While Apple Music is set to replace iTunes as the main hub for the tech giant’s audio offerings once macOS Catalina rolls around, there hadn't been any word on an online web app version (akin to what Spotify offers) – until now.
Today, Apple has launched a public beta for the Apple Music web app, allowing any existing subscribers to log in and use all the same functions as the mobile or desktop app, all without having to install anything.
This includes the curated For You and Radio sections, as well as the fully-featured Browse tab, which shows up a wide variety of new, trending, and genre-specific music, as well as playlists selected by the service. The interface will also adapt to whether you're using a dark mode or not.
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As mentioned, the web app is currently in beta, but because it’s publicly-available any subscriber to Apple Music can use it – what the 'beta' tag essentially means is that there might still be a few kinks that need to be ironed out, or some user interface improvements to be made once Apple has received feedback from its fans.
The move to add a web interface is the latest in Apple’s ongoing pursuit to dominate competition such as Spotify in the music streaming space – a rivalry which has escalated considerably over the last year.
On top of this factor, with a web app for Apple Music in place, the Cupertino tech firm should theoretically be able to drop its support for iTunes on Windows devices, which it currently plans to do for its own products with the imminent rollout of MacOS Catalina.
In June, Apple announced that it would be ending support for iTunes from Catalina onwards, and replacing it with separate Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV apps in order to better embrace the streaming revolution.
