It’s been a decade since Apple Music first arrived, marking ten years for many users (including this writer) paying for a music streaming subscription. Over the years, Apple’s service has seen redesigns and added features, slowly taking over from the classic iTunes app and even services like iTunes Match.
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But even with a decade under its belt and new updates on the horizon like those in iOS 26, some frustrating issues that have been around since day one still persist. For a service celebrating a milestone and costing a monthly fee, these problems can really impact the daily listening experience.
Here are seven key issues Apple still needs to address in Apple Music:
The Desktop App Needs a Modern Touch
For many, listening on their computer is primary. Spotify’s desktop app is a big reason some users stick with it. Apple Music on Mac, however, still feels clunky. While it’s not the old iTunes anymore, the experience still brings back memories of that all-in-one app used to sync everything from music to movies. Even with the latest macOS updates, the core experience feels surprisingly similar to its origins, which isn’t ideal for a modern streaming service.
Untie Apple Music from OS Updates
One major difference between Apple Music and competitors like Spotify is how it gets updated. Apple Music is often tied directly to major operating system updates like iOS or macOS. This means bug fixes and new features only roll out once or twice a year with big OS releases. Spotify, on the other hand, can push updates to its standalone app anytime, allowing for much quicker improvements and the constant addition of new features. Making Apple Music a truly standalone app would allow for a much more dynamic and responsive service.
Accurate Song Counts and Replay Frustrations
Want to know your most-played songs? It’s surprisingly complicated in Apple Music. The “25 Most Played” list in the Songs tab, a Replay All-Time playlist, and other sections can all show different results for your listening habits. This inconsistency is confusing. Even worse, Apple Music still struggles to combine play counts for the single version and the album version of the same song. This means your true favorite tracks might not rank correctly because their plays are split across different entries.
And speaking of listening history, the annual Apple Music Replay feature, while redesigned in iOS 26, still isn’t as timely as competitors. Trying to see your listening habits for the previous month right at the start of the new month often requires waiting days for Apple to process the data, unlike services that provide near real-time updates.
Screenshot showing the redesigned Apple Music Replay feature interface on iOS 26, highlighting yearly listening stats.
Dealing with Duplicate Albums
Here’s a strange bug that pops up periodically: sometimes a single song from an album will appear as a separate, duplicate album entry in your library. Or, a single album might somehow split itself into two or three different copies. Cleaning this up is a hassle; deleting the duplicates can sometimes remove the songs from your carefully curated playlists. For a premium streaming service, these kinds of library management bugs should be rare and fixed swiftly, not lingering issues.
Where Are the Social Experiences?
Apple Music does have social features like public profiles and shared playlists, but they are so buried within the app that most users probably don’t even know they exist. This is a stark contrast to platforms like Spotify, where features showing what friends are listening to are front and center on the web or desktop apps. Being able to easily see what your friends are enjoying creates a sense of connection and makes discovering new music feel more interactive and personal. Apple needs to make social features much more prominent and easier to use.
No Easy Way to Blend Playlists
Following the social theme, a feature popular on other platforms is the ability to easily create blended or collaborative playlists with friends. Imagine teaming up with a friend to build a shared playlist for a road trip or party, with recommendations tailored to both your tastes. This is a simple, fun social feature that Apple Music currently lacks. Extending this capability to allow artists to easily collaborate on public playlists would also be a cool touch, showing their engagement with the platform.
Many of these persistent issues, from the desktop app experience to the lack of robust social features, highlight areas where Apple Music still lags behind key competitors. While new features are always welcome, addressing these fundamental usability and data accuracy problems after a decade should be a top priority for Apple.
