The Apple Music Classical app for iPhone gives Apple Music subscribers free access to the world’s largest catalog of classical music with built-in genre search.
- What’s happening? Apple’s new classical music app called Apple Music Classical is now available for pre-order ahead of the service’s March 28 launch.
- Why care? The app is based on Apple’s acquisition of Primephonic, a music streaming software designed for classical music.
- What to do? Pre-order Apple Music Classical from the App Store.
Apple Music Classical comes to the App Store
You can pre-order the app right now, but you’ll need to wait until Tuesday, March 28, 2023, when the new service is scheduled to launch, to download it to your device. Apple says the new music service will be free for Apple Music subscribers.
Introducing Apple Music Classical, a new app designed specifically for classical music. Pre-order today at @AppStore. https://t.co/lwnF4Dx4ua pic.twitter.com/F8uMKMVm2i
— Apple Music Classical (@AppleClassical) March 9, 2023
“Instantly find any recording in the world’s largest catalog of classical music with the built-in search by genre,”the description reads. The app’s user interface, similar to Apple Music, is optimized for classical music and includes haptic feedback.
Spatial sound, biographies and exclusive content
Building on the now-defunct Amsterdam-based streaming service Primephonic, the app includes hundreds of expert-created Essentials playlists that should make it easy to find the music you love. You can also find specific recordings by searching by composer, work, conductor, or catalog number.
While Apple Music has a section of classical music curated by Deutsche Grammophon, the new service bills itself as the world’s largest catalog of classical music, with more than five million tracks “everything from new releases to celebrated masterpieces, plus thousands of exclusive albums.”
The Apple Music Classical app supports AirPlay and lossless audio up to 192kHz/24bit. In addition, “thousands of recordings”in Dolby Atmos-enabled spatial audio are available.
Digital portraits of famous composers
The software also has educational value, as Apple Music Classical contains additional material such as detailed manuals, descriptions of key works, and thousands of composer biographies. Apple has even commissioned high-resolution digital portraits of some of the greatest masters of classical music, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Apple told TechCrunch that it will update the catalog with new music over time. In the meantime, you can follow Apple Music Classical and new releases on @appleclassical’s Twitter account.
The app “soon”will support Android.
Upcoming Features
Offline downloads don’t seem to be supported – the description says you need an internet connection to use the app. Future updates will improve the overall experience with improved browsing, enhanced search, enhanced metadata, and more.
After being acquired in August 2021, Primephonic stopped accepting new subscribers and closed. Apple has reassured current Primephonic subscribers by giving them six months of free Apple Music with access to thousands of classic albums that support lossless audio and spatial audio.
Prices and Availability
The Apple Music Classical app will be available for download on March 28, 2023. In the meantime, you can click the Get button to be notified from the App Store when the software is ready to download.
The app is free with an Apple Music subscription (individual, student, family, or Apple One). The service is not available with the Apple Music Voice plan. Apple Music Classical is available in the same countries as Apple Music except China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The iPhone-only app requires iOS 15.4 or later.