Q: "Does Apple Music have a web player?" Yes. To catch up to Spotify, Apple finally geared up a web player. With the new web player release, subscribers can now sign in with their Apple Music ID to play full songs on the web without the iTunes or Apple Music app installed on their device. In case you are new to this service, we will introduce the complete review of Apple Music web player in the following parts.
The Apple Music player debuted as a beta site in 2019. However, users can't access some features, such as the offline mode and some exclusive content. To solve the problem, we will also recommend several alternatives to the Apple Music online web player, which also enables you to listen to Apple Music online and offline without iTunes.
View also: How to Download Apple Music Online
Part 1. What Is Apple Music Web Player
In 2019, Apple rolled out its browser music player for Windows users. The new web player for Apple Music is compatible with all kinds of browsers, such as Google Chrome, and with all non-Apple platforms like Windows 10, Chrome OS, Linux, etc. It can even work on a mobile system, containing Android. This Apple web music player is mainly designed for music lovers to access the whole music library with over 110M tracks of Apple Music online without needing to install any extra applications.
The Apple Music web interface boasts almost the same UI design as the Apple Music Mac app. Besides, it has more of a 'For You' section compared with its app. Both of them have a stationary navigation sidebar on the left panel with four sections: Listen Now, Browse, Radio, and Search. You can also view your Apple Music Replay in the web player. It is a pity that, however, you cannot download songs from the Apple Music browser player.
View also: Fix Apple Music Replay Not Working
Part 2. Main Features of Apple Music Web Player
The main features play a significant role in choosing a music platform. So, in this part, we will take you through the selling points, pros, and cons of this Apple Music online player.
Main Features
⭕ Easyly access to more than 110 million songs
⭕ Tailored recommendations in 'For You' based on the listening history and habits
⭕ Play Apple Music songs in AAC codec
⭕ The ability to add, delete or bookmark albums/songs/playlists
⭕ Control playback with a shortcut key to play, pause, etc. and shuffle/skip/repeat songs
⭕ Keep a record of the last playing history
Pros |
✔ No need to install any app |
Cons |
❌ Cannot build playlists |
Part 3. How to Use Apple Music Online Player to Listen to Music
If you have not been exposed to the web-based version of Apple Music, the following instructions will guide you to use the official web player to listen to Apple Music online in simple steps.
Step 1. Visit music.apple.com via any web browser on your mobile or desktop.
Step 2. Log in to your Apple account by clicking on the 'Sign in' button at the upper-right corner.
Step 3. Once logged in, you will be able to access the entire Apple Music catalog and the tracks that you have uploaded to your library. You can also search for tracks you want to listen to by the Search function.
Step 4. Locate a song that you like and click on the Play button to start enjoying.
Tips: It is available to visit Apple Music's radio stations and Apple's personalized 'For You' recommendation on the browser player.
Part 4. Differences between Apple Music Web Player and Apple Music App
As we stated, the Apple Music browser player has the same user interface as its app. Both of them allow listeners to play full-length songs or albums with Apple Music subscriptions. However, do you find their disparity? In this part, we will look into the different functions between the Apple Music online web player and the Apple Music app. You can check the table for a quick view first.
in Web Player | in App | |
---|---|---|
Support Live Lyrics | ❌ | ✔ |
Download and Create Playlists Feature | ❌ | ✔ |
UI Mini Player Mode | ❌ | ✔ |
Access to Other Devices | ✔ | ❌ |
Preview Song | 30 seconds | 90 seconds |
Streaming Audio Quality | 128kbps | 256kbps |
Load Speed | Faster | Slow |
Settings Option | ❌ | ✔ |
● Support Live Lyrics
The app can support live lyrics, while the web player doesn't support it.
View also: How to See Lyrics on Apple Music
● Download and Create Playlists Feature
The online Apple Music player has the inability to download songs for offline listening and create playlists. But you can do that on the Apple Music app.
View also: How to Download Apple Music
● UI Mini Player Mode
Not keeping the UI in mini-player mode in the Apple Music web browser player.
● Access to Other Devices
The web player for Apple Music provides an alternative way to access Apple Music on devices such as Android TV while the app is not available.
View also: How to Play Apple Music on Android TV
● Preview Song
Compared with the native Apple Music app, the Apple web music player allows you to play 30-second previews of songs.
● Streaming Audio Quality
The Apple Music web player audio quality is lower, which streams music at 128 kbps even less while the native app plays tracks at 256 kbps.
● Load Speed
Apple Music in web player loads faster than on the Apple Music app.
● Settings Option
It does not offer the setting options for Apple Music online player but you can customize settings on its app.
Part 5. How to Fix Apple Music Web Player Not Working
Some music users have the same complaint that Apple Music online player stops playing or not working. Why does it happen? In fact, the network connection, browser status, etc. can lead to this error. When you encounter such issues, please follow the solutions below to make it.
Fix 1. Ensure network connection is stable. The status of the network connection on your device will impact your experience. If it is weak, you can't load web player for Apple Music well and you can't stream songs smoothly. So, please connect to a strong and stable network to use Apple Music web browser.
Fix 2. Update web browser. If the version of the browser on your device is out-of-date, then you need to update it to the latest version first.
