Should the Music App be replaced/restored to the original form ?

[DBZmusicboy01]

The iPhone used to have the best music app.
But now it's a disaster to use. Confusing....slow..full of bugs.
And sometimes the music is gone. Now that the itunes radio isn't free and the other as well.
Why should we have to deal with so much problems just to listen to a simple music.
I LOVED the old Music App. The best was iOS 6 and iOS 7 but iOS 8/9 Makes Apple look greedy and careless.
I am very disappointed in the way that Apple is thinking of things.

 

[lagwagon]

What is so confusing about it? If you care to share, perhaps some things could be clarified and help you out in that regard.

 

[Flow39]

I do like the old music app quite a bit, but the new one is great when you're subscribed to Apple Music. In June, the new music app was pretty bad. It didn't put you into your library right off the bat, which I found annoying. Now, it does launch right into you library, and the interface is much improved as well. It isn't too hard to use at all.

 

[adamhenry]

I will never subscribe to Apple music and any functions for it in the Music app are unnecessary clutter. I don't use many functions and can use the app. The problem is that finding any new function that I haven't previously used is an easter egg hunt. A good app can be used intuitively and the music app doesn't come close to that.

 

[Nermal]

The new one isn't as intuitive as the old one. A real world example: I had to search online to figure out how to return to the tracklist of the currently-playing album. While it was easy to find a "summary" with *some* of the other tracks, showing the full list wasn't anywhere near as obvious.

 

[lagwagon]

I will never subscribe to Apple music and any functions for it in the Music app are unnecessary clutter. I don't use many functions and can use the app. The problem is that finding any new function that I haven't previously used is an easter egg hunt. A good app can be used intuitively and the music app doesn't come close to that.

That's only your opinion. I've been using the redesigned Music app since day 1 of 8.4 beta and not once have I had troubles figuring out what does what. So it has been intuitive enough for me.

This isn't a jab at you, but some people just can't adapt to change very well or some people refuse to adapt.
[doublepost=1454396518][/doublepost]

The new one isn't as intuitive as the old one. A real world example: I had to search online to figure out how to return to the tracklist of the currently-playing album. While it was easy to find a "summary" with *some* of the other tracks, showing the full list wasn't anywhere near as obvious.

As of 9.3 beta 1 & 2 you just tap the track name in the full screen player and it takes you to the track list of the album.

 

[T5BRICK]

I signed up for iTunes Match just after it was available and the service was terrible. I quit using Apples music app after iOS 6 came out. It's been garbage since then(in my opinion), and I've moved all my music to Google.

 

[12vElectronics]

I subscribe to Apple Music. I do miss the old app. Something died in me the day I had to leave iOS6. Apple has never really been the same since..

 

[Stiksi]

That's only your opinion. I've been using the redesigned Music app since day 1 of 8.4 beta and not once have I had troubles figuring out what does what. So it has been intuitive enough for me.

This isn't a jab at you, but some people just can't adapt to change very well or some people refuse to adapt.
[doublepost=1454396518][/doublepost]
.

Some people who have been using the Music app since day 1 of a beta might not be the best ones to comment on a regular user's experience, at least not by jabbing.

The Music app is completely designed from the premise that the user is subscribed to Apple Music. For me, the biggest annoyances are that it frequently starts up to a splash screen that is trying to get me to sign up to Apple Music, that it keeps downloading stuff without my permission – all new music is on my phone even when I've turned automatic downloads off. If I play a playlist, it downloads all tracks on that playlist. If I shuffle music on wifi with my full library open, it downloads stuff maybe ten, fifteen tracks ahead and leaves it there. It's much harder to navigate because it's now using drop-down menus for a lot of the navigation, buttons are 1mm by 1,5mm and managing downloaded music is not at all simple. Add to that the fact that it keeps deleting music on its own. I've had it lose all my downloaded library during playing multiple times.

But the best is this: if I want to remove a downloaded track from my phone, it keeps offering me the option to "Delete from My Music" as a first choice, which deletes the track from every device I own. The track is just gone. So with just one misstep I need to reimport an album into iTunes. If this is not a blatant push to subscribe to Apple Music, it's a huge UI mistake.

Also, as a side note, Siri still doesn't know how to play genres or do genius mixes. Apparently, Apple dropped developing the main functionality further to add handles for Apple Music. All it does is stop, play, shuffle and play artist, album or track, playlist if you're lucky. Now that is basic.

 

[adamhenry]

That's only your opinion. I've been using the redesigned Music app since day 1 of 8.4 beta and not once have I had troubles figuring out what does what. So it has been intuitive enough for me.

