Apple Music took a big leap forward this year in iOS 26, adding a bunch of new features, three of which have quickly become some of my favorite additions in years.
#1: Fullscreen animated Lock Screen artwork
Apple Music has long experimented with making album art come to life on your iPhone. But in iOS 26, that work has now been applied to the Lock Screen too.
I’m a fan of all of Apple Music’s animated album art and playlist art. But when I’m listening to music, I almost never keep the Music app active on screen. Instead, I’m using other apps or my iPhone is locked.
Now, fullscreen animated artwork can be enjoyed right from the Lock Screen.
This feature is at its best when you have an iPhone with an always-on display. You get to see a beautiful, edge-to-edge representation of the artwork then watch it come to life when your display wakes.
Not every album or playlist in Apple Music’s library gets the animated treatment, but quite a lot do. And even without the animation, I love the new fullscreen look.
#2: Playlist folders
On the Mac, a relic of the iTunes era has long let you create folders for your Apple Music playlists that then sync over to your other devices. But previously, you couldn’t edit or manage playlists anywhere but the Mac.
I love organizing my playlists into folders, but I spend most of my time on iPad and iPhone, not the Mac. And the limitation of needing a Mac has meant I previously used folders less than I otherwise would.
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