Hands-On With Apple's New Classical Music App

Apple today officially launched the much anticipated Apple Music Classical app on the iPhone, allowing ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers to download and access an app dedicated just to classical music. We went hands-on with the new app to give MacRumors readers a closer look.


Design wise, the app is similar to ‌Apple Music‌, but it is entirely dedicated to classical titles. The Browse section, for example, is broken down into Composers, Genres, Periods, Conductors, Orchestras, Soloists, Choirs, and Ensembles, making it easier to discover the specific classical content that you're looking for.

A Listen Now section offers up New Releases, Spatial Audio content, and other recommendations in various genres, plus there is a dedicated Library for aggregating saved content. A search function makes it simple to find something specific.

All in all, the app will be familiar to ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers, and it is in fact very simple. Unfortunately, it is limited to the ‌iPhone‌ at the current time, with no Mac or iPad version available. It's also not available on CarPlay.

Have you tried ‌Apple Music‌ Classical? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...

Top Rated Comments

nutmac Avatar
32 months ago
The app is incredible. The team did a great job with curation and normalizing the meta data. My current wishes are:

* Filter for Spatial Audio, Lossless, etc.
* Video
* Bring on the iPad and Mac versions!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
32 months ago

dedicating an entirely diff app to one genre of music is dumb.
Not dumb at all.

If you were a regular listener to classical music you'd understand why this app is standalone and makes sense.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phogro Avatar
32 months ago
As a person with limited Classical exposure, I'm enjoying "The Story of Classical" as a way to understand better what this genre is and why it needs its own app.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vlad Soare Avatar
32 months ago

does not have a shuffle mode, for a strange reason.
Probably because it rarely (if ever) makes sense to listen to classical music in shuffle mode. I can't imagine listening to, say, Vivaldi's Four Seasons in completely random order. Or symphonies, concertos, sonatas, you name it - imagine listening to Eroica shuffled: first the funeral march, then the last movement, then the first, then the third. It would be quite awkward. :)
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decypher44 Avatar
32 months ago
Also not available on tvOS. Booo!!!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vlad Soare Avatar
32 months ago

Sad but true.
Not necessarily sad. Many people have no interest in classical music, like they have no interest in gardening, or in hiking, or in 19th century literature, or in sports cars, or whatever. It's not like classical music were some kind of pinnacle of culture. It's just one of several kinds of music, neither intrinsically better nor worse than others. Some like it, some don't, and there's nothing wrong with that.
What's sad, however, is that so many who have no interest in - and indeed no knowledge of - classical music feel the need to have strong opinions in regard to the usefulness of a dedicated app.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)