This isn't a jab at you, but some people just can't adapt to change very well or some people refuse to adapt.
[doublepost=1454396518][/doublepost]

As of 9.3 beta 1 & 2 you just tap the track name in the full screen player and it takes you to the track list of the album.

I think I am more adaptive than most. I worked in IT until I retired and one of my tasks was evaluating new software. I was also responsible for evaluating new networking equipment that ran various OS'. Yes you are correct that it is my opinion that the Music app is a poorly organized app.

It is difficult to use because Apple did such a poor job of shoehorning the new Apple music functions into the existing app. They really should have made another app but wanted use the existing app to get new subscribers.

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

Apple music should be it's own app.
People should just simply be able to listen to their music in a App without having to browse over so many settings. Apple used to be about simplicity. Now it isn;t

 

[posguy99]

Or just use one of the other music apps from the app store. Not all apps are to all tastes, even built-in ones.

 

[lagwagon]

Apple music should be it's own app.
People should just simply be able to listen to their music in a App without having to browse over so many settings. Apple used to be about simplicity. Now it isn;t

A separate app? That would be terrible. If that happened people would have to leave the Music app, launch Apple Music app, browse and add music to your library/download for offline, leave the Apple Music app and then go back into Music app to play it. How is that any better than having it in one app divided by a tab at the very bottom of the screen that you don't even have to tap if you do not wish to use.

The purpose of it being all in one app is that it is in one area and blends together with your personally owned music. (Example an artist has 8 albums total, you own 5 of them and have downloaded the remaining 3 from Apple Music)

I still don't understand the whole argument of not being able to listen to their own music because of Apple Music. Your music is still in My Music tab just how it has always been. You can play your music without even touching anything Apple Music related. No "so many settings to browse over". Tap My Music tab and that's it....so hard.

 

[Zwhaler]

I made a thread about this over at iOS 9. The consensus is that Apple Music subscribers love it, and non-subscribers hate it. What a surprise...

 

[bilibug]

It's just not going to happen. Change, yes (Perhaps? Hopefully?), but revert, no.

The whole point of the product is the "seamless" integration of your personal library and AM streaming. While I agree that it fails on many levels, it is still the selling feature. I would not want separate apps for AM and my music library.

Apple rarely allows the customization of it's build-in apps, especially to hide features that are potential monetization points, unless as part of the "restriction" settings. I can understand the frustration of a non-AM subscriber having to stare at unusable features in the Music app, but it is not very different than my having to stare at system-wide Facebook and Twitter login prompts and icons and other social media integration features in other apps (I don't use either, and don't care to broadcast my bowel movements to the world). Gamecenter or whatever it's called is another point of contention.

The current music app, as well as Apple Music, is new. Give it a chance to grow. My prediction is that the interface (at a minimum) will be tweaked by IOS 10, if not before.

 

[HEK]

No, I am happy with Apple Music. To get it all working correctly you need to subscribe to monthy Apple Music and if you have your own down loaded music also subscribe to the yearly iTunes Match. That will keep your music downloaded from elsewhere as your music and not convert it. That way you can access every piece of music via Apple Music.

 

[adamhenry]

To get it all working correctly you need to subscribe to monthy Apple Music and if you have your own down loaded music also subscribe to the yearly iTunes Match.

If this is true, it will never work correctly for me because I will never subscribe to Apple music or iTunes match.

 

[HEK]

If this is true, it will never work correctly for me because I will never subscribe to Apple music or iTunes match.

I read a couple articles explaining that the music loaded from CDs like I have done or other services would be replaced during reloads with music tagged to require subscription if you didn't have the yearly iTunes Match. I don't recal the technical term for the tag, but basically your own stuff would still be there but require the Apple Music subscription to play. Last year when I was trying to figure out what to do, I tripped across this not widely known trap. I spent too many hours downloading my total CD collection to not have it available from iTunes without the Apple Music subscription. So I maintain my iTunes Match subscription.

 

[adamhenry]

I read a couple articles explaining that the music loaded from CDs like I have done or other services would be replaced during reloads with music tagged to require subscription if you didn't have the yearly iTunes Match. I don't recal the technical term for the tag, but basically your own stuff would still be there but require the Apple Music subscription to play. Last year when I was trying to figure out what to do, I tripped across this not widely known trap. I spent too many hours downloading my total CD collection to not have it available from iTunes without the Apple Music subscription. So I maintain my iTunes Match subscription.

