Apple Bringing Native Apple Music Experience to Music App for macOS

[MacRumors]

Apple is rebuilding the Music app for macOS as a fully native app, according to beta code seen by 9to5Mac.

Code in the first beta of macOS Monterey 12.2, seeded to developers yesterday, shows that Apple is rebuilding the Music app using AppKit, macOS's native interface framework. The move will lead to significant improvements to the performance and experience of using the Music app, but no significant UI or interface changes.

According to 9to5Mac, the Music app is currently using JET, a technology to turn web content into native apps. The current Music app, which replaced iTunes but uses the same back-end, is heavily reliant on loaded-in Apple Music web content, which some users have criticised for having sluggish responsiveness and usability issues.

While some parts of the Music app, such as the library, were already native, Mac users will notice that searching for media in Apple Music is faster, displaying rebuilt native interfaces. As a result, scrolling, gestures, and animations are also more responsive.

Apple is likely still improving the new native parts of the app, so some interface elements or effects may currently be missing. Apple already rebuilt parts of the Apple TV app using JET in macOS Monterey 12.1.

Article Link: Apple Bringing Native Apple Music Experience to Music App for macOS

 

[4jasontv]

[Pauses iTunes.] How about Windows?

 

[megastuff999]

Good. Current app is horrid.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

The music app will also be rebuilt in iOS 16 as well. Good to know.

 

[ValentinStRoch]

Thank goodness! The Music app is a horrible. I miss the versatility and speed of the native iTunes app for searching, sorting. So many features present in iTunes were not carried forward to the Music app.

 

[ratspg]

Please bring that speeeeeed. It is so slow and outdated on even my latest 16" MBP. Feels like a slow-loading website (which it is.)

 

[dwaltwhit]

My 2009 imac is running high sierra. Any idea if Music would be optimized for me too?

 

[Bandaman]

[Pauses iTunes.] How about Windows?

Nope. iTunes in Windows still functions like it did a decade ago. It’s atrocious.

 

[xxray]

It’s about time. The Mac app has been near unusable for years. It’s sooo sluggish even when it does work.

Hope this means they will bring the Mac app to iPadOS for better library management without a traditional computer.

 

[Bandaman]

My 2009 imac is running high sierra. Any idea if Music would be optimized for me too?

It won’t.

 

[nortonandreev]

My 2009 imac is running high sierra. Any idea if Music would be optimized for me too?

No, it’s just in the latest Monterey builds.

 

[bsamcash]

Excuse my ignorance, but in what way was it not native? Do they mean not entirely unique code because it’s based on iTunes?

 

[Havoc035]

Finally! Apple Music for macOS' time-to-music is way too long now. After starting the app is starts syncing my library and all sorts of other things, only after that is finished I'm able to search for music.

 

[Akrapovic]

Excuse my ignorance, but in what way was it not native? Do they mean not entirely unique code because it’s based on iTunes?

From the article:

the Music app is currently using JET, a technology to turn web content into native apps

The iOS app could do with a rebuild as well. I like the interface and features, but it's incredibly slow compared to Spotify.

 

[matt_and_187_like_this]

Long overdue. The experience is horrendous.

 

[guzhogi]

Code in the first beta of macOS Monterey 12.2, seeded to developers yesterday, shows that Apple is rebuilding the Music app using AppKit, macOS's native interface framework. The move will lead to significant improvements to the performance and experience of using the Music app, but no significant UI or interface changes.

First of all, I'm surprised that it's not a native app in the first place, especially considering the resources Apple has. But even then, I haven't had that many problems with it. With my late 2013 MBP, it would beachball a fraction of a second if I switched to a new song, but nothing major.

I'm surprised at the AppKit part. Why not SwiftUI with how much Apple's promoting it? I don't program that much, so I don't know all the ramifications, but I would think that using SwiftUI instead would make porting between macOS, iPadOS, etc. a lot easier.

 

[4jasontv]

Excuse my ignorance, but in what way was it not native? Do they mean not entirely unique code because it’s based on iTunes?

Essentially. The first release of Music used recycled the way iTunes stored and processes the data. The issue was that it was kind of a locally stored website bundled inside the app.

 

[ladodger5]

Please have exclusive mode and sample rate switching

 

[MacinMan]

Excuse my ignorance, but in what way was it not native? Do they mean not entirely unique code because it’s based on iTunes?

I didn't realize it wasn't native either. I don't use it a lot, but have never had issues with music on the mac.

 

[bsamcash]

From the article:

the Music app is currently using JET, a technology to turn web content into native apps

The iOS app could do with a rebuild as well. I like the interface and features, but it's incredibly slow compared to Spotify.

Essentially. The first release of Music used recycled the way iTunes stored and processes the data. The issue was that it was kind of a locally stored website bundled inside the app.

Appreciate the clarification.

 

[Shirasaki]

Excuse my ignorance, but in what way was it not native? Do they mean not entirely unique code because it’s based on iTunes?

Basically, they need to rewrite the code so that it is optimised for apple silicon (and maybe Intel processor) instead of being just compatible.

 

[Shirasaki]

Please bring that speeeeeed. It is so slow and outdated on even my latest 16" MBP. Feels like a slow-loading website (which it is.)

To give you a bit more context, I have a LOCALLY stored 500GB music library (on apple fabric SSD mind you) with 3000 or so songs. Every time I want to scroll a bit faster than just a few pixels, the artwork keeps reloading and reloading. I don’t use Apple Music at all yet the performance is horrible. Hopefully this update changes it. Oh and maybe don’t let the process eats away one core equivalent of resources When playing music.

 

[tkermit]

Too bad it will still have a modal Preferences window with OK/Cancel buttons...

 

[DNichter]

It’s about time. The Mac app has been near unusable for years. It’s sooo sluggish even when it does work.

Hope this means they will bring the Mac app to iPadOS for better library management without a traditional computer.

This is what I am hoping for. I love my new MBP, but my ultimate goal is still to be iPad only in the future.

 

[hagjohn]

I haven’t noticed any big issues with the existing app but improvements are always a plus.