iOS 17.1 Adds Custom Playlist Art Options to Apple Music

Apple added a new feature to the Apple Music app in the first beta of iOS 17.1 that offers a selection of color-matched playlist artwork options for the first time.

iOS 17 Playlist Artwork Feature 1
As of beta one, Apple provides eight different artwork styles featuring geometric shapes and gradients, with the title of the playlist in the top left corner. The colors used in the artwork are picked from the album artwork of whatever song is first in the playlist. The default artwork continues to be the tiled album artwork of the first four songs in a playlist and the ability to choose a custom image from Photos or Files remains.

Previously, users had to keep the basic tiled image or upload a custom image. Since not all users have custom graphics or photos they want to use for playlists and the default artwork is relatively simple, playlists can be difficult to identify and look fairly generic. Now, users can quickly and easily set a unique appearance for each playlist that fits in with ‌Apple Music‌'s UI.

Other ‌Apple Music‌ changes and improvements in iOS 17.1 include favoriting songs from the Lock Screen and suggested songs in playlists. The ability for multiple users to collaborate on and add to the same playlist and ‌Apple Music‌ SharePlay for CarPlay are also expected to be added in a future update. iOS 17.1 introduces a host of new features, including NameDrop to Apple Watch, UK bank balances in the Wallet app, and more.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

morphineseason Avatar
25 months ago
Didn't they decouple all the stock apps from iOS years ago so they could update the apps via App Store whenever they wanted? So why do they remain tied to iOS updates? Makes no sense to me. iOS updates should be for actual OS updates and features, not for their apps. Really just makes it seem like they've run out of ideas with every major iOS release.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zach-coleman Avatar
25 months ago

What about letting us customize the Music app home screen more than we can now? I would love to be able to remove the recently added music section from the home screen.
Also would love to be able to assign album artwork of my own to the artist section, which is missing a lot of artwork/covers. And no way to add them.
Bring back the old app design where you could customize the bottom navbar please. I wish I could just go straight into playlists…
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
25 months ago
What I'm really wanting these days is the ability to TAG a song or an artist however I choose (say "driving music" or "upbeat" or "solo artist") so I could assemble smart playlists based on tags. Playlists are all well and good (and definitely have their place), but the concept has not really evolved past the mixtape paradigm.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
talkingheads Avatar
25 months ago
What about letting us customize the Music app home screen more than we can now? I would love to be able to remove the recently added music section from the home screen.
Also would love to be able to assign album artwork of my own to the artist section, which is missing a lot of artwork/covers. And no way to add them.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
talkingheads Avatar
25 months ago

Bring back the old app design where you could customize the bottom navbar please. I wish I could just go straight into playlists…
Yes please Apple bring it back.
The Music app on the Mac has the same problems that I mentioned above.
We need more customization options on both OS’s.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrENGLISH Avatar
25 months ago
Honestly surprised it has taken this long for such a basic feature.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)