One neat feature of the PS5 is the ability to play music in the background through Spotify. As of today, though, PS5 users can now also use Apple Music to stream their favorite songs among many other services.
In recent weeks there was speculation that Apple Music was coming to PS5, after images surfaced showing the ability to sign into the service from the PS5's Control Center. For years Spotify has been the primary music streaming service for PlayStation, it even being known as "PlayStation Music" during the PS4 era. On both the PS4 and PS5, by logging into Spotify, players could have their favorite songs, playlists, and podcasts running in the background, being very useful when performing monotonous tasks for a trophy or just having something other than the sounds of gameplay. For Sony to introduce Apple Music to the PS5 ecosystem is huge.
In an official PlayStation Blog post, Sony announced today's launch of Apple Music on PS5. Erin Metzger, the Director of Product Management at Sony Interactive Entertainment, writes the post, noting that the PS5 is "the first gaming console to introduce an integrated Apple Music experience." Apple Music has a full built-in app like Spotify, where users can listen to more than 90 million songs, browse playlists, watch 4K music videos, and even listen to Apple Music Radio. This new development follows a promotion earlier this year where PS5 users could 6 months of Apple TV+ for free, indicating the beginnings of a business relationship between Sony and Apple.
After downloading the Apple Music app from the PS5's Media space, Metzger describes two basic ways to access its services. Users can firstly tap the PlayStation home button on the DualSense controlller, then select the Music icon on the PS5's Control Center to quickly view their Apple Music library, assuming they have already logged in after downloading the app. Alternatively, users can simply boot up the Apple Music app in the Media menu, where they access the full service including playlist browsing and music video watching. Metzger points out that while watching music videos, if the player wants to return to their game or go somewhere else on the PS5, the music video's audio will continue uninterrupted.
Despite putting a Spotify button on the PS5 Media Remote, Sony really went ahead and brought Apple Music to PS5. For consumers this is great, as Apple Music makes up another large portion of the music streaming market, and now its users can take advantage of services on PS5 that Spotify users could for years. It is pretty strange though that this is only the first console for Apple Music to appear on, considering how big a brand Apple is, and the install base of its products.
Source: PlayStation Blog