It's easy to get lost in Apple Music's 90 million song library.
I can tell you this is what happened to me, again, while trying out the new Apple Music Voice option at $4.99 per month. Excluding the student package, this is the cheapest option to date, and thankfully, it doesn't skimp on musical variety. Therefore, I get lost listening to my favorite Bowie and Michael Jackson songs.
Still, Apple Music Voice, which prioritizes using Siri over everything else, is missing out on some key features of the $9.99-per-month Apple Music service, including lossless and spatial audio. Also, Voice subscribers can't collect the music they like from their personal Apple Music library.
I took a listening tour this week shortly after Apple released the feature with the iOS 15.2 update, months after announcing it at its global developer conference in June.
Apple is also trying to prime the bomb here (at 72 million subscribers, it's far behind Spotify's 172 million global subscribers) by offering a free 7-day preview that you can activate by saying, "Hey Siri, start Apple Music Voice" at any time. Siri-enabled device. I made this with a $99 Apple HomePod mini smart speaker, but you can just as easily activate it on your iPhone or iPad.
Once that's done, Apple will quickly offer you a three-month free trial, which is also great, but keep in mind that automatic subscription payments will start at the end of that three-month period.
Apple Music Voice is basically Apple Music Lite. All the music is there, even the radio stations, including Apple Music 1. You can still use the Apple Music interface on your iPhone to search dozens of categories, including "C-Pop" and "Metal." Remember, you can't download and save the songs you like to your library. Apple Music subscribers at $9.99 per month can do so, but that music is gone if they cancel their subscription.
The $4,99 option gets its name from the fact that it prioritizes voice control, placing "Just ask Siri..." cards at the top of the interface, basically showing you how to control Apple Music with your voice. Cards at the top of my interface include "Play Chill Rap Playlist," "Play Star-Crossed by Kacey Musgraves," and "Play Pow!" Playlist.
play a little
After launching my 7-day preview, I started asking Siri to read a variety of playlists. Apple Music Voice will play on fully updated iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, HomePods, and even CarPlay.
Third-party devices will work if they support AirPlay, which means they stream audio from the Siri device and not natively from the cloud. Since I was using a special account, I couldn't extend what I was playing to my other Siri-enabled devices.
I asked Siri to play "Spa" and was transported to the mind-blowing "Across the Sky (mediation)" by Tranquil Journeys. Cool me down a bit.
"Baseball" went, as it should, directly to Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days."
"Adventure" launched a podcast called "The Adventure Zone Ethersea". He had no idea what he was hearing. All I can tell you is that there were "wound healing" spells and a bag with a skull in it.
"Fall" gave me Davido's slightly calypso-esque "Fall."
"Snowboarding" kicked off The Beastie Boy's iconic "Body Movin."
"Going Home" gave me Kenny G's "Going Home." Yes, the tune was surprisingly familiar and, yes, it was like coming home. Stop looking at me that way.
There were other limits, but I'm wondering if they're more about the Apple Music limits, as opposed to this Voice option. After playing a few David Bowie tracks, I asked Siri to "play more like this." Siri refused, saying that she couldn't build a radio station with it. The same thing happened with Michael Jackson.
Apple Music doesn't offer lyrics, but it also doesn't automatically display song names and album covers on what could be considered the "Now Playing" screen, which in Apple Music Voice does end up being called "No Reading."
However, if I move my iPhone closer to HomePod mini and turn on Transfer Music, a small window will appear at the top of my iPhone screen with details of what's playing on HomePod mini. By expanding this, I can see the song, the album name, and the album cover. However, I have no words.
Audiophiles will surely be frustrated by the lack of a library (I don't care, since I hardly ever record music to my own), but most of the other shortfalls (no lyrics or album covers) are a small price to pay for the enjoy Apple Music Voice, a quality unlimited music service now more affordable that gives me access to just about any music I can think of, like Adele's remarkable "30" and The Clash's "London Calling."