Dedicated Connect tab is going away in iOS 10’s Apple Music overhaul

How to replace Connect with Playlists iOS 8.4 Music iPhone screenshot 003

Apple is going to pull plug on the dedicated Apple Music Connect tab when iOS 10 launches this fall, if a new report from 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman is anything to go by. Citing sources familiar with the upcoming Apple Music overhaul, the publication claims that the Connect tab will be “demoted,” its functionality integrated into the For You recommendations section.

“Connect will still exist within applicable artist pages as it does today, but its demotion from the set of Apple Music tabs indicates that the feature has not lived up to Apple’s expectations from last year,” reads the article.

The writing has been on the wall for the Connect feature for some time now.

Conceived as a social interaction feature between artists and listeners, Connect has received its fair share of criticism. Artists have complained about the lack of social sharing features and the closed nature of the Connect tab, making it hard for them to embed tweets and posts from other social networks into their Connect streams.

Having been using Connect from day one, I certainly agree that this feature leaves a lot to be desired. Connect was supposed to let artists share extra content with fans, like lyrics, concert information, backstage photos, behind-the-scenes footage, songs and videos to enhance existing albums in artists’ discography and more.

But in reality, connecting with artists on Apple Music does little to update one’s Connect feed with interesting content because, obviously, artists haven’t been using the Connect platform much and seldom post anything newsworthy there.

What are your thoughts of Apple Music Connect and will you be saddened by its demotion?

Source: 9to5Mac