These Apple Music features in iOS 17 make me less envious of Spotify users

The Apple Music and Spotify rivalry has divided music listeners across the globe for years. Although Apple entered the scene seven years after Spotify, it has continued to release compelling features for its streaming service, making it a worthy competitor. 

Apple has not shied away from taking Spotify’s most popular features, such as Spotify Wrapped, and rebranding them on its own platform.

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At WWDC, Apple unveiled several Spotify-inspired updates — and a few of its own tricks — to Apple Music on iOS 17 that will enhance the platform and help narrow the gap with Spotify’s leading features. 

The features are so good that I will never consider leaving Apple Music again. Read more below. 

Crossfade

The sound break between a song ending and the next one starting is a vibe kill when listening to your favorite tunes. With iOS 17, users will have the opportunity to select a crossfade option that provides a smooth transition between songs that are playing. 

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This feature is a staple of Spotify’s music platform and has been one that Apple Music iOS users have been longing for. 

Apple Music app users on Android have had the crossfade feature since 2020, so the iOS integration of the feature has been long overdue. 

Collaborative Playlists

Whether it’s at concerts, parties, restaurants, or more, music is enjoyable when it’s a shared experience. With iOS 17, users can now share their favorite music picks with others via Collaborative Playlists. 

This feature has existed on Spotify since 2020, and has been a fun activity for friends, families, and even coworkers and classmates. It is especially useful when you’re selecting music for a specific mood or event, such as a party or a workout playlist. 

Although you could already have friends on Apple Music, the service hadn’t supported collaborative playlists until this update. 

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Apple says users will also be able to react to others’ song picks with emojis. 

Other new features

Apple also unveiled some other new features coming to Apple Music that aren’t necessarily a carbon copy of Spotify, but which will elevate the platform. 

The company is expanding the shared music experience through SharePlay, allowing all users in a car to join a listening session and cue up songs to be played next. 

Song Credits in Apple Music will let fans see a comprehensive list of all the contributors to their favorite songs. For example, listeners will be able to see who is playing each instrument. 

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Lastly, users will be able to stream the entire catalog of Apple Music radio shows on Apple Podcasts.