After showing up in the changelog of the iOS 16.3 public betas, Apple has finally announced its classical music service in the form of a new app called Apple Music Classical. The new app is currently available on Apple’s App Store for pre-order and will give users access to a vast library of high-quality classical music tracks. As per the App Store listing, the app that is marked as “Coming soon” and will be available for download on the 28th of March, but users can tap the “Get” button to schedule an automatic download whenever it becomes available.
While it was earlier suspected that Apple could integrate its classical music service into the existing app, the company seems to have decided on launching the service as a separate app indeed. It is now clear why Apple went with this approach, given that the Apple Music Classical app does appear a bit different and even comes with its own special font.
Inside, users will be greeted with an interface that has a slightly different layout that classical music demands. For eg. in-app search has been tweaked for finding music by composer, conductor, catalogue number, and much more. There is plenty of information available on the same along with editorial notes and detailed descriptions. Apple has also commissioned brand-new and exclusive artwork including a series of high-resolution digital portraits for some of the world’s greatest composers.
In terms of features, the company claims to offer over five million tracks and works, along with new releases as well. It will provide high audio quality (up to 192 kHz/24 bit Hi-Res Lossless), which also includes recordings in spatial audio, along with complete and accurate metadata. Apple claims that it is also working closely with some classical music artists and renowned music institutions to offer listeners exclusive content and recordings at launch. Like on the regular Apple Music app, there will also be specially curated playlists for classical music.
Apple explains that all users who are currently subscribed to an Apple Music subscription (Individual, Student, Family or Apple One) will automatically get access to the same in the standalone app. The classical music streaming service will be available worldwide with the exception of China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, but the company says that the same will be available in those markets at a later date.
The company also clarified that an Apple Music Classical app for Android is “coming soon” as the regular Apple Music app has been available on Android for a long time. Apple Music Classical was announced in late 2021 after Apple took over classical music streaming service Primephonic. The service shut its servers and went offline on 7 September, 2021.