I have a lot of music loaded from my own CDs and songs I purchased from iTunes. It fluctuates but I usually keep ~375 songs on my phone. I do not use Match and I've never seen anything strange happening.

 

[Smithwicks]

Why even use Apple Music when Google Play Music comes with free YouTube Red?

 

[Russiaone]

I absolutely HATE using iTunes--- Mac and phone. The phone version takes the cake, though. The first annoyance is how tiny all the controls are- on my 6, anyway.

Secondly, when I go to search for a song, the first option is Apple Music. I'm not subscribed, so I don't need the option, Apple.

Thirdly, why when I search by album does it list the artists alphabetically and not the album? I'm searching by ALBUM.

Fourthly (hmmm, not a word, I don't think, but I'm on a roll) at work I get the absolute worst reception; I can't see MY MUSIC if this is the case. WHAT!? So I have to turn Airplane mode on to see onboard music.

Fifthly, why can't Apple take a page from Google's book and allow us to swipe the screen left and right to switch between songs?

Sixthly, WTF can't I shuffle all my songs right away instead of having to click on a song first?

Seventhly, iTunes sucks.

There is NOTHING elegant about iTunes. From it's genesis it's been excrement.

I only use it when I don't have a good enough signal to use Google Play.

 

[lagwagon]

I absolutely HATE using iTunes--- Mac and phone. The phone version takes the cake, though. The first annoyance is how tiny all the controls are- on my 6, anyway.

Secondly, when I go to search for a song, the first option is Apple Music. I'm not subscribed, so I don't need the option, Apple.

Thirdly, why when I search by album does it list the artists alphabetically and not the album? I'm searching by ALBUM.

Fourthly (hmmm, not a word, I don't think, but I'm on a roll) at work I get the absolute worst reception; I can't see MY MUSIC if this is the case. WHAT!? So I have to turn Airplane mode on to see onboard music.

Fifthly, why can't Apple take a page from Google's book and allow us to swipe the screen left and right to switch between songs?

Sixthly, WTF can't I shuffle all my songs right away instead of having to click on a song first?

Seventhly, iTunes sucks.

There is NOTHING elegant about iTunes. From it's genesis it's been excrement.

I only use it when I don't have a good enough signal to use Google Play.

Here are some screenshots to help you out with a few things you think can't be done when they actually can.

#2 - You should be able to disable that with the Show Apple Music toggle shown circled in blue in the first screenshot. (In Settings > Music)

#3 - You can change the album sort from artists to title shown circled in red in the first screenshot. (In Settings > Music)

#4 - You do not need to put Airplane Mode on to see your locally stored music. There is a toggle when you tap the sort view and bring up the menu. Shown circled in red in the second screenshot to bring up the menu. Shown circled in red in the third screenshot the toggle to "show only music available offline" meanings what is physically on your phone only.

#6 - You can shuffle all your music by tapping the clearly labeled "shuffle all" shown circled in green in the second screenshot. There is no having to click a song first.

Do people just give up after 10 seconds of looking around in an app and then claim it sucks because they think some task can't be done?

 

[Russiaone]

Here are some screenshots to help you out with a few things you think can't be done when they actually can.

#2 - You should be able to disable that with the Show Apple Music toggle shown circled in blue in the first screenshot. (In Settings > Music)

#3 - You can change the album sort from artists to title shown circled in red in the first screenshot. (In Settings > Music)

#4 - You do not need to put Airplane Mode on to see your locally stored music. There is a toggle when you tap the sort view and bring up the menu. Shown circled in red in the second screenshot to bring up the menu. Shown circled in red in the third screenshot the toggle to "show only music available offline" meanings what is physically on your phone only.

#6 - You can shuffle all your music by tapping the clearly labeled "shuffle all" shown circled in green in the second screenshot. There is no having to click a song first.

Do people just give up after 10 seconds of looking around in an app and then claim it sucks because they think some task can't be done?

Thanks for all these.

 

[Tsuchiya]

If only there was a way to disable the Radio and Connect options along the bottom and replace them with whatever you want (for me, that would be Artists and Playlists). The rest doesn't really bother me too much.

 

[acorntoy]

No. Features such as "play next" and queuing make it a good step forward. If anything they need to tweak it to make it less Apple Music centric.

I think androids implementation is what Apple should aim for actually. You open music, it tells you about google music and offers you a trial, If you reject it pretty much goes away and just shows your actual library, if you accepted it still showed your library but also added the features such as searching any song in googles library and the ability to play it. It seemed to be library first- Google music second, where Apple has gone Apple Music- with your library as an afterthought.