macOS 10.15, the next major update to the desktop operating system powering the Mac, will rock standalone apps for Music, Podcasts and TV, plus a redesigned Books app.
Music
How to see all details of a song in Apple Music on Mac and PC
Learn how to get information about a song in your library or the Apple Music catalog, including metadata like title, artist, album, composer, genre, and more.
Apple may finally dismantle bloated iTunes by delivering standalone Music and Podcasts apps
Apple last summer unveiled the new Home, News and Voice Memos apps built using Project Marzipan, its upcoming new APIs for building cross-platform iPhone, iPad and Mac apps. This year's wave of Marzipan apps is said to include the new standalone Music and Podcast apps for macOS, signaling an iTunes breakup may finally be on the horizon.
The Apple Music-Alexa integration launches for Echo customers in the UK and Ireland
Beginning today, Apple Music’s integration with the Alexa assistant is picking up compatibility with Amazon's Echo devices for customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
MusicLocker prevents accidental taps and swipes on the Now Playing widget
Whenever you listen to music on your iPhone or iPad, a Now Playing widget appears on the Lock screen so you can see a visual representation of the song’s information and interact with playback controls as needed. Unfortunately, having this widget on a touch screen interface tends to result in accidental actions, such as unwanted pausing, scrubbing, or skipping.
iOS developer PeterDev recognized this problem first-hand on a device of his own and created a new free jailbreak tweak called MusicLocker in an effort to solve the problem once and for all.
NewNowPlaying gives the Spotify app’s Now Playing interface a cosmetic facelift
Apple Music provides one of the best all-in-one music streaming services that you can get on an iPhone or iPad, but admittedly, I still have a soft spot for the third-party streaming service known as Spotify. That said, while I enjoy using Spotify, I tend to get excited when I see new jailbreak tweaks that have made specifically for it.
NewNowPlaying by iOS developer Yung_Specht just so happens to be one of those releases, and as the name implies, this tweak gives the Spotify app’s Now Playing interface a gorgeous cosmetic makeover.
Mitsuha Infinity: A beautiful audio visualizer for iOS
One of the things iOS lacks that I sometimes wish it didn’t is a real-time audio visualizer for Now Playing music. Instead, Apple keeps things bland by displaying nothing more than a Now Playing widget with details about what’s playing.
Although Apple doesn’t seem to have much interest in giving users an audio visualizer on its platform, that’s not to say you can’t have one. A new free jailbreak tweak called Mitsuha Infinity by iOS developers c0ldra1n and Nepeta brings it to the table for anyone who possesses a pwned handset.
Review: Cavalier Maverick—a stylish Alexa speaker that goes everywhere with you
Voice-activated speakers with smarts have been mainstreamed thanks to Amazon, becoming more attractive with the arrival of HomePod. But HomePod leaves a lot to be desired. It's too pricey for the average consumer and only works with Apple Music. HomePod also doesn't act as a regular Bluetooth speaker nor is it portable. But I know something that is!
How to share Spotify playlists from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac
If there’s one thing that’s better than enjoying the music you love, it’s sharing it with others. And if you use Spotify, sharing your playlists is easy. You can quickly share them in a variety of ways from your devices. So, if you’re ready to brighten someone’s day with some cool new tunes, here’s how to share Spotify playlists on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
NoIdleTimer negates the Lock screen’s lockout timer if your device is charging or playing music
Apple designed your iOS device’s Lock screen to go back to sleep after a predefined timeout period, and while this can be useful for battery savings in certain circumstances, there are some instances where this might be irrelevant or where you may favor performance over battery life.
For that reason, iOS developer Nepeta came out with a new free jailbreak tweak called NoIdleTimer that lets you disable the Lock screen’s automatic lockout period so long as certain conditions are met.
Apple Music for Android picks up Chromebook support and a revamped Browse tab
The official Apple Music app for Android was updated this morning on Play Store, picking up the same overhauled and reorganized Browse tab which came to iOS last week, along with a cool perk for Google fans in the form of support for the Chromebook computers.
MusicArtwork changes the Music app’s icon depending on the Now Playing track
A large part of Apple’s business model involves Apple Music, and so it’s no surprise that the company spend a lot of its time refining the music experience on its mobile devices. That aside, Apple could do more, and those who agree might enjoy a new jailbreak tweak release called MusicArtwork by iOS developer Cole Cabral.
Right out of the box, MusicArtwork replaces iOS’ native Music app icon with an image file that is representative of the Now Playing song’s album artwork. You can view a few different examples of the tweak in action via the multitude of images that we’ve included in this piece.