Apple Music for Android Gains Home Screen Widget in New Update - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Music for Android Gains Home Screen Widget in New Update

by

The Apple Music app for Android devices was updated today, adding a new home screen widget that gives Android users the ability to control Apple Music playback without needing to open the Apple Music app.

The widget lets users view what's playing, and quickly pause, skip, rewind, and favorite songs. Today's update also lets Android users add songs directly to playlists without first needing to add them to the Apple Music, offers a way to redeem iTunes credit for membership renewal, and includes several other useful interface tweaks that should be a welcome change for Android Apple Music users.

applemusicandroid

Image via PocketNow

Now you can add songs from the Apple Music catalog to playlists without having to add it to your library. You can also:
- Control playback with a widget you can add to your home screen
- Redeem gift cards in Settings to renew your membership using iTunes credit
- See what's playing on Beats 1 directly from the Radio tab -- without having to tune in
- Tap the name of the currently playing song in Now Playing to go to the album
- See which songs are most popular on albums in the Apple Music catalog

Apple Music for Android can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

Top Rated Comments

Adam Betts Avatar
139 months ago
Interesting how Apple is taking advantage of features on Android but refuses to loosen up with iOS
That's not the right way to view it. Apple have said that they're trying to make an app that feels right at home in Android even though they themselves may not agree with Android's UI trends.

If a highly-requested feature isn't on iOS yet, it usually means that Apple haven't found a right approach, something that would fit in with iOS properly. Remember iOS copynpaste?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
139 months ago
All this arguing about iOS needing widgets and here I am wondering what everyone is talking about? I've got a ton of widgets available from either my lock screen or anywhere I am: the Today view! Works great and keeps everything nice and tidy. I've got widgets for all sorts of things: weather and radar, sports scores, stocks, calendar, data plan usage, thermostat controls, to-do lists, pedometer, system monitoring, breaking news and package deliveries. What is everyone complaining about? I've even got widgets on my Watch! Widgets for days. WIDGETS FOR WEEKS! A man could go mad with this kind of power.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
glindon Avatar
139 months ago
Interesting how Apple is taking advantage of features on Android but refuses to loosen up with iOS
There is a widget on iOS. Swipe up to open control center. The widget is always available no matter where you are in iOS unlike this widget that is only on that particular home screen.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
139 months ago
All this arguing about iOS needing widgets and here I am wondering what everyone is talking about? I've got a ton of widgets available from either my lock screen or anywhere I am: the Today view! Works great and keeps everything nice and tidy. I've got widgets for all sorts of things: weather and radar, sports scores, stocks, calendar, data plan usage, thermostat controls, to-do lists, pedometer, system monitoring, breaking news and package deliveries. What is everyone complaining about? I've even got widgets on my Watch! Widgets for days. WIDGETS FOR WEEKS! A man could go mad with this kind of power.
I loved when they added widgets, and I added a bunch to my Today view, but I sadly can't say they work great for me. Every single time I slide down the NC, the widgets are all blank and take a few seconds to load the data. And they don't do it all at the same time either, which causes them to all expand/contract out of order and is impossible for me to select anything for about 6 seconds.

Do you experience this? I'd love for my widgets to be a lot smoother... Maybe it's just the ones I'm currently using?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
waterskier2007 Avatar
139 months ago
There is a widget on iOS. Swipe up to open control center. The widget is always available no matter where you are in iOS unlike this widget that is only on that particular home screen.
That is by far the dumbest point I have ever seen. I am not saying I want or don't want widgets, but if I was going to argue against them, this is not the point I would base my argument on.

Widgets would be something available for any app to implement, whereas control center is locked to what Apple decides should be there.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
139 months ago
How does AM on iOS differ from AM on Android? Aside from the widget, of course.
It doesn't work.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Music iPod Page Not Found

Apple Music Has a Hidden iPod You Can Play With

Friday October 23, 2026 7:11 am PDT by
Apple Music has a 404 page easter egg on the web: a functional iPod that appears when you load a page that does not exist, such as music.apple.com/macrumors. "Page Not Found," says Apple. "Give this a spin instead." Apple is clever with this. If you navigate to music.apple.com/ipod instead, the page says "Looking for something?" instead of "Page Not Found." The easter egg is only...
Apple Music New Branding

Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced

Wednesday October 21, 2026 9:06 am PDT by
Following the introduction of a new Apple Music logo and app icon earlier this month, Apple today officially introduced Apple Music's new brand identity. In a YouTube video shared today, Apple said the new Apple Music visuals were "made by sound." More specifically, Apple said it played a sound through a container of water, resulting in the liquid moving at the frequency of the notes. Apple...
apple music new logo red

Apple Music Is Getting a New Logo

Tuesday October 6, 2026 4:06 am PDT by
Apple appears to be rolling out a new logo for Apple Music in its upcoming set of software updates. The logo has been spotted in both macOS 27.2 beta 3 and iOS 27.2 beta 3, and it's identical to the one that Apple used in its Apple Music Hall announcement last month. When Apple used the logo in the venue's press materials and on its new official website, it wasn't clear if this was a one-off ...
Latest Stories
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
4 minutes ago
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
1 hour ago
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
2 hours ago
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
2 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Brings Live Activities to Macs Without Dynamic Island
macOS 27.3 Brings Live Activities to Macs Without Dynamic Island
4 hours ago
Apple TV Reportedly Planning 'Silo' Spinoff
Apple TV Reportedly Planning 'Silo' Spinoff
4 hours ago
Is It Worth Buying a Titanium Apple Watch?
Is It Worth Buying a Titanium Apple Watch?
5 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Includes an Important Security Fix
macOS 27.3 Includes an Important Security Fix
5 hours ago
Massive Sale Hits Apple Watch Ultra 3 With Record Low $250 Discounts
Massive Sale Hits Apple Watch Ultra 3 With Record Low $250 Discounts
6 hours ago
Does HomePod Mini 2 Have Improved Sound? Here's What Reviews Say
Does HomePod Mini 2 Have Improved Sound? Here's What Reviews Say
7 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Makes Markdown Files Easier to Read
macOS 27.3 Makes Markdown Files Easier to Read
7 hours ago
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
8 hours ago
Apple May Phase Out Non-Touch High-End MacBook Pros
Apple May Phase Out Non-Touch High-End MacBook Pros
8 hours ago
Apple's Insider Trading Policy Now Covers Prediction Markets
Apple's Insider Trading Policy Now Covers Prediction Markets
9 hours ago
'Stick' Season 2 Premieres Today on Apple TV
'Stick' Season 2 Premieres Today on Apple TV
9 hours ago
iPhone 18e Rumored to Focus on Chip Upgrade With Few Major Changes
iPhone 18e Rumored to Focus on Chip Upgrade With Few Major Changes
9 hours ago
Google Maps Updated to Fully Support iPhone Duo Displays
Google Maps Updated to Fully Support iPhone Duo Displays
9 hours ago
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
21 hours ago
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
21 hours ago
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
23 hours ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
1 day ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
1 day ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
1 day ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
1 day ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
1 day ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
1 day ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
1 day ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
1 day ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
1 day ago