Music

Jay-Z pulls albums from Spotify and Apple Music [update: everything back to normal]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2017

Rapper and entertainment mogul Shawn Carter, known to most as Jay-Z, has removed his albums from Apple Music and Spotify. As noted by MacRumors, all of his solo albums quietly disappeared from the two apps overnight.

It's not yet known if the decision was Carter's call, given that he owns the struggling music service Tidal, or a directive of wireless carrier Sprint, who recently purchased 33% of the company. Either way, the move is about exclusivity.

Update: Jay-Z's music is back on Apple Music. We are not sure what happened.

Apple Music 2.0 for Android brings iOS 10 style interface, integrated lyrics & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 4, 2017

Apple today pushed a major update to the Apple Music client for Android. Available on Google's Play Store for free, the app has been bumped from version 1.2.1 to 2.0 and now features a refreshed user interface that mimics iOS 10 styling that should bring greater clarity and simplicity.

Aside from the facelift, the software comes with half a dozen new features including the consolidated For You, Library, Browse and Radio sections, a Now Playing screen with integrated lyrics, and more.

Brightify gives the Spotify Music app a white makeover

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 4, 2017

It wasn’t long ago that we showed you a jailbreak tweak called Lightify, which applied a light skin to the Spotify Music app's typically dark UI.

On the other hand, a new free jailbreak tweak called Brightify by iOS developer cyanisaac aims to accomplish similar goals, all while coming with its own unique benefits that competing tweaks don't offer.

How to download music you purchased on iTunes to a new computer

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 21, 2024

In this tutorial, we will show you how to redownload all or specific songs that you had previously purchased from Apple's iTunes Store on to a new Mac or Windows PC. Of course, you won't have to pay for them again.

How to auto-add Shazam songs to Apple Music or Spotify playlist

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated April 9, 2026

In this handy tutorial, we’ll show you how to have the songs you identify using Shazam get automatically added to an Apple Music or Spotify playlist.

djay Pro for Mac gains deep Pioneer DJ integration, Touch Bar improvements & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Algoriddim's Apple Design Award-winning djay Pro for macOS was updated on Mac App Store today with Pioneer DJ integration and other improvements. The app is now officially certified by Pioneer DJ to be used with their high end gear, including CDJ-2000NXS2/Tour setups via plug and play. “To our knowledge, djay Pro is the first third-party app to support Pioneer DJ’s Pro DJ Link technology, which means users connect up to four CDJs with their Pioneer mixer and control djay Pro through a single USB cable (mixer to Mac),” Algoriddim's Michael Simmons told me in an email message.

Spotify may reportedly restrict biggest new music releases to paid users

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

The Financial Times is reporting that the leading music-streaming service, Spotify, which recently passed 50 million subscribers, may restrict biggest new music releases to paid users as it renegotiates contracts with record labels.

The Swedish company is looking to potentially decrease the amount of royalties paid to content holders as it readies a long-rumored initial public offering, said people familiar with the situation.

BiggieSmallcc makes the album artwork more more prominent in Control Center

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 15, 2017

One of the great things about Control Center is how it offers access to Music controls anywhere you might need them. Part of the music control interface shows an album artwork illustration for whatever media is playing. Of course, some jailbreak developers would argue that it needs improvement.

A new free jailbreak tweak called BiggieSmallcc by candoizo aims to make the album artwork more proportionately appropriate by enlarging it to better fit the size of the interface, especially on larger-screened devices.

How to manually check for Spotify app updates on Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 22, 2025

Learn how to manually update the Spotify app on your Mac to ensure you have the latest available version with the newest features and bug fixes.

Acapella III lets you control your music with gestures instead of buttons

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 12, 2017

Music lovers can make great use of Acapella III, the third iteration of the popular jailbreak tweak series by Pat Sluth that gives power users a way to do more from the Now Playing interfaces in iOS by way of gestures.

You can use these gestures throughout iOS, whether you’re in Control Center, on the Lock screen, or viewing the Now Playing interface or the mini player in the Music app, and as a result of the new gesture-driven music controls, most of the button-based controls are removed from the iOS interfaces.

Harp brings haptic feedback to your music controls

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 8, 2017

The haptic feedback trend continues with the release of a new free jailbreak tweak called Harp by iOS developer candoizo.

This tweak generates a soft 'buzz' in your hand whenever you interact with your iPhone’s music controls from your Now Playing interfaces in Control Center or on the Lock screen.

Customize Control Center with CCPlus

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 7, 2017

Control Center made iOS devices more usable after debuting post-iOS 7, as it allows you tinker with settings and shortcuts without ever having to open an app to do so. On the other hand, Apple still doesn’t give the user even the most basic of customization options, which leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the jailbreak community picks up the slack in this department.

With a new free jailbreak tweak called CCPlus by iOS developer Skitty, you can configure the look and feel of Control Center so it reflects what you want, rather than what Apple expects it to be.