YouTube Music has launched a new feature in its iOS app that allows users to read the lyrics to a song as it's playing.

youtube music video lyrics
To use the new lyrics feature, tap the Info (i) button beneath the video that you're currently watching, then scroll down. If lyrics to the song are available, you'll see them below the tracking bar.

Unlike some song lyrics available in Apple Music, song lyrics in YouTube Music don't advance in real time as the song progresses, so you'll have to scroll down manually if you want to keep in time to the music.

As noted by The Verge, not all tracks on YouTube Music come with lyrics, even if they've been published on official artist or record label accounts, but they could still be propagating as the feature continues to roll out.

The new lyrics feature in YouTube Music for iOS works for both paying and non-paying users. Customers who subscribe to Google Play Music are also automatically signed up to YouTube Music, which is expected to replace the former service soon.

Real-time lyrics were just added to ‌Apple Music‌ on Mac via an update. For a direct comparison between ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ and Google Play/YouTube Music, click here.

Top Rated Comments

rrm74001 Avatar
76 months ago

sigh, wake me up when I can close YouTube and continue to have the audio play.
If you mean for free, then enjoy your coma.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
x-evil-x Avatar
76 months ago
sigh, wake me up when I can close YouTube and continue to have the audio play.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seatton Avatar
76 months ago
I am just here for Taylor Swift!!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
76 months ago
"Unlike some song lyrics available in Apple Music ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-music/')," Don't you mean "most". I have yet to try this feature and not had it work, so yah, most songs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Swampbaby985 Avatar
74 months ago

sigh, wake me up when I can close YouTube and continue to have the audio play.
I can do that on Android ?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
proposed unicode emoji 18%402x

Squinting Face, Pickle, and Lighthouse Among New Emoji Coming to iOS

Friday January 9, 2026 4:24 am PST by
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026. Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
Apple Intelligence iPhone 16

Google Gemini Partnership With Apple Will Go Beyond Siri Revamp

Monday January 12, 2026 8:48 am PST by
Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features. "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday January 12, 2026 8:19 am PST by
iOS 26.3 will likely be released to the public later this month, but it appears that Apple is preparing to push out another software update in the interim. Apple's software engineers have started testing iOS 26.2.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The update will likely be released at some point this week or next week. ...