After a big iOS 26 overhaul, Apple is giving Apple Music some minor yet useful tweaks with iOS 27. From new Siri AI and improved AutoMix transitions to Hi-Res Lossless support, the update focuses on making Apple Music feel more polished, intelligent, and user-friendly.
And for the first time in a while, I think Apple Music is gaining ground in areas where Spotify has traditionally felt ahead. Here’s a look at all the new Apple Music features coming with iOS 27 and why they matter.
Siri AI is coming to Apple Music
One of the most interesting additions is deeper integration with Apple’s new Siri AI experience. Users can now have more natural conversations with Siri about artists and songs instead of relying on robotic commands.
Instead of saying: “Play the latest song by Taylor Swift.” You can give a cross-app command like: “Play the Taylor Swift song that Sarah recommended in a text a few weeks ago”
Siri understands the context and continues the conversation naturally. You can even ask a follow-up like “play her most popular album,” without repeating the artist’s name. That may sound small, but it reduces friction.
However, there’s no word on the Playlist Playground feature released in beta four months ago. I hope the iOS 27 official version makes it public.
AutoMix just got a serious upgrade
If there’s one Apple Music feature that deserves more attention, it’s AutoMix.
Apple introduced it previously, but it mostly fits house, techno, and pop music. In some playlists, transitions cut the ending of a song. iOS 27 improves the underlying algorithms, producing new dynamic transitions that feel more natural, immersive, and engaging for each genre.
Moreover, the feature is coming to HomePod and Apple TV. Honestly, this might be my favorite upgrade. Most people won’t notice it immediately. But after listening for a few days, going back to traditional Crossfade feels surprisingly jarring.
Apple TV users can finally access Hi-Res Lossless Audio
Audiophiles have been waiting for this one.
Apple is bringing Hi-Res Lossless streaming to tvOS 27, expanding the platform’s high-quality audio capabilities beyond standard lossless playback. This upgrade arrives alongside broader Apple Music improvements across Apple’s ecosystem.
Will everyone notice the difference? Not likely. But users with premium speakers, DACs, or home theater systems can enjoy listening to studio-quality music on their Apple TV 4K. This is one of those upgrades that strengthens Apple’s position as the ecosystem for serious music listeners.
Lyrics are becoming more useful globally
Apple is also expanding Lyrics Translation and Lyrics Pronunciation support across more languages like English to French, German, Italian, Korean and Spanish. This might sound niche until you realize how global music consumption has become.
K-pop, Latin music, J-pop, Afrobeats, and even regional artists from across the globe continue to get recognition outside their native language. Being able to understand lyrics instantly removes one of the biggest barriers to discovering international music.
I think this feature is underrated. Music discovery increasingly happens across cultures, and language support can be just as important as recommendation algorithms.
The Artist pages finally feel more modern
Apple has redesigned artist pages with cleaner layouts and improved organization.
You will see a unique font for some artists’ names like Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. It’s unclear if Apple is testing the new feature with its most well-known musicians or if artists must manually update this.
Additionally, the artist page has a bigger play button that plays their best songs when you tap it. A banner showcases the artist’s most recent release, and as you scroll, there are different sections for their Top Songs, Essentials, Albums, Top Videos, Singles & EPs, Live Albums, Compilations, Similar Artists, and more. You can also tap the i button for more details.
The old design often buried actions behind multiple taps. The updated layout surfaces music faster and lets you quickly jump into an artist’s catalog. Also, the entire Apple Music UI adopts the refined Liquid Glass design and album pages are simplified.
Faster streaming might be the most important upgrade
Here’s the feature Apple users will benefit from every single day: Performance improvements.
Apple says Apple Music now launches tracks faster after opening the app, loads the Now Playing screen more quickly, and improves overall streaming reliability. So, you may experience fewer pauses in playback even in unstable network conditions.
These improvements often matter more than headline features.
Landscape Mode arrives at last
Another surprisingly useful addition is support for both portrait and landscape viewing in the Now Playing interface.
It finally resolves an eternal problem for people who charge their devices on the dock, keep them on stands, connect to the car mounts, or just prefer landscape viewing. It’s one of those features that should have existed years ago. But better late than never.
I think Apple bringing the Landscape mode to several native apps is paving the path for the rumored foldable iPhone Ultra. Moreover, you can swipe the Now Playing widget from the Lock Screen to dismiss it.
Why these changes matter
The biggest takeaway from iOS 27 isn’t any single feature. It’s the direction. For years, Apple Music updates felt incremental and easy to ignore. This year feels different.
Apple is improving:
- Music discovery
- Audio quality
- AI assistance
- International accessibility
- User interface design
- Streaming performance
Instead of chasing one flashy feature, Apple is improving the entire listening experience from multiple angles. That’s a smarter strategy.
Final thoughts
iOS 27 won’t suddenly convince every Spotify user to switch. But it does make Apple Music substantially better.
The upgraded AutoMix experience, expanded lyrics tools, Siri AI integration, Hi-Res Lossless support, redesigned artist pages, and performance improvements collectively make Apple Music move forward. And if Apple continues building on these foundations, the competition in music streaming is about to get a lot more interesting.
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