AppleInsider Staff
Following the release of iOS 8.3 last week, Apple on Monday issued the first iOS 8.4 beta to developers featuring a "sneak peek" at its revamped Music app.
According to Apple's release notes, iOS 8.4 build 12H4074d comes with an all-new Music app that combines a fresh new look with powerful features, including a new MiniPlayer, improved "Now Playing" screen and Global Search integration.
Music's redesign lets users personalize playlists by adding custom images and descriptions, while new functionality allows for direct playback from the app's album list. In addition, a Recently Added section surfaces tracks and albums that were recently imported or purchased to the top of a user's library.
Other improvements include a MiniPlayer that allows playback controls while browsing Music's library, streamlined iTunes Radio navigation, a new Up Next icon to see what song is coming up and tweaks to the Now Playing pane. New Global Search integration pulls in results from anywhere in the Music app and allows for iTunes Radio station creation directly from Search.
The first iOS 8.4 beta is available now through Apple's Developer Portal.
To go along with the new iOS build, Apple released a new Xcode 6.4 beta with software development kits for iOS 8.4 and OS X versions 10.9 and 10.10. The latest Xcode software is also available on Apple's developer webpage.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
23 Comments
I hope this is the end of the useless landscape "album view" mode.
It would be nice if they improved the scrubbing feature so that it's smoother and a bit more accurate.
[quote name="Larz2112" url="/t/185748/apple-releases-ios-8-4-beta-to-developers-with-new-music-app#post_2709323"]It would be nice if they improved the scrubbing feature so that it's smoother and a bit more accurate. [/quote] And also make the target larger. Some of us have fat fingertips. But scrubbing is my #1 complaint. #2 is that it defaults to iTunes Radio upon app launch.
I hope this is the end of the useless landscape "album view" mode.
You can say that again. I absolutely hate that mode. On the subject of music, it would be nice if Apple added the iTunes Visualizer to Apple TV.
It would be nice if they improved the scrubbing feature so that it's smoother and a bit more accurate.
And if they'd adhere to their own HIG, which dictates a button should be no smaller than 40x40 pixels. Attempting to grab and scrub using the tiny red marker is nigh on impossible.