iOS 14.6 beta 1 spotted potential Apple Music HiFi support with Dolby Audio mentions

Photo by Thomas Kolnowski on Unsplash

Rumours have been going around that Apple plans to introduce a HiFi plan on Apple Music. And that plan might be in the works. 9to5Mac spotted mentions of "Dolby Atmos," "Dolby Audio," and "Lossless" in the first beta build of iOS 14.6. Apple already has its own HiFi audio codec (ALAC), but the Music app has never offered any support for Dolby Atmos or Dolby Audio. 

As 9to5Mac pointed out, though, the references only showed up in that beta build. It wasn't spotted in iOS 14.5 or iOS 14.6 beta 2, which came out this week. It suggests Apple might be trying to hide something. We hope to find out soon enough.

Apple Music introduces Top 25 song playlists for over 100 cities

As Apple began rolling out iOS 14.5, the company is also releasing a new set of Apple Music playlists. These show the top 25 songs in over 100 cities around the world. This new collection is accessible through the Browse section in the Apple Music app on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Non-Apple Music subscribers can browse the playlists through the Apple Music site on the web.

According to Apple, the playlists are updated daily with tracks that are "making the waves" in cities worldwide. Apple might add more cities in time. We've seen Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary on the list, which iMore has listed here.

Apple Music's Saylists to help young people with speech-sound disorders

Apple has collaborated with Warner Music to launch a new special playlist on Apple Music to help young ones with speech-sound disorders. The Saylists was created using algorithms that identify songs that repeat sounds. Children who have speech-sound disorders can be assisted using some therapeutic strategies. One of these is repeating sounds like "ch," "s," and "z." 

Click to read more ...

Shazam gives away five free months of Apple Music to new subscribers

Source: icybbams/Twitter

Apple-owned music discovery app Shazam is once again offering potential subscribers free access to Apple Music. Unlike last year's six-month free offer, this time, Shazam and Apple Music are giving away five free months for new users. You will be eligible for the promo if you haven't used the streaming service before. 

All you need to do is download Shazam on your iPhone or iPad (if you haven't yet) and then identify a song by tapping on the Shazam icon within the app. Once it identifies the track, there will be an option to play the song on Apple Music. Tap that and a banner letting you know you'll get an extra two-month subscription to Apple Music if you redeem the offer. (Apple Music's trial period is valid for three months.)

9to5Mac reports that some users also spotted a banner for the offer in Shazam's settings. The deal isn't available in a lot of countries. According to Shazam's App Store page, it's available in countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, and more until January 17, 2021. 

So, if you're interested in checking out Apple Music, this is the best deal available yet.