Apple’s latest iPhones and iPads will be getting an ambient music feature in the next dot version of iOS and iPadOS respectively.
Version 18.4 will see users being able to select from a handful of ambient-themed playlists fro the control panel.
Although brave users can already gain access to a version of this via installing a beta of the next OS, it’s still not entirely clear how it will work.
Options seem to be sleep, chill, productivity, and wellbeing. Music can be played in the background.
Some beta testers have reported seeing different options and playlists, while others wonder if a subscription to Apple Music is required. We had wondered if these were going to be AI-generated drone/ambient tracks, but it seems as if these are curated instead. This suggests a subscription may be required (unless Apple feels like offering free bandwidth from tracks supposedly stored on its servers).
One of the screenshots we saw from a testing user showed a track being played from yoneiu, a New Age musician who has released albums and songs including reverence, dreaming away, and restful.
AI created tracks would be an interesting addition, though would likely be limited to higher-end iDevices, and use considerable processor power and battery. Ultimately this little feature is likely a way for Apple to entice more people into the Music ecosystem.
We await April when the final version of 18.4 is set to be released.
Sources:
- https://apple.gadgethacks.com/how-to/apple-ambient-music-app/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSBeta/comments/1ixzz26/ios_184_db1_change_playlists_in_ambient_music/
