page 4 of 4
Enable Apple Music to Use Cellular Data
By default, Apple Music will not use cellular data. Furthermore, the setting to enable cellular data isn’t where one would look. If you tap on Settings > Cellular and enable Apple Music, this still doesn’t enable cellular playback or music downloads.
The UI/UX geniuses at Apple decided to put this setting under Settings > iTunes & App Store. From this screen, turn on Use Cellular Data.
Apple Music will prompt you and take you to this screen if you try to play music using a cellular network.
This is not a fine-grained setting that works for just Apple Music. It turns on cellular data for all iTunes and App Store purchases. You may want to turn off automatic downloads and keep an eye on usage, if you need to conserve cellular data.
Make Music Available Offline
Using the iCloud Music Library, Apple Music users can download music to their device for offline listening. This is a great way to conserve cellular data. First, make sure to activate the iCloud Music Library. Refer to the instructions presented earlier in this article. Next, find an album or song that you would like to download and tap “…”. You will see a menu with available options. Tap on “Make Available Offline”.
Your music will begin downloading immediately. You can tap on the My Music button at the bottom of any screen. This is where downloaded music is stored. A progress bar and download count displayed at the top of the screen indicate download progress. My Music will also display any album you have added, even if it isn’t downloaded to the device.
Think of it like a bookmark. You can add songs or albums to My Music for future listening, with or without downloading them to your device. Confused? Don’t worry, Apple Music has confused a lot of people and garnered much criticism, even from tech writers who tend to adore Apple.
Play Beats 1 Radio
Beats 1 Radio is an online radio station hosted by live DJs. The service claims to offer an eclectic blend of “excellent music”. For the most part, it is pop music. You can listen to Beats 1 Radio by tapping the Radio button on the bottom of the screen. A large Beats 1 icon is displayed on the Radio screen. Tap the play button to listen.
Update Apple Music
When it comes to updating the Apple Music app, you really have no choice. Apple’s stock apps are usually not updatable via the App Store mechanism. Instead, to avoid negative publicity, they sneak updates on to your devices when they are plugged in and idle.
I have noticed that every time I charge my iPhone, Apple Music changes. For example, a bug where multiple instances of an album are added to Up Next was patched. After this update, I have experienced new problems with music pausing randomly. It used to work. Their update fixed a cosmetic bug, yet introduce a severe defect. Apple also changed the cellular data options for Apple Music. Don’t be surprised if Apple Music changes on you. It just means they patched it while your device was plugged in and idle. If an Apple Music update has stymied your experience, just continue to plug in your device and hopefully it will be fixed.
Apple Music is a beta quality product that was rushed in order to attract Tidal users coming off their free subscription. We can only hope it improves within three months and is worth the price.
That’s it for the basics. Make sure to spend time exploring Apple Music and finding old, new and great music to listen to. If you don’t like Apple Music, there are other similar services. Apple Music does integrate into the Apple ecosystem better than any other service. You can use it across all of your Apple devices (and Windows with iTunes). Apple Music is the only service that works with Siri. If you are vested in the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music is probably the best music subscription service.