Why doesn t Apple Music rotate?
Apple Music Bucks Auto-Rotate Trend
While most iPhone apps automatically rotate when you turn your phone sideways, Apple Music notably lacks this ability. The media player continues to display vertically even when you flip your iPhone horizontally. This omission stands out in an age when auto-rotate has become standard across iOS.
Launched in 2015, Apple Music is a streaming service that gives access to over 100 million songs. The app features playlists, music videos, artist radio stations, and more. However, rotating your iPhone when watching a music video or browsing albums has no effect – the screen remains fixed in portrait view.
Benefits of Auto-Rotate
Auto-rotate is a feature that allows the screen orientation to automatically switch between portrait and landscape mode based on the device’s orientation. This can provide some key benefits for music apps like Apple Music:
Firstly, auto-rotate enables a more convenient experience for users. By automatically rotating, users can seamlessly switch to landscape mode to watch music videos or browse playlists without having to manually change orientations. This allows for a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.
Secondly, auto-rotate allows for hands-free listening. Users can place their phone down and listen to music without having to hold their device in a specific orientation. This is especially useful when listening to music while doing other tasks.
Lastly, auto-rotate matches the functionality of other popular apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify that all feature auto-rotate capabilities. Users have come to expect this feature as standard across media and music apps. Aligning with user expectations improves the overall experience.
Why Apple Omitted Auto-Rotate
Apple’s decision to omit auto-rotate in Apple Music on iPhone was an intentional design choice. According to sources, Apple wanted the album artwork to remain fixed in portrait orientation rather than rotate when the phone is turned sideways. Allowing the screen to auto-rotate could result in the album art shifting unexpectedly as the user moves the device. This could create a jarring user experience.
Additionally, auto-rotate could lead to accidental rotation when the user does not intend the screen to change orientations. For example, if someone is passively listening to music with the phone in their pocket, sensor-based rotation could be triggered unintentionally. By locking the screen in portrait mode, Apple aimed to provide a more controlled experience focused on presenting album art.
As noted in discussions on Apple’s forums, “Apple designed [Apple Music] specifically not to rotate on iPhones” (source). The lack of auto-rotate is an intentional choice to optimize Apple Music for iPhone and avoid disorienting shifts in the app’s layout.
User Feedback on Lack of Auto-Rotate
Many Apple Music users have complained and requested for the app to have auto-rotate functionality. On Apple’s own support forums, users have created threads asking for the ability to rotate the screen when using Apple Music. Some have found it inconvenient that the app does not respond to device rotation like most other iPhone apps do. As one user wrote in the forums, “Screen won’t rotate in apple music. Welcome to Apple Support Community. A forum where Apple customers exchange ideas & solutions.”
There are dozens of comments on these forum posts from others who agree an auto-rotate feature is needed in Apple Music. The lack of auto-rotate seems to be an ongoing pain point for a subset of users who listen to music or watch music videos in landscape orientation. Though Apple has not yet responded to these requests, the continuous feedback indicates a demand for more flexibility in the Apple Music interface. For users accustomed to auto-rotate in other apps, having to lock their device to a certain orientation while using Apple Music comes across as an inconvenience.
Workarounds
Since Apple Music does not have auto-rotate functionality on iPhones, users have come up with some workarounds to manually rotate the screen when using the app:
Manually rotate the screen – On iPhones without a Home button, you can manually trigger rotation by swiping down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, then tapping the Orientation Lock icon. This will rotate the screen 90 degrees each time you tap it (Source).
Use Portrait Orientation Lock – You can lock the screen in portrait mode, then manually rotate your iPhone to landscape when using Apple Music. The app will remain in portrait, while you view it sideways (Source).
Play music on a different app – Some users play their Apple Music through alternate apps like YouTube that do allow rotation. This provides a landscape mode for the music, although not inside the native Apple Music app itself (Source).
