A new Apple Intelligence feature is coming to iOS 26.4 called Playlist Playground, which will allow users to generate playlists using selected songs or text prompts.
Apple released the first beta for iOS 26.4 on Monday, but it didn't include the rumored Apple Intelligence improvements. Instead, it seems to contain a range of user-facing features, including HLS video podcast support in Apple Podcasts and other updates.
Among the Apple Music updates was what initially appeared to be unused discovered by Macworld, which highlighted a potential incoming feature that could release along with iOS 26.4. The code is for something called Playlist Playground, which could be tied to Apple's new Apple Intelligence push.
Later, 9to5Mac shared that the Playlist Playground feature had actually arrived in iOS 26.4 beta 1. It took time for the new Apple Intelligence updates to download after the OS update, which explains why the feature wasn't discovered sooner.
There's not much detail here other than it appears to be a tool users can access to generate playlists using simple commands and inputs. For example, a user could describe the playlist they want with text, or select a series of up to ten songs.
Since it borrows the Image Playground name, it functions similarly, though without the rainbow interface. Users can enter text, select from a list of moods or songs, or use other songs, albums, or playlists as an input.
Apple Music already contains human-curated, algorithmic, user-generated, and collaborative playlists. The AI-generated ones could allow for a new element of music discovery.
All told, the feature appears similar to Beats Music's "The Sentence." Though that was based around machine learning and was more finite, while the generative tool is non-deterministic.
The iOS 26.4 beta has only just begun. Expect multiple betas before a public release sometime in March.
Update February 16, 5:47 p.m.: added that the feature exists in beta and isn't just stray code.
