iOS 17 Music App Features: Crossfade, Collaborative Playlists, Song Credits and More - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 17 Music App Features: Crossfade, Collaborative Playlists, Song Credits and More

Apple Music in iOS 17 includes several long-requested features, such as collaborative playlists and an option to enable crossfade for a non-stop music experience. This guide highlights everything new that Apple added to the ‌Apple Music‌ app in iOS 17.

iOS 17 Apple Music Feature

Crossfade

Crossfade allows songs that are playing to smoothly transition into one another, eliminating any dead air time between songs.

apple music crossfade length

Collaborative Playlists

With collaborative playlists, friends and family members can add to, reorder, and remove songs from a single ‌Apple Music‌ playlist. You can set up a playlist with several people, and each person can contribute songs and react to songs in the playlist with emoji.

apple music collaborative playlist
Collaborative playlists are not yet implemented and will be coming to an iOS 17 update a bit later this year.

Apple Music SharePlay for CarPlay

iOS 17 brings an ‌Apple Music‌ SharePlay experience to CarPlay, so everyone in the car can play their favorite songs and contribute music. The car owner that has their iPhone connected to the car needs to have an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription for this feature to work, but passengers do not.

shareplay carplay
The ‌Apple Music‌ interface provides a QR code that each person can scan to get access to a playlist where songs can be added to the in-car ‌Apple Music‌ queue.

Interface Updates

Full-screen animated artwork is available for albums that support the option, and album art is also now designed to blend seamlessly into the music player where the controls are located.

apple music ios 17
When the music player is minimized, there is now a hovering effect that adds depth.

Non-synced Lyrics

Song lyrics that are not synced to the music that's playing are shown in a larger, more legible font. This brings the lyric size in line with the lyrics that are synced to an ‌Apple Music‌ song.

Song Credits

Tapping on the three-dot icon next to a song that is playing or in a playlist shows song credits. The credits show the performing artists, composition artists, and those who were involved in production and engineering.

song credits apple music

Apple Music Sing on Apple TV

With an iPhone running iOS 17 and an Apple TV 4K running tvOS 17, the iPhone can serve as a camera for the ‌Apple TV‌, showing you on the screen as you perform. You can also do this with an iPad, and it is the same feature that enables FaceTime on ‌Apple TV‌.

apple music sing continuity camera
‌Apple Music‌ Sing is integrated into ‌Apple Music‌. It uses the built-in follow-along lyrics and turns down vocals so you can sing along with your favorite songs.

Read More

More on all of the new features in iOS 17 can be found in our in-depth iOS 17 roundup.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...
iPad Pro 2024 vs Air 2024 Feature

Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027

Sunday November 1, 2026 7:27 am PST by
After announcing a new iPad mini with an OLED display earlier this month, Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and entry-level iPad models in the first half of 2027, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the next iPad Air will also feature an OLED display, while he expects the next iPad Pro to be equipped with a...

Top Rated Comments

42 months ago
Still an atrocious interface. Needs a ground-up UI redesign.

Edit: Reasons why (no particular order)

* Adding to library or playlist should be a one-click action vs needing to click the 3 dot menu
* No device handoff or memory for last playing if app is restarted
* Random glitches and stability issues (such as now playing not always reflecting current song playing)
* Song radios repeating songs and not as good at curating as Spotify
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eicca Avatar
42 months ago
But: did they fix the bug where music copied from my computer shows up as each track being its own album?

That bug has been there for SIX YEARS NOW.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AJTC Avatar
42 months ago

Still an atrocious interface. Needs a ground-up UI redesign.

Edit: Reasons why (no particular order)

* Adding to library or playlist should be a one-click action vs needing to click the 3 dot menu
* No device handoff or memory for last playing if app is restarted
* Random glitches and stability issues (such as now playing not always reflecting current song playing)
* Song radios repeating songs and not as good at curating as Spotify

I’d add in that the Listen Now, Browse and Search needs to be faster/native instead of a web app wrapped in an app container. Those tabs are so slow compared to Spotify.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dynAdZ Avatar
42 months ago
While these are decent features, what the app really needs is a complete rework from scratch. It should get a whole new UI and coding framework to make it at least as fast and stable as Spotify‘s app is. It is hard to believe how fast you can navigate and search in Spotify compared to Apple Music. They really should start all over.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lazyrighteye Avatar
42 months ago
Song Credits!
I’ll have to see it in action, but it’s a step toward complete liner notes that include all musicians, instruments played, producer, studio, etc. Can go a long way toward facilitating deeper connection to the music. Has been my main request of the platform. Excited to finally see some attention in that regard.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cgs1xx Avatar
42 months ago
how many years till we get an equalizer? :rolleyes::rolleyes:
come on Apple... you can do it!

Also I'd love to be able to switch off anything "curated" like Listen Now, Radio, Browse etc
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
3 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
4 hours ago
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
5 hours ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
7 hours ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
7 hours 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
8 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
8 hours 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
8 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
8 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
8 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
8 hours ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
9 hours 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
9 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
9 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
9 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
9 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
9 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
10 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
10 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
10 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
11 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
11 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
12 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
12 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
12 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
13 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
13 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
13 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
14 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
14 hours ago