or “Add to Up Next,” if you want a running playlist of songs.
#12. View DJ playlists from Beats 1 sessions
Tap the Radio tab in the iOS Music app and tap on the Beats 1 banner in the middle of the screen. When the Beats 1 page opens, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and view the archived DJ playlists.
#13. Change your Apple Music nickname
Every Apple Music user can customize the username and nickname they use to post comments. To access these details, tap the profile icon in the upper left-hand, tap your account name, and then tap edit to change the values.
#14. Use Apple Music tracks in the alarm clock
You can save any Apple Music song and use it as an alarm clock chime. Just save a song to your library and then l the Clock app. When the Clock app is open, you can tap the Alarm tab to add a new alarm. Select “Sound” in the alarm creation screen and then “Pick a song” to open your Music library, which now includes music from the Apple Music Library.
#15. Find the album associated with a song
Tap the ellipses button next to a song, and tap the album banner that appears at the top of the menu. This opens the album page where you can select “Show Complete Album” to view all the available tracks.
Bonus
Request a song on Beats 1
Beside DJ selections, Beats 1 also is accepting listener requests. To get a request in, listeners can call using one of the numbers listed on the Beats 1 requst website. Beats 1 also is taking requests via text message ([email protected]) and on Twitter(#Beats1Requests).
Check our hands-on video of Apple Music:
Hope these tips and tricks for Apple Music help you get started with Apple’s all-new streaming music service. If you’ve discovered any cool trick, then please share them in the comments below.
