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 HomeView lineup feature1

Apple Announces 'HomeView' Smart Home Hub

Tuesday October 13, 2026 6:00 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "HomeView," an all-new kind of smart home hub featuring a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and Siri AI. Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said: Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user. It recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience,...
Apple TV 4K 4th Generation feature4

New Apple TV 4K Announced With A19 Chip, Updated Siri Remote, More

Tuesday October 13, 2026 6:08 am PDT by
Apple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more. The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice...
iOS 26 Home Feature

RIP, homeOS

Tuesday October 13, 2026 9:39 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to reveal the name "HomeView" last week, after discovering a trademark filing from a secretive shell company that we correctly suspected was linked to Apple. Apple was likely behind a "homeOS" trademark filing as well, but the company ultimately decided to stick with generic "HomeView software" naming, just like it refers to the HomePod's operating system as "HomePod...

Top Rated Comments

41 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
41 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
41 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
41 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
41 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
41 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
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
Developers Question Scope of Potential Apple Antitrust Settlement
12 minutes ago
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
iPhone Duo Resold for $5,000 on eBay After Selling Out
14 minutes ago
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro With Up to $800 Off
23 minutes ago
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
iPhone Duo is Sold Out for Christmas as Shipping Estimates Slip to 2027
42 minutes ago
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
2 hours ago
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
First Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Arrives at Amazon
2 hours ago
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: The Best Carrier Offers From AT&T and T-Mobile
2 hours ago
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
iPhone Duo Now Available to Pre-Order From Apple
2 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
4 hours ago
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
4 hours ago
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
Oops, Apple's Website Just Hinted at iPad Mini 8
13 hours ago
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
OLED MacBook Pro Won't Get M7 Chips Until Late 2027
16 hours ago
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
Apple Pledged $25 Million to Trump's White House Ballroom
17 hours ago
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6
19 hours ago
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
19 hours ago
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio
20 hours ago
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
iPad Mini 8: Apple Has Tested Both 60Hz and 120Hz ProMotion Displays
20 hours ago
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
Apple TV 4K 2022 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
22 hours ago
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
23 hours ago
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
Greg Joswiak Says Apple Isn't Focused on Making AI for 'Lunatic Fringe'
23 hours ago
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
Amazon Offers $120 Discount on AirPods Max 2, $50 Off AirPods Pro 3
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
Apple CEO John Ternus Featured on Cover of TIME Magazine: 'New Era'
1 day ago
Apple Announces Deadline to 'Get Ready' to Pre-Order the iPhone Duo
Apple Announces Deadline to 'Get Ready' to Pre-Order the iPhone Duo
1 day ago
MKBHD is 'Not Convinced' About Apple's New HomeView, Here's Why
MKBHD is 'Not Convinced' About Apple's New HomeView, Here's Why
1 day ago
Apple's Wall-Mounted HomeView Ships Without a Power Adapter
Apple's Wall-Mounted HomeView Ships Without a Power Adapter
1 day ago
Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million
Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million
1 day ago
Apple Now Inviting Media to October 28 'Launch Experience'
Apple Now Inviting Media to October 28 'Launch Experience'
1 day ago
iPhone Duo's A20 Pro Chip Benchmarked Ahead of Launch
iPhone Duo's A20 Pro Chip Benchmarked Ahead of Launch
2 days ago
10 HomeView Features You Might Have Missed
10 HomeView Features You Might Have Missed
2 days ago
Apple Becomes Second Company to Close Above $5 Trillion
Apple Becomes Second Company to Close Above $5 Trillion
2 days ago