Apple released iOS 26 on Sept. 15 and the update brings call screening, new ringtones and lots of hidden features to your iPhone. The update also brings some new features to Apple Music ($11 a month) like a new crossfading feature called AutoMix and lyric translation.
Apple Music has grown to be one of the largest music streaming platforms since it was released a decade ago. According to Statista, Apple Music had about 94 million paid subscribers as of June 2024. However, Spotify ($12 a month) remains firmly ahead of Apple Music in terms of number of paid subscribers with 276 million so Apple still has some catching up to do in the music streaming space.
I spent some time testing the new features in Apple Music to see if they might help Apple close that gap. Some of the features are nice but only available for a limited selection of songs, which might dampen your interest.
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AutoMix
AutoMix is an upgraded crossfade feature that blends one song into the next. The feature tries to time stretch and match the beats of songs so the transition between the two songs is more seamless.
After spending time listening to Apple Music in iOS 26, I found that the feature's success is pretty dependent on what songs you're listening to and it didn't always seem to work. When I noticed AutoMix working, I didn't like it because the songs didn't work together in most instances. For example, Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush leading into Happier by Marshmallow and Bastille was a really odd transition.
The feature worked best in pop and rap songs but even then the mix didn't always sound right. The feature stretched and warped beats to match the upcoming song and it made me think something was wrong with the song.
AutoMix didn't particularly work with a lot of rock and alternative songs I listened to. With those songs, it just sounded like a traditional crossfade feature.
AutoMix was automatically on after I downloaded iOS 26, but if you're not a fan of the feature, here's how to disable it.
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