The integrated musical application is not lost in the shuffle in Apple iOS 26 update. Indeed, in the middle of the redesign of liquid glass at the iPhone interface – including the appearance of the musical application – a trio of new features will seem to get the most out of your favorite pieces.
One of the biggest additions – an automatic feature to transmit transparently between the songs – is intended for Apple Music subscribers, while a translation tool for songs will be limited initially to select songs in a handful of languages. This is the third change – the possibility of pinning your favorite artists, songs, albums and playlists at the top of your music library – which is for the benefit of most people of iOS 26 music.
In fact, after spending a little time with the musical application in the beta version of the iOS 26 developer to try Automix, it is the pin functionality that I ended up enjoying the most. Here is what to expect from these two new additions, and some additional information on the translated words, if you decide to try iOS 26 by yourself once the public beta version arrives this month.
Automix in iOS 26
To discover the Automix function of iOS 26 in the musical application, you must first take care of two activity articles. Number one, make sure you are an Apple Music subscriber, because Automix is limited to the Apple musical subscription service. After that, you will have to activate the functionality of the musical application settings.
Launch the Settings application, Press apps and then Choose music from the list of applications Installed on your phone.
From there, Select the song transitions From options under the audio header. On the next screen, Top on the Song Transition button And Select Automix like the transition style. (If you don’t subscribe to Apple Music, the Automix option will appear gray.)
I tried to play with Automix using songs from my own library, first with a reading list that I created specifically to test the transitions from one song to another, then entering my library and hitting Shuffle to play songs at random. But I did not notice any smooth transition between each song – just the usual beats because a piece gave way to the next. It is then that I understood that the magic of Automix is limited to Apple Music songs only, which Apple does not represent on its preview page iOS 26.
Regardless: I typed on a reading list organized by the rock apple from the 70s and I immediately noticed the impact of Automix. While “more than a feeling” of Boston was starting to fade, the opening strains of “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin could be heard. Likewise, the opening guitar of “Hotel California” began to play above the fade of “Born to Run”.
Another beautiful touch that occurs with activated Automix is a slow melted between the art of the album. During the aforementioned transition of Boston-to-Zeppelin, the album cover “Boston” slowly gave way to work “Led Zeppelin IV” on my iPhone 15 Pro screen.
It is probably not the kind of thing that convinces people who did not subscribe to Apple Music to separate from their subscription fees of $ 10.99 / month, but for those who signed, it is a nice addition via iOS 26. I hope it finally extends to other songs like songs that you bought in the Apple music store.
Pinned library elements
IOS 26 gives you more choice of what appears at the top of the Library tab in the musical application, thanks to a new pin functionality.
Let’s say you have a favorite song – just type and hold the title. A contextual menu will appear with various options as adding to a reading list, play next and more. The iOS 26 addition that interests you is Pin Song. When you adopt that your song will appear at the top of the library screen, above the reading menu, artists, albums, songs and downloaded.
Pinning works with more than simple songs. I used it to decorate the top of my library with albums, artists and reading lists I want quick access.
And this is the advantage of pinning – this prevents you from taps when it is time to find your absolute favorite music. Let’s say you have a playlist of training pieces that you like to shoot at the start of a race – pin this reading list and it will wait at the top of the Library tab.
Are pins a new revolutionary change in the functioning of the musical application? No way. But this is one of these improvements in the quality of life you appreciate more you use it.
Other music changes iOS 26
The other addition announced to come to Apple Music is translations for the words, a functionality that does not seem to be live yet. I played a version of “Las Golondrinas” via Apple Music, and although the lyrics appear in Spanish as you can imagine, there was no Spanish translation in English, which is one of the careful languages that Apple will offer.
In case you are interested, other languages supported to translate include English in Chinese, English in Japanese, Korean in Chinese, Korean in English and Korean in Japanese.
The translation function seems widely adapted to Apple Music Sing, the Karaoke mode which is available for Apple Music subscribers. Once the translations are available, you will have the opportunity to sing in your mother tongue, assuming that the song you have chosen is one of the lyrics selected.
iOS 26 Music Outlook
Automix certainly offers what it promises in the current version of Apple’s beta iOS 26 version, although the fact that it is only available via an Apple Music subscription will limit its appeal. Pinned music, on the other hand, is something that everyone can take advantage of, and it seems very consistent with Apple’s thrust to make its iPhone software more reflecting your tastes.
