Stephen Headrick / Android Authority
Imagine having your very own DJ in your pocket, ready to mix your favorite songs at a moment’s notice. No, not your dad’s 3-5 second crossfade, but instead a completely customized mix that makes the two songs you’re transitioning between meld together like they were designed that way by the artists themselves. That’s the idea behind Apple Music’s upcoming AI-powered AutoMix feature, which is coming with this fall’s iOS 26 release.
As a former Spotify user and now years-long YouTube Music user, this is the first time I’ve even batted an eye at one of Apple’s few Android apps. I’m not really a big fan of the old-school cross-fade functionality, but this is different. Google is consistently adding Gemini-powered features across all of its verticals — including in the main YouTube app — but so far, we haven’t seen much of this AI prowess in YouTube Music. AutoMix is a seemingly small Apple Music feature with big implications, and I have some ideas on how Google can bring its super-powered Gemini experience into its music app.
What music streaming service do you use? 150 votes Spotify 19 % Apple Music 3 % YouTube Music 76 % Other (let me know in the comments) 2 % I don't use a music streaming service 1 %
DJ Apple, spin that track! Apple first announced AutoMix back in June at this year’s WWDC, its annual developer’s conference. In its own words, this feature uses “time stretching and beat matching to deliver continuous playback and an even more seamless listening experience.” Marketing jargon aside, there is a clear difference that you can hear with AutoMix enabled when compared to the standard cross-fade. Details on how the feature works are sparse, but shortly after the iOS 26 developer beta was released, videos of AutoMix in action quickly began circulating on all the major social media platforms. For me at least, I was intrigued the moment I heard it in action.
Because AutoMix is not a database of pre-mixed songs and is instead powered by AI, the mixing experience can vary from user to user. Occasionally, the mixes are pretty underwhelming — remember, this is still just a beta software — but more often than not, it doesn’t just work, it sounds magical. It adds an entirely new dimension to your music listening experience. I would note here that right now, AutoMix seems to work best when the two songs are from a similar genre or have a similar number of beats per minute. That said, I’d imagine this will only improve in the future.
AutoMix isn’t an entirely new concept. In fact, Spotify released their own take on this feature years ago under the exact same name. It, too, appears to use beat matching to determine the best way to transition between songs, but from examples I’ve seen and user commentary I’ve read, Apple’s take appears to be a more advanced version. Perhaps advancements in AI also allow for an overall better mixing experience.
YouTube Music needs to join the party I’ve been a YouTube Music convert for years now, and all in all, I’ve been very happy with the service. First and foremost, it’s included with YouTube Premium, which is one reason I believe Google’s subscription is one of the most high-value subscriptions out there. And to Google’s credit, YouTube Music has frequently improved its service, adding new features and making the user interface more appealing and user-friendly.
Google has added Gemini-powered capabilities to just about every corner of its software universe. From YouTube to Google Workspace to Android devices and most everything between, you will likely find some sort of Gemini-enabled feature. And it’s not like we haven’t seen Google dabble in the world of music, either.
Stephen Headrick / Android Authority Google is adding Gemini everywhere. Is YouTube Music next?
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