Apple Music needs to be rebuilt from the Ground

[iFanaddic]

I have never been so disappointed by an Apple product in my entire life.

I migrated my whole family from Spotify to Apple Music and nobody, myself included, understands how it works! Many functions don't work (not just on iOS 9 beta on iOS 8.4 too) even if they do, they usually require way too many clicks to achieve anything.

I want the ease of use of Spotify with the music variety of Apples library (+@connect +Beats1). I hope Apple won't wait until ios 10 or 11 to fix all this. It needs to get fixed soon or I and many others will be going back to Spotify (I don't doubt some people like it)

Maybe they should design it with side menus such has Youtube and Spofity and many others? It could honestly save so much trouble! The traditional 5 buttons at the bottom just doesn't cut it here.

(Sorry for meltdown, I'm usually not the one to bring down Apple, but just so disappointed right now..I know they can do better, this app feels like it was done by interns over a weekend, not all the experience you'd except from Apple. If it ain't ready, don't release it!)

 

[DavidLynch]

I think it's great. A few bugs, but I'm loving it. I wouldn't have migrated my entire family to a brand new platform that I haven't had a chance to use yet though, especially since it doesn't cost anything for 3 months...

 

[iFanaddic]

I think it's great. A few bugs, but I'm loving it. I wouldn't have migrated my entire family to a brand new platform that I haven't had a chance to use yet though, especially since it doesn't cost anything for 3 months...

I expected them to come into the industry stronger, I guess. Fortunately the Spotify library remains intact.

 

[hojx]

The Hamburger button has been fundamentally an Android/Google thing—iOS's Human Interface Guidelines have been pushing for the use of the bottom tab bar for navigation while Material Design goes in the opposite direction.

With MUSIC, Apple has had to throw way too many functions (more than Spotify as it handles existing local files and more) into a single app so I do understand it may seem confusing for some.
As a first-party built-in app, Apple cannot deviate from the guidelines it set out hence it will stick with the bottom tab bar.

I believe that Music.app still has quite a number of kinks to iron out but I am overall okay with it.

 

[0000757]

NO. I am so sick of the reliance on Hamburger menus. There's a time and Place to use one, but table views will always be a better navigation tool.

With a table view I can easily see all the functions of the app. While I agree, there needs to be some changes in Music's design, going the route of shoving everything into a left nav menu and then just having a list as the home screen is definitely not the way to go. First it interferes with Apple's "swipe back" navigation. If you don't click the link above, here's an example:

While it's nice the content is at the forefront, look how many swipes it takes to access the core functionalities again!

Look at Facebook and Instagram also. They manage to put the most important features in their table views while still creating a good focus on content. These hidden nav pages just tuck away functionality that should be at the forefront.

Redesign the music app but don't tuck everything into a side menu. The only reason Hamburger menus even came to the light of day is that Google started pushing for on screen buttons and the removal of the menu button on Android.

 

[iFanaddic]

NO. I am so sick of the reliance on Hamburger menus. There's a time and Place to use one, but table views will always be a better navigation tool.

With a table view I can easily see all the functions of the app. While I agree, there needs to be some changes in Music's design, going the route of shoving everything into a left nav menu and then just having a list as the home screen is definitely not the way to go. First it interferes with Apple's "swipe back" navigation. If you don't click the link above, here's an example:

While it's nice the content is at the forefront, look how many swipes it takes to access the core functionalities again!

Look at Facebook and Instagram also. They manage to put the most important features in their table views while still creating a good focus on content. These hidden nav pages just tuck away functionality that should be at the forefront.

Redesign the music app but don't tuck everything into a side menu. The only reason Hamburger menus even came to the light of day is that Google started pushing for on screen buttons and the removal of the menu button on Android.

You make good points, (interest read btw) maybe side menus arent the wait to go.. But if feels like they're trying to cramp too many things into one.. Maybe Beats1 and @connect should have their own separated Apps? I dont know i'm just thinking out loud... But something has to make more sense then this.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

You make good points, (interest read btw) maybe side menus arent the wait to go.. But if feels like they're trying to cramp too many things into one.. Maybe Beats1 and @connect should have their own separated Apps? I dont know i'm just thinking out loud... But something has to make more sense then this.

i think they probably put connect and beats 1 into the music app because nobody would ever use them if they were separate. this is their way of pushing it.

 

[Rogifan]

What's the difference between a hamburger menu and apples use of the ellipse in Apple Music?

