Apple has unleashed its latest salvo in the battle against Spotify; an Apple Music player for the web, which is available to test right now.
In a somewhat surprising launch, the new web interface is now available in beta at, you guessed it, beta.music.apple.com. You’ll need to be an Apple Music subscriber to access any of the content, naturally, but once you’re in, the content looks much like the new macOS Music app.
The new player is compatible with a wide range of browsers, not just Apple’s Safari. That means you’ll be able to use it on Google Chrome and Firefox too.
Other operating systems are also embraced, and it’ll even work on mobile browsers like Android. This makes access to Apple Music wider than ever, and it’s a far cry from the days when the old iTunes software was an exclusive to Mac and Windows PCs.
The full Apple Music library is available, naturally, as well as any playlists the user has created within other apps. Interestingly, tracks previously synced by the user outside of the Apple Music library are also available.
Spotify, which recently surpassed 100 million Premium subscribers, has long offered a web player for its subscribers and non-paying customers. Apple’s response is its latest effort to reel in the Swedish customer’s lead in the music streaming space.
In many ways, it’s surprising Apple has unveiled this web player now, rather than at the September 10 iPhone launch in Cupertino.
Apple is expected to launch a trio of new iPhone handsets and the availability of some other streaming services beyond Apple Music. After the launch of Apple News+ earlier this year, Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade are also expected to be made available.
Elsewhere we might see the new Apple Watch 5 make its debut, while a new Apple TV set-top box has also been tipped by eagle-eyed Apple watchers. Join us for full coverage, won’t you?
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