Possibility of Adding Auto-Rotate
While Apple has not officially commented on adding auto-rotate to Apple Music, there is a possibility it could be added in a future update. Apple has a history of eventually adding user-requested features, like the ability to delete default apps that was added in iOS 10 [1]. However, Apple also tends to stick to its original design principles, and the focus on album artwork in portrait mode may be one of those core principles they are unwilling to change.
Some speculate that limitations around licensing album artwork and displaying it properly in landscape may also deter Apple from adding auto-rotate [2]. The static portrait mode allows them more control over how artwork is presented. Overall, while users have persistently requested landscape and auto-rotate support, there is no indication yet from Apple that it is something they plan to implement.
Impact on User Experience
The lack of auto-rotate in Apple Music can create a more awkward user experience, especially when using the app in landscape orientation such as while connected to a car’s entertainment system (E.g. Are we ever gonna get landscape on iPhone? : r/AppleMusic). The interface remains locked in portrait mode, while the content may not fully fit the screen.
However, for most users this missing feature does not seem to be a dealbreaker. Although some users have expressed frustration, Apple Music remains hugely popular. The app still functions fine for music playback even without auto-rotate, and portrait mode may work better for certain use cases like browsing music while walking. Overall the lack of auto-rotate leads to a slightly inferior experience but not enough to drive users away in large numbers (E.g. Apple Music rotates on iPad but not the iPhone 14 Pro Max).
Comparisons to Other Apps
Many other popular music streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube Music include auto-rotate functionality, which reinforces user expectations that music apps should support landscape orientation.
For example, Spotify has allowed screen rotation in both its iOS and Android apps for years (source). Users cite auto-rotate as one of the features they appreciate in Spotify, as it allows convenient access to controls when using the app in landscape mode.
Similarly, YouTube Music recently added auto-rotate support on Android after user requests (source). Many users see landscape orientation as essential for music apps, and expect the feature in any modern music streaming service.
By including auto-rotate, Spotify and YouTube Music align with established conventions for music player apps. This highlights the absence of auto-rotate in Apple Music as an exception that frustrates user expectations.
The Future of Apple Music
Apple Music is likely to maintain its dominance in the music streaming industry, but faces growing competition from Spotify. As of 2023, Apple Music boasts over 90 million subscribers globally, compared to Spotify’s 183 million paying users (Future). While Spotify currently leads in overall subscribers, Apple Music enjoys strong continued growth and loyalty among users of Apple devices.
Looking ahead, Apple seems focused on refinements to the Apple Music user experience rather than drastic overhauls. At its 2022 WWDC event, Apple previewed several Apple Music enhancements like playlists that combine everyone’s music libraries and enhanced integration with the camera and Apple car play (Apple Newsroom). More incremental changes are likely in 2023 and beyond.
Overall, Apple Music appears positioned to hold onto its core users while continuing to improve and tweak the app. But growing competition from Spotify and other music services means Apple cannot rest on its laurels. Maintaining its dominance will require Apple Music to keep innovating and enhancing the listening experience for its loyal fanbase.
Conclusion
In summary, Apple Music lacks an auto-rotate feature that would allow the app to automatically switch between portrait and landscape modes when the user rotates their device. This omission is likely due to Apple’s emphasis on simplicity and streamlined interfaces across its products. However, many users find the inability to auto-rotate to be an inconvenience, especially when viewing album artwork and music videos.
Convenience and ease-of-use are major priorities for most users. The option to effortlessly view Apple Music in both portrait and landscape orientations with a quick turn of their device is something customers have come to expect from modern apps. While Apple may have valid reasons to exclude auto-rotate, the lack of this standard feature detracts from the overall user experience of Apple Music for many people.
As Apple Music continues to evolve, the company would be wise to reevaluate adding auto-rotate. This would address one of the most common complaints from users and better align Apple Music with customer expectations. Delivering a seamless, intuitive experience has always been a hallmark of Apple products. Restoring auto-rotate could help Apple Music live up to that high standard.