BGR also complained about Apple Music http://bgr.com/2015/07/09/apple-music-problems-itunes/. And on the Committed podcast Kirk Mcelhearn said it feels like it was designed by the marketing department. According to job listings on Apple iTunes has its own design team so the buck stops with Eddy Cue. If Jony Ive is really in control of all design then he needs to take control of all design. But there are plenty of issues with Apple Music that aren't UI design related. Honestly I think Eddy Cue needs a good ass-chewing from Tim Cook. Messing up people's playlists, libraries and album art isn't acceptable.

 

[Phil A.]

Maybe Beats1 and @connect should have their own separated Apps?

I can definitely see the sense in having separate apps for radio and connect but I'm guessing Apple wanted to make it a more coherent "whole" by having everything together. It's definitely a challenge fitting so much functionality into such a small space but personally I think Apple have done a pretty decent job of it and after a few hours navigation became straightforward for me.

 

[hojx]

What's the difference between a hamburger menu and apples use of the ellipse in Apple Music?

BGR also complained about Apple Music http://bgr.com/2015/07/09/apple-music-problems-itunes/. And on the Committed podcast Kirk Mcelhearn said it feels like it was designed by the marketing department. According to job listings on Apple iTunes has its own design team so the buck stops with Eddy Cue. If Jony Ive is really in control of all design then he needs to take control of all design. But there are plenty of issues with Apple Music that aren't UI design related. Honestly I think Eddy Cue needs a good ass-chewing from Tim Cook. Messing up people's playlists, libraries and album art isn't acceptable.

Ellipses are used for individual song/playlist/etc. control while the hamburger menu is used to switch between major app functions/sections.

I would say the biggest problem with MUSIC in iOS is that it was written using Javascript. For You, New, Radio and Connect are not written with Objective-C and optimised on an OS and device category level. Instead they basically created four pages that are the same regardless of whether it is loaded from iPhones, iPads or iTunes.

 

[iFanaddic]

BGR also complained about Apple Music http://bgr.com/2015/07/09/apple-music-problems-itunes/.

Wow, couldn't have said it better, "frustratingly inconsistent", this review describes exactly how I feel.

 

[Rogifan]

Ellipses are used for individual song/playlist/etc. control while the hamburger menu is used to switch between major app functions/sections.

I would say the biggest problem with MUSIC in iOS is that it was written using Javascript. For You, New, Radio and Connect are not written with Objective-C and optimised on an OS and device category level. Instead they basically created four pages that are the same regardless of whether it is loaded from iPhones, iPads or iTunes.

Still think Apple is throwing a lot of junk under their ellipses which is not much different than the hamburger menu, the menu Apple UX evangelists rail against in WWDC sessions.

 

[0000757]

You make good points, (interest read btw) maybe side menus arent the wait to go.. But if feels like they're trying to cramp too many things into one.. Maybe Beats1 and @connect should have their own separated Apps? I dont know i'm just thinking out loud... But something has to make more sense then this.

Beats 1 should definitely stay within the app, since it's part of Radio (and in a way, separate from Apple Music because in some territories, a subscription is not required).

Connect I wouldn't mind being separated, but I understand why it's in the Music app. What I would do regarding Connect is first off, only make it show up if someone is ACTIVELY subscribing to Apple Music. Chances are if they aren't subscribing, they won't care (especially since songs and videos posted to Connect require a subscription anyways).

My issue really is just I don't care for the "Recently Added" or the "New". I would like the ability to change our tabs again, with the other categories going back to the "More" option.

Still think Apple is throwing a lot of junk under their ellipses which is not much different than the hamburger menu, the menu Apple UX evangelists rail against in WWDC sessions.

The idea of Hamburger Menus isn't to store "add to playlist" or "start radio station". They're used as a hub to access the core functionalities. You don't put your "I don't like this" in a Hamburger menu, you put your "Radio" or "For You" into a hamburger menu. It's navigation tools, not functionality.

The problem with this is that your core features become hidden from the user. You want those to be in plain sight. You don't want someone digging through menus and swiping back 6 times to access your app. You want your navigation to be consistent and always available.

The ellipsis hide command and controls. They aren't navigation; they aren't taking you to a new section of an app, they're just acting as a feature you can activate. You can choose to tap "Radio" if you want to get to the radio section of Apple Music, but if you want to start a station based off of an artist, that's a command, not navigation.

 

[dave2010]

Working fine for me, and my 75 year old mother who worked it out with no problems

 

[Switchback666]

I'm just listening to beats radio, activated the music trial but I got so used to spotify that Apple music feels confusing and in the end nothing new for my preference in the music department.

 

[4004786]

I would say the biggest problem with MUSIC in iOS is that it was written using Javascript. For You, New, Radio and Connect are not written with Objective-C and optimised on an OS and device category level. Instead they basically created four pages that are the same regardless of whether it is loaded from iPhones, iPads or iTunes.

