Apple Music for Android updates with iOS music video features

Apple this week updated the Android client for Apple Music to support the service's new emphasis on music videos.

Those videos are now highlighted in the app's Browse section. Apple is also drawing attention to curated video playlists, intended for people wanting a "lean-back" viewing experience.

The company added a Music Videos section to its iPhone and iPad app just last week ahead of the launch of iOS 11.3. Apple Music has long had videos, but until recently much of its video material was sidelined.

Updates to the service's Android app are relatively infrequent. The last one, from mid-March, was a rare example of Apple issuing two in one month. The prior one laid the groundwork for today's update, enabling video playlists, background audio, and in-app picture-in-picture support.

The client is in some ways a necessary holdover from its predecessor, Beats Music, since that service's Android subscribers would have otherwise been abandoned after Apple's Beats takeover. It may also be acknowledging market realities — people might be less likely to subscribe to Apple Music if they couldn't take their libraries cross-platform. The leading on-demand music service, Spotify, is on numerous devices.

At last month's South-by-Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., Apple executive Eddy Cue revealed that Apple Music now has over 38 million subscribers. The service could conceivably overtake Spotify in the U.S. this summer, assuming growth trends continue.