iOS 26.4 beta brings AI-powered Playlist Playground to Apple Music with text prompt generation

iOS 26.4 beta introduces 'AI playlists' for Apple Music

On Monday, Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.4 for developers. Unfortunately, today's beta still doesn't include the long-awaited new Siri powered by Gemini, but it does come with another interesting AI-related new feature, especially if you're an Apple Music subscriber. The iOS 26.4 update not only brings a new interface for albums and playlists, but it also hints at a new AI playlist feature, which should become available soon. Read on as we detail what's new in Apple Music with iOS 26.4 beta. The Apple Music app is getting another interface tweak following the major redesign introduced with iOS 26 last year. Now, when users are viewing an album or playlist, the background will follow the color of the artwork instead of solid white. It's not exactly a huge change, but it brings a breath of fresh air to Apple Music, making the experience a little more fluid and immersive. Here's another small but interesting detail about Apple Music in iOS 26.4 beta. When you open the app for the first time after installing the update, a message says that Apple Music can now show upcoming concerts near you. It's unclear exactly how the feature works within Apple Music, but it's likely be based on the same feature that already exists in the Shazam app (which is owned by Apple). With Shazam, users can view and save upcoming performances and ticket details as well as set reminders to be notified of tour dates. But what really stands out in this update is a potential AI playlist feature. The feature is included in the iOS 26.4 beta code, but doesn't seem to be enabled for all users yet. Based on the code discovered by Macworld, Apple Music subscribers will have access to "a new way to make playlists" using Apple Intelligence. The feature, called "Playlist Playground," will generate playlists based on text prompts or even on the selection of at least 10 different songs. Users can describe what kind of songs they want in a playlist, which artists they want to listen to, or simply what vibe they like best. The code suggests that Playlist Playground is also capable of editing old playlists. Whether Playlist Playground will use Apple Intelligence or a third-party AI provider is unclear. For instance, Apple has already partnered with OpenAI to provide playlist generation on Apple Music through ChatGPT. The feature appears to be part of an Apple Intelligence update that is rolling out to users who update to the iOS 26.4 beta. It's unclear how quickly Apple is rolling out the feature to users. iOS 26.4 beta also adds other new features, including encrypted RCS messages and video episodes on Apple Podcasts. Apple says the update will be released to the public this spring.

iOS 26.4 beta arrives: Here are 3 of its biggest new features

Apple's iOS 26.4 beta is now available, just one week after the tech giant launched iOS 26.3. Released on Monday, the iOS 26.4 beta doesn't include the long-awaited Gemini-powered Siri, which was rumoured to arrive in this update up until last week. Instead, the latest iOS version focuses on changes to Apple Music and Podcasts, as well as testing out end-to-end RCS encryption for text messages. The iOS 26.4 beta is currently only available to developers, however a wider public release is expected in the following weeks. Here are a few of the most significant new features you can look forward to. Apple Music received a redesign in iOS 26.4 beta, adding full-page artwork and a new feature showing concerts and tour dates in your local area. However, the arguably bigger update is the new ability to create AI-generated playlists based on text prompts. Called Playlist Playground, users can type in a description of the type of tunes they're after, such as "evening wind down songs" or "90s grunge hits." Apple Music will then use AI to generate a 25-song playlist based on this prompt, which can be further refined by adding additional prompts as well as manually curating and reordering songs. Once you're happy with your playlist, you can add cover art and a description before saving it. Apple Podcasts already supports video, but the iOS 26.4 beta has given this feature an update. Switching between audio and video should be easier, as Apple's communications protocol will automatically adjust playback quality depending upon your network conditions. Users can also swap between horizontal and vertical displays, and download video podcasts to watch later. In addition to this, podcast creators can now dynamically insert video ads into their episodes, with Apple stating that this enables them to "[unlock] access to the broader video advertising market while maintaining full creative control." The tech giant further noted that video podcast episodes will be included in Apple Podcast features such as in personalised recommendations and editorially curated lists. The new iOS update tests Rich Communication Services (RCS) end-to-end encryption in Messenger, a security measure which could eventually make texting your Android-using friends more secure. Even so, it's only available for messages sent between Apple devices during this testing stage. iOS 26.4 beta's release notes state that RCS end-to-end encryption isn't currently available on all devices and carriers during this testing stage. Further, the feature won't be included when iOS 26.4 comes out of beta, Apple stating that it will be added in a future update.