Wow, really? Where'd you find out that they were written in JS?

 

[hojx]

Wow, really? Where'd you find out that they were written in JS?

They were definitely not written natively. Apart from the relatively longer loading times, this screen in Music.app practically shouts non-native:

 

[motulist]

The only people who seem to be complaining are people who really liked and/or were very used to spotify. Everyone else seems to like AM perfectly fine. And the voting on this thread agrees.

 

[Luis Mazza]

The learning curve is somewhat steep, but I really liked the service. Some tweaking is needed though.
People want features and resources, but they need to access those services... Sure it gets complicated, but that's the price. If you want usability, stay simple and don't use the features. There are no miracles.

 

[Small White Car]

It has a button that says "Playlists" that takes me to my pre-made playlists.

That is literally the only thing I need the music app to do so I guess this one is equally fine as all the previous ones.

 

[BillyMatt87]

My requests for the music app:

Landscape mode

Album art thumbnail in the mini player

No transparent status bar in the now playing screen (completely unobstructed view of album artwork)

Bring back shuffle all songs

Bring back shake to shuffle

Reverse the colors of the app icon (white note, colored background: looks better as it's currently a mostly white icon)

 

[iFanaddic]

The only people who seem to be complaining are people who really liked and/or were very used to spotify. Everyone else seems to like AM perfectly fine. And the voting on this thread agrees.

You may very well be right. We've known better so we're disappointed.

 

[hasanahmad]

I have never been so disappointed by an Apple product in my entire life.

I migrated my whole family from Spotify to Apple Music and nobody, myself included, understands how it works! Many functions don't work (not just on iOS 9 beta on iOS 8.4 too) even if they do, they usually require way too many clicks to achieve anything.

I want the ease of use of Spotify with the music variety of Apples library (+@connect +Beats1). I hope Apple won't wait until ios 10 or 11 to fix all this. It needs to get fixed soon or I and many others will be going back to Spotify (I don't doubt some people like it)

Maybe they should design it with side menus such has Youtube and Spofity and many others? It could honestly save so much trouble! The traditional 5 buttons at the bottom just doesn't cut it here.

(Sorry for meltdown, I'm usually not the one to bring down Apple, but just so disappointed right now..I know they can do better, this app feels like it was done by interns over a weekend, not all the experience you'd except from Apple. If it ain't ready, don't release it!)

The poll proves the OP is wrong

 

[iFanaddic]

The poll proves the OP is wrong

The poll proves that here on Macrumors most people like the overall music App. No poll on this website will ever be accurate due to the nature of the site. You're forgetting that a lot of people here are experienced devs, or Apple fans. If the poll here shows 1/5 does not like Apple Music those numbers would certainly be higher once you ask people "on the street".

And let's not forget most people who think the app doesn't neet to be redone still think it needs work.

I'm not here to be wrong or right, i'm here to express my point of view and share my experiences as a previous customer of a music streaming service. See it this way; if I've owned 2 cars in the past and you're buying your first one, who's in the best possible position to tell you if the car you have your eyes on is a good choice? The previous owner or the new driver?

In the end we don't know how many people who voted "overall satisfied" have actually tried anything else in the past.

 

[KALLT]

The poll proves the OP is wrong

It doesn’t prove anything, actually. Also, Spotify has a consistent 4.5/5 rating in the App Store. That is unheard of for many apps in the top lists.

I agree with the OP’s sentiment. The app is confusing, cluttered, has a lot of bugs, is slow and stutters even on my iPhone 6. It also suffers from the same flaws as iCloud does: you don’t know what is happening in the background, changes you make are not immediately carried over to your Mac, sometimes settings and changes get lost, and so forth.

I really don’t like that you need to scroll, scroll, and scroll even more and then tap, tab and tap even more to get to your stuff. For instance, I was looking for a playlist for working out. You know where it’s located? Somewhere down in the “New” tab. Looking for some good rock music based on your interests and history? It’s not under the “For You” tab if that is where you would look. But what really pains me the most is that Apple Music is terrible for adding and looking by artist. There is no directory of some sort. You need to use the search function for this and when you find an artist, there is no way to mark this artist as a favourite beyond ‘following’. So how do you add an artist to your favourites? You need to add songs to your library first.

This split between streaming and “My Music” is really confusing and requires a lot of work. In Spotify and Deezer you can get access to artists much easier, you get access to genres and playlist discovery easier. You can mark artists and genres as favourites and can quickly access them. Apple Music is just not an enjoyable experience. I feel like there were way too many people involved in the making of this app and the UX people were disregarded.