Software : 5 issues we want Apple Music to fix

5 issues we want Apple Music to fix
iOS Tips: Apple Music subscription: How to turn off auto-renewal
Office 365 integration turns Cortana into your work assistant

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5 issues we want Apple Music to fix

Apple Music Issues

Apple Music kicked off with a bang today, with its iOS 8.4 update delivering an all-encompassing music service that doesn't just stream music – it's also an internet radio service (like Pandora), an Instagram-style social network for artists and fans and a replacement for your old Music app.

It's safe to say that Apple is attempting something huge with Apple Music, weaving all of its streaming content and social stuff into your existing music libraries and playlists.

For the most part, Apple Music pulls it off, but there are a few quirks and issues we'd definitely like to see addressed before decide on whether we're going to stick with it past the 3 month trial period.

Limited cellular data options

If you want to listen to Apple Music outside of your Wi-Fi network, you'll have to switch on the Use Cellular Data option in your iOS settings. That's fair enough, but for some reason, cellular data for Apple Music doesn't have its own tab.

If you want this functionality, you will also be opened up to automatic downloads for app updates and other things you probably don't want to waste your precious data on. You can opt to turn automatic updates off, