Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple Music adds another Android-exclusive feature with its new widget

It would be somewhat understandable if Apple wanted to make the Android version of Apple Music offer exactly the same features as the iOS version of the app, but if the company wants to challenge Spotify and push past the 11 million subscribers the service currently has, it’s got to pull out all the stops. That means making each version of the Apple Music app as good as it can be.

The company is taking another step in that direction with the latest update to the Android version of the app by introducing a feature many Android users have been asking for: a widget. This is a staple of music apps on the platform, and while the new widget for Apple Music isn’t exactly revolutionary, it does just what you’d expect.

Recommended Videos

Related Offer: A big step for small. See the iPhone SE here

Most music app widgets are fairly bare-bones and this is no exception, offering the ability to pause and resume playback and skip forward and backward through tracks. A heart icon adds the ability to “like” a track, increasing Apple Music’s understanding of your musical taste, but if you’re looking for any advanced functionality, you’ll have to actually open the app.

Fortunately, the widget isn’t the only thing included in this update. Playlist management has been improved, and no longer requires users to add tracks to their library before they can use them in a custom playlist. A handful of other features, like the ability to redeem gift cards and see what is playing on Beats 1, have also been added.

The new widget makes for the second Android-exclusive feature to come to Apple Music. In February, the app gained the ability to play music stored on an SD card, something that simply isn’t an option on iOS devices, and is even starting to disappear on Android devices.

Though the new update sweetens the deal for Android fans, there are still plenty of complaints that haven’t yet been addressed, like the ability to stream to a Chromecast or Google TV.

The update is available now, and if you want to try the app for the first time, it can be found on the Google Play Store.

Kris Wouk
Former Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
3 things I want to see from the new Apple Health at WWDC 2025
A screen showing Apple Health info page

We’re entering a fairly crucial part of the year for Apple. Yes, it’s not the iPhone launch season, which is arguably still the most important part, but it is WWDC time, and it is a first look at the future of Apple’s ecosystem. 

With WWDC 2025 a month away, we haven’t heard much about what Apple has planned, but we know that the event will focus heavily on AI. There may be new hardware in the AirTag 2, but we will learn more about the future of Siri. It’s been a year since the new Siri was announced, but Apple has already confirmed that the features will take another year to roll out.

Read more
Spotify’s new Snooze feature lets you take a break from overplayed songs
An iPhone sitting on a bedside table with the Discover Weekly playlist on its screen.

Spotify is known for its best-in-class recommendations algorithm, but it also has a ton of features to keep users in control of their music. Yesterday, the company announced a couple of new buttons and settings that will make it even easier to keep your playlists as you want them -- including a new Snooze feature that gives you a 30-day break from songs you've been hearing too much.

As good as Spotify's algorithm is, we've all noticed those songs that get played three times in one day and keep popping back up for the rest of the week. With the new Snooze feature, Premium users can choose to take a break from songs they hear too often for a whole 30 days. During that time, it won't appear anywhere in your recommendations -- and with any luck, you'll be happy to hear it again when the 30 days are up. If not, you can just snooze it again.

Read more
OnePlus owners could get an iPhone Dynamic Island feature in Android 16
OnePlus 13 in hand

Google is working on integrating sports scores into OnePlus's Live Alerts feature on OxygenOS 15. According to the folks at Android Authority, this would allow OnePlus users to receive real-time sports updates in a glanceable format, similar to Samsung's Now Bar.

The latest beta version of the Google app includes code suggesting this functionality, but neither Google nor OnePlus has officially confirmed its rollout. If implemented, this feature could enhance the OxygenOS experience for sports fans by providing unobtrusive notifications while they use their phones for other tasks.

Read more