Apple on Monday seeded the first beta of iOS 8.4 to registered developers. The beta seed comes five days after iOS 8.3 was released to the public. The new beta introduces a revamped Music app.
The beta, build 12H4074d, is available for download from the iOS Developer Center. Apple also released a new Xcode 6.4 beta.
The revamped Music app includes a new design that displays photos of artists in the Artists view, and personalized playlists. Also along for the ride is a new MiniPlayer, a fresh look for “Now Playing,” global search capabilities, and improved music discovery via a streamlined design for iTunes Radio.
From the iOS 8.4 Release Notes:
Preview the new Music app
The iOS 8.4 Beta includes an early preview of the the all-new Music app. With powerful features and an elegant new look, enjoying your music is easier than ever. This preview provides a sneak peek into what we’ve been working on, and what’s to come — the music is just getting started.
All-New Design. Music app has a beautiful new design that makes exploring your music collection easier and more fun. Personalize playlists by adding your own image and description. Enjoy stunning pictures of your favorite artists in the Artists view. Start playing an album right from the album list. The music you love is never more than a tap away.
Recently Added. Albums and playlists you’ve recently added are now at the top of your library, making it effortless to find something new to play. Simply tap play on the artwork to listen.
Streamlined iTunes Radio. Discovering music with iTunes Radio is easier than ever. You can now quickly return to your favorite stations in Recently Played. Choose from a selection of hand-curated stations in Featured Stations, or start a new one from your favorite artist or song.
New MiniPlayer. With the new MiniPlayer, you can see what’s playing and control playback while browsing your music collection. To open Now Playing, just tap on the MiniPlayer.
Improved Now Playing. Now Playing has a stunning new design that showcases your album artwork the way it was meant to be. In addition, you can begin wirelessly streaming your music using AirPlay without leaving Now Playing.
Up Next. It’s now simple to find out which songs from your library will play next — just tap the Up Next icon in Now Playing. You can even reorder, add, or skip songs whenever you like.
Global Search. You can now search from anywhere in the Music app — just tap the magnifying glass. Search results are conveniently organized to help you quickly find that perfect song. You can even start an iTunes Radio station right from Search.
The release notes mention quite a few bugs with the Music app in the iOS 8.4 beta, so users should consider that before installing the beta.
Known Issues
- Using Siri to control iTunes Radio does not work in this seed.
- Home Sharing and Genius Mixes are not currently available.
- AirPlay streaming does not work.
- Stability issues when using Up Next or iTunes Radio.
- iTunes Radio stations may not start playback when attempting to play from Recently Played.
- It’s not possible to start a station from a song in Now Playing.
- Station sharing for iTunes Radio is not available.
- The iTunes Radio tab may unexpectedly appear within Search, even if iTunes Radio is not available in your country.
- It’s not possible to add an entire album or artist to a playlist at once.
- Music app may unexpectedly quit when deleting a playlist or rotating the device to landscape orientation.
- Music app may forget it’s place when you go to the Home Screen and come back.
- It’s not possible to view song lyrics.
- If your device loses and regains a network connection (including turning Airplane Mode on and off), playback may stop working. If songs repeatedly fail to play, please Force Quit the Music app.
MacRumors has supplied a video peek at the iOS 8.4 beta:
