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Apple Music Classical, the company’s latest streaming service focused on the classical genre, is expected to debut next week with iOS 16.3. Though Apple didn’t meet their original target release date — it originally planned to launch Apple Music Classical by the end of 2022 — the service will be the latest in a slew of January releases. Apple acquired Primephonic in 2021, a niche music streaming service devoted to the classical genre. It took the streaming service offline shortly after but promised to launch its own dedicated classical music service. It’s been well over a year since that original announcement, and it appears Apple Music Classical is finally coming.
In a press release, Apple revealed that iOS 16.3 would be released next week. The company showcased new wallpapers and watch faces in celebration of Black History Month but said iPhone wallpapers wouldn’t be available until the iOS 16.3 update is rolled out. This is one of the rare times it is known precisely when an iOS update will be available. Twitter user iSoftwareUpdates found hints that Apple Music Classical would debut by looking through the source code of the developer beta version of the iOS 16.3 release candidate (RC).
Related: What Is ‘Apple Classical?’ Here’s What We Know So Far
Why Apple Music Classical Will Debut With iOS 16.3
“With iOS 16.3 RC, Apple has modified and added some strings in the Music app about the now renamed Apple Music Classical,” the iSoftwareUpdates account wrote in a tweet. “It was just Apple Classical up until 16.3 beta 2.” The account also offered screenshots of iOS 16.3 RC code, showcasing a few places where Apple Music Classical appears.
Perhaps the most concrete evidence of the Apple Music Classical app’s expected debut yet is in the screenshots showing that Apple has added code that informs Apple Music users of the app. Prompts like “Open in Apple Music Classical” and “Explore this album in the app designed for classical music” signify the streaming service is nearing release. The code also shows shortcuts that can jump users from the mainstream Apple Music app to Apple Music Classical.
Although iOS 16.3 RC would suggest that Apple Music Classical will debut next week, this logic isn’t foolproof. For example, after users found traces of Apple Card Savings in a beta version of iOS 16.1, leading many to believe the feature would debut with iOS 16.1. The release came and went with no trace of Apple Card Savings, and the feature still isn’t available today.
Despite the uncertainty, the prominence of Apple Music Classical in the beta version of iOS 16.3 is strong evidence to suggest the service is debuting next week.
More: Does Apple Music Have Audiobooks? Listening Options, Explained
Source: Apple, Twitter / iSoftwareUpdates