Following news earlier today that Apple is planning “sweeping changes” to Apple Music, more specific details have emerged from 9to5Mac. Citing multiple sources familiar with the changes, Gurman notes that Apple has been working on a redesign since the end of last year, and expects to take the wraps off the new design as part of the iOS 10 unveil at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, for a fall launch.
The new Apple Music app will apparently focus primarily on a redesigned user interface that will eschew the current colorful design in favor of a simpler, black-and-white interface.
Emphasis will be placed on album artwork with the new design, where it will likely form the only color against a black-and-white framework, with one source saying it will make the new UI “bolder, yet simpler.” Additional 3D Touch features are also expected to be added, as well as features related to sharing songs, although the social Connect section will remain mostly the same as before. Sources also note that most of the emphasis for the redesign will be entered on the “For You” recommendations section, which is expected to be simplified to make it more accessible to users, although the back-end algorithms are expected to remain mostly the same.
The “New” tab will also be replaced with a section named “Browse,” providing a better reflection of that section’s functionality. A few new features are also expected to debut in the new app, including support for song lyrics — while users have long been able to add their own song lyrics through iTunes, which sync through iCloud Music Library, Apple is said to be working with music labels to automatically integrate lyrics into Apple Music.
