Apple Seeds Third iOS 8.4 Beta With Revamped Music App to Developers, Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the third beta of iOS 8.4 to registered developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second iOS 8.4 beta and three weeks after releasing the first iOS 8.4 beta. iOS 8.4 has been in testing since mid-April, following the early April release of iOS 8.3. Today's beta is also available to public beta testers.

The beta, build 12H4098c, is available as an over-the-air download and through the iOS Developer Center. Apple has also released Xcode 6.4 beta 3 to developers.

ios84beta3
iOS 8.4's major feature is an all-new Music app that includes a revamped look. The Music app's new design shows pictures of artists in the Artists view and it offers a new MiniPlayer with a redesigned look for "Now Playing." There are personalized playlists, global search capabilities that make it easier to search within the Music app, and a streamlined design for iTunes Radio to bolster music discovery.


The first two iOS 8.4 betas had long lists of bugs associated with the new Music app, which Apple has been working to resolve with subsequent betas. According to the release notes, the third beta includes a few fixes for lingering issues to make the Music app more stable, but there continue to be a long list of known issues with the app.

Siri is not able to control iTunes Radio in beta 4, AirPlay streaming may be broken, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes are not available, and there are stability issues when using Up Next or iTunes Radio. It's also not possible to start a station from a song or artist, deleting an empty playlist can cause crashes, and the Music app may forget its place when exiting to the home screen. In addition to these issues, there are several other remaining problems with the app that will be worked out in future beta releases.

iOS 8.4's redesigned Music app comes ahead of the rumored debut of a redesigned streaming music service that may make an appearance at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The upcoming streaming music service is said to be similar to Apple's existing Beats music service, but with a rebranding, a redesign, deeper integration into iTunes, and a focus on exclusive content.

Changes to the Music app in iOS 8.4 beta 3:
iTunes Radio - The iTunes Radio portion of the Music app has seen a few interface changes, including a new font for the "Recently Played" section at the top of the app and new fonts for each iTunes Radio category.

newfontitunesradio
Offline options - There's a new toggle in the Music app for showing music that's available offline on a particular device. There's also a new icon for denoting which songs are stored offline.

musicoffline
Search - Trending searches (added in beta 2) have been removed and Search history includes both local searches and iTunes Radio searches.

Tag: iOS 8.4
Related Forum: iOS 8

Top Rated Comments

WB2Colorado Avatar
116 months ago
I'm surprised people aren't just using Spotify. Who 'buys' music now?

People who still want to listen to their music if they don't want to pay for a subscription anymore.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Benjamin Frost Avatar
116 months ago
I'm surprised people aren't just using Spotify. Who 'buys' music now?

Me. I will never rent music.

----------

Fair points. Although I do wonder how many actually go through the convenience of ripping off CDs or buying lossless tracks online to get lossless.

Wonder away.

I do. For classical music, it's worth it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paradoxally Avatar
116 months ago
I'm surprised people aren't just using Spotify. Who 'buys' music now?

Spotify free sucks, and some people like to listen to lossless music or just don't want to pay for a subscription.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pinksteady Avatar
116 months ago
I'm amazed the music app still doesn't let you see a list of albums by artist. I.e. click artist, see a list of their albums, then click on an album to view list of songs. Instead you select your artist then see a huge list of songs. So counter-intuitive and I just don't know why Apple continue to refuse to re-instate this functionality.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TMRJIJ Avatar
116 months ago
I'm still waiting for up next.

This feature is already there in the beta.
Update: He knows.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
116 months ago
I'm [s]still waiting[/s] excited for up next!

Update: he knows I know.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
Reasons to Not Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Sonoma 14.4: Reasons Not to Update

Monday March 18, 2024 9:36 am PDT by
Since Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma 14.4 on March 7, the transition to the latest software update has not been entirely smooth for everyone, and a number of issues have been reported by users that significantly impact their daily workflow. This article lists the most prominent challenges users have faced since updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, and offers potential solutions where available. USB...