Fix 3. Clear cache and cookies on web browser. If there are too much cache and cookies on your web browser, it will slow down the web app. In this case, you can't load Apple Music on the web to stream music.
Fix 4. Try another web browser. You can try to visit Apple Music for web on a different browser on your device. If it works, then there is something wrong with the browser you previously used.
View also: How to Fix Apple Music Not Working on Mac
Part 6. Top Best Online Apple Music Browser Player Alternative
There are also some Apple Music online web player alternatives that can replace the official Apple Music player. Compared with the later, those players for Apple Music can be more practical. Here, we would like to introduce some best Apple Music online players for you.
Musish Apple Music Player
There is one web player named Musish for Apple Music's playback without iTunes, which provides a better music experience than Apple's official music player. As an open-source online web player, it has almost a similar user interface as the official Apple Music web player and the app.
But distinct from the officially released Apple's player online, Musish boasts more functions. For example, you can select the audio quality in the settings section. You are allowed to scrobble Apple Music and connect to the Last FM, etc.
ThinMusic
ThinMusic serves as a free browser player for Apple Music users. Resemble Musish, it also supports scrobbling Apple Music. But different from Apple's web player, ThinMusic has a completely different UI design without limited sections, which runs with Apple Music web player dark mode. It allows you to browse and search for songs without leaving the listening record. Though it claims itself a web-based player, an Apple Music Premium account is also needed.
View also: How to Use Apple Music Dark Mode
Part 7. How to Play Apple Music on All Players
As the newly released web player for Apple Music is not as full-fledged as Spotify's, you may encounter some unfriendly experiences while using it as we stated above. But don't worry, to address your concerns, we'll recommend a more versatile way for you: use a third-party Apple Music tool to download and convert Apple Music to local files for playing without iTunes.
Before we get to the tutorial, you need to be aware of the fact that Apple Music songs are saved in protected M4P format. In this case, you are only allowed to enjoy Apple Music on iTunes or other authorized programs and devices. That's the main reason why you can't play Apple Music on the web before the official web player is released. Therefore, other than using the Apple's web player, you can convert Apple Music to local files by using AudFree Apple Music Converter.
As an all-in-one Apple Music converting tool, AudFree Apple Music Converter specializes in transferring Apple Music from M4P to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, and other unprotected audio formats at a fast 30X speed. Different from the temporary files downloaded by an Apple Music Premium account, AudFree Apple Music Converter empowers you to preserve Apple Music permanently.
After that, you are able to play Apple Music in web browsers without iTunes at any time. Besides, this smart tool can keep the original ID3 tags and lossless audio quality of the songs and let you change the bit rate, sample rate, and codec all according to your own needs. Furthermore, it offers options for you to split and edit the Apple Music downloads alongside the ID3 tags according to your demands.
AudFree Apple Music Converter
- Losslessly download Apple Music M4P to MP3, M4A, AAC, etc.
- Play Apple Music offline without opening iTunes app
- Also support converting audiobooks from iTunes and Audible
- Work at up to 30X fast speed while keeping ID3 tags
How to Download and Play Apple Music without iTunes
Before we start, please get the preparatory work done: Download Apple Music songs with the iTunes/Apple Music app in advance. Then you can follow the instructions.
- Step 1Add downloaded Apple Music songs to AudFree Audio Converter
- Launch the AudFree Apple Music Converter and the iTunes app will open automatically. Then touch the first 'Load iTunes Library' button at the bottom left of the AudFree Apple Music Converter's main interface to add all downloaded Apple Music M4P files to this smart tool.
- Step 2Set output format and other parameters for Apple Music
- When all Apple Music songs are imported successfully, click on the 'audio' icon next to 'Convert' to open the output format setting window where you can choose the output format as MP3, AAC, WAC, or others. If you want to customize the music quality, you can simply change the audio codec, channel, sample rate, and bit rate there.
- Step 3Start to Convert Apple Music to Local Files
- Tab the 'Convert' button to begin converting Apple Music to MP3 with the best M4P to MP3 converter. After the conversion, you can locate the local Apple Music files on the target folder by clicking the 'history' icon. Then you are supported to listen to Apple Music offline on any device without iTunes.
Part 8. FAQs about Apple Music Web Player
Q1: How Do I Create a Playlist in Apple Music Web Player?
A: As described above, there is no option to create playlists on the Apple Music browser player. But it can sync the personal playlists you made in the Apple Music app.
View also: How to Make Apple Music Collaborative Playlist
Q2: Does Apple Music Web Player Support Lossless?
A: Nope. The web player for Apple Music online only streams up to 128 kbps, let alone the Apple Music Lossless Audio.
Q3: Why Does Apple Music Web Only Preview?
A: If you don't subscribe to an Apple Music subscription, you can only preview songs in it. You can only listen to a full track once you have a subscription.
Part 9. In Conclusion
In this post, we have looked into the Apple Music web player and its pros & cons and so on. Also, if you meet the Apple Music web browser not working issue, you can follow the fixes above to get it work. By the way, AudFree Apple Music Converter is the best shot since it allows you to convert and keep Apple Music forever for listening on any device. Different from other tools, this converter can help you achieve more without any issues.
James Blair
Staff Editor