Apple Music is available beyond the Apple ecosystem, thanks to support on some smart TVs and, most notably, Android devices. But, one area of use that Apple has not yet capitalized on is video game consoles. Apple Music is not currently available on Sony’s PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s Xbox One series or the newer Series S or Series X, and it’s not available on Nintendo’s Switch. However, there have been some grumblings that could be changing. And now even Apple’s hinted at the possibility.
Earlier this week, Tom Warren of The Verge tweeted out a screenshot from Apple’s promotional page for Apple Music. On that page, there are typically various offers to access Apple Music, and also includes a breakdown of where and how to listen to the music streaming service. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there’s a very brief FAQ section that includes, “Where can I listen to Apple Music?” Typically, and as of the publication of this story, it reads, simply, that Apple Music is available on Apple devices, and it’s also supported on “many popular streaming devices and smart TVs.”
Interestingly, the page does not actually name drop Android at all, which seems strange and not helpful.
it looks like Apple Music is coming to Xbox and PlayStation soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/JSY2igzU2E
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 18, 2021
Things get interesting when you see Warren’s screenshot, though, which is just above. He noted on October 18 (via 9to5Mac)Â that the aforementioned FAQ section also included “gaming consoles” if they “support the app.” No mention of which gaming consoles might support Apple Music, now or theoretically in the future. Just a general phrase that can essentially cover all of them. Or none of them. Which, as of right now, is the case since there hasn’t been any announcements regarding support for Sony’s or Microsoft’s or Nintendo’s consoles.
There have been some hints, though. Earlier this month, some PlayStation 5 owners out there in the wild were able to see Apple Music as an option for setting up a music app when creating a new account on the console. Those same folks were not able to actually activate the app, and a pop-up that read, “This app is playable only on PS4,” which is actually not the case. And apparently that’s an error PlayStation 5 owners will receive when an app is not available on their console. Even if it’s not available on the PlayStation 4, either.
It does appear that there is some work being done in this regard, though. Seeing the app pop up on consoles is surely a good sign of that, and now Apple is hinting at the same thing. Removing it later just seems to make it all that more tantalizing, really.
So, when will Apple Music arrive on video game consoles? Soon, hopefully. We just have to have our fingers crossed that it’s not just one of them, but rather all of them.