Don’t Miss These iOS 26 Apple Music Updates

iOS 26 delivers the most significant update to the Apple Music app to date. It gets features like Music AutoMix, animated Lock Screen artwork, lyrics translation, and more. Here are all the new Apple Music features that make the iOS 26 update exciting.

Music AutoMix

With the iOS 17 update, Apple released a crossfade feature that created a seamless transition between two songs. The iOS 26 update replaces it with a new AI-powered AutoMix feature that’s even better.

To enable this feature, go to the music player screen, and tap the three-lines-with-dots button in the bottom-right corner. Now, tap the AutoMix button to turn it on.

This feature works best with Apple’s playlist mix, where songs are of similar tempo and beat.

Animated Lock Screen artwork

iOS 26 has also added support for animated Lock Screen artwork for the songs that support it. Play a song and tap the album art to expand it. Generally, you will see a big album artwork on the Lock Screen.

But for songs that support animated artwork, the artwork will occupy the entire display. Wait a few seconds, and the animations will begin. The only drawback is that very few songs and artists currently support this feature.

Lyrics translation and pronunciation

My favorite feature of Apple Music in iOS 26 is the automatic lyrics translation and pronunciation. Now, when listening to music in other languages, you will see a live translation alongside the original lyrics so you know what’s being sung.

Apple Music will also show the phonetic pronunciation of the original lyrics so you can sing along without butchering the lyrics. Of course, not all languages are supported, but once implemented correctly, this feature will be a game-changer for Apple Music listeners.

Pinned Music for easy access

Apple Music now lets users pin music for easy access. To pin a song or album, long-press on it and tap the Pin Album or Pin Song button. It will now be pinned on top of Apple Music’s Library page.

Folder creation

With the iOS 26 update, you finally get the ability to create folders in Apple Music from your iPhone. To add a folder, open the Library tab and open the Playlists section.

Now, tap the plus (+) button in the top-right corner and then tap the New Folder button. Name the folder and tap the Create button to create it.

New Home Screen widgets

Apple Music has added three new Home Screen widgets. You can now add medium and large widgets for your pinned music, as well as a large widget for Live Radio. I love the new pinned music widgets as they allow me to play my favorite songs and albums right from the Home Screen.

Native Apple Music Replay

If you like the Apple Music Replay feature that displays an overview of your most played songs, you will be happy to know that this feature is now natively baked into the Music app.

You can view Apple Music Replay for your past months and years in a native view in your Apple Music app. To access your Apple Music Replay, scroll down to the bottom of the Home tab in Apple Music.

Top new Apple Music features in iOS 26

That ends our list of all the new Apple Music features coming with the iOS 26 update. If you enjoyed this guide, click here to find the 10 best hidden features of iOS 26. Also, let us know which is your favorite Apple Music feature in the comments below.