Apple introduced translation capabilities and karaoke features to Apple Music at the WWDC 2025, expanding the streaming service’s functionality as it competes with Spotify for streaming subscribers.
The new features are part of the incoming iOS 26 update. Among them, the Lyrics Translation feature, allows users to understand song meanings in foreign languages without having to visit external sites.
The feature is available for select songs in languages like English to Chinese, English to Japanese, Korean to Chinese (simplified), Korean to English, Korean to Japanese, and Spanish to English.
Additionally, Apple added Lyrics Pronunciation, helping users sing along to tracks in unfamiliar languages. It’s available for select songs in scripts like Cantonese to Jyutping, Chinese (simplified) to Pinyin, Chinese (traditional) to Pinyin, Hindi to Romanized Hindi, Japanese to Romanized Japanese, Korean to Katakana, Korean to Romanized Korean, and Punjabi to Romanized Punjabi.
The updates for Apple Music also include an AutoMix feature that creates continuous playlists based on previously played songs. This could be a challenger to Spotify’s AI DJ functionality, launched in February 2023.
Apple explained: “AutoMix uses intelligence to transition from one song to the next like a DJ, using time stretching and beat matching to seamlessly move from one song to the next.”
“AutoMix uses intelligence to transition from one song to the next like a DJ, using time stretching and beat matching to seamlessly move from one song to the next.”
Apple
Meanwhile, Apple’s tvOS 26 update expands its existing sing-along feature, helping users turn iPhones into handheld microphones for Apple TV with voice amplification capabilities.
The enhanced karaoke experience includes real-time lyrics, visual effects, and onscreen emoji reactions. Multiple users can participate simultaneously using individual iPhones to queue songs or add reactions, while the translation and pronunciation features enable singing in unfamiliar languages.
“Sing in Apple Music is more engaging than ever, and with Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, users can follow and sing along to an even wider variety of songs, even if they don’t know the language.”
Apple
Apple said: “Sing in Apple Music is more engaging than ever, and with Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, users can follow and sing along to an even wider variety of songs, even if they don’t know the language.”
At the WWDC 2025, Apple also revealed a new design for its apps including Apple Music.
“In Apple Music, News, and Podcasts, the tab bar is redesigned to float above users’ content, dynamically shrink when users are browsing to put content front and center, and then expand when they scroll back up.”
The new features are available for testing, effective immediately, via the Apple Developer Program. A public beta will be available via the Apple Beta Software Program next month.
The enhancements, including the lyrics translation feature, come as Apple Music continues to roll out new features to attract more subscribers as it competes in a crowded field that includes rivals like Spotify and Amazon Music.
Last year, Spotify quietly locked lyrics behind a paywall in what appears to be an attempt to convert free users to paying subscribers.
Music Business Worldwide
