Tech
iOS users will soon be able to share Apple Music tracks to Instagram and Facebook
Android users with Spotify have had this functionality for years.
Apple is constantly trying to improve its Apple Music service for iOS users. To that end, it has attempted to enhance its UI, make its recommendation system more intuitive (after a lot of complaints about it). Now, it looks set to introduce social media integration for music sharing, a feature that users have wanted for ages, and one's that's been conspicuous in its absence. The rumored change came to light in the first beta version of iOS 13.4.5. Which is a pretty sure sign it'll come to the public release.
Share music right off Apple Music — Apple's official newsroom hasn't announced anything about music integration plans (yet) but 9to5Mac and AppleInsider spotted the upcoming feature this week. On Tuesday, iOS engineer Jota Melo tweeted, "The first beta of iOS 13.4.5 is out! And now you can share music (besides albums and playlists) on Instagram and Facebook stories." Melo shared a recorded clip of his own experience using the feature.
How it works — In the new iOS 13.4.5 developer beta, Apple Music will display an option to "share" songs across Facebook and Instagram stories. All a user will need to do is tap the "share" button under the Contacts and AirDrop bar, and then share their chosen tune on Facebook or Instagram. Doing so will yield a photo of the album they're listening to along with the song title. If another Instagram or Facebook user viewing the post has Apple Music themselves they'll be able to open the track in the app.
Prior to this, iOS users had to rely on third-party apps to share their music across platforms, which is strange given Apple Music and iOS are both Apple products, so expecting functionality rivals can offer doesn't seem like too much to ask.
By baking integration right into the app, the popularity of Apple Music — which is in constant competition with Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon Music — is bound to go up a notch or two. Or, at least get less flak from users of those rival services. Spotify, for instance, has offered excellent Facebook and Instagram integration for Android users since just about forever.
Always room for improvement — Unlike video streaming services that can rely on content, music streaming is a winner-takes-all sort of game, because pretty much every platform has access to the same content. What sets them apart is the features they offer, and the other services with which they can integrate. Apple Music has no choice but to constantly refine and streamline its service, if nothing else simply so it can keep up with Spotify, which remains the music-streaming service to beat and keeps releasing it's own new features, like this week's dedicated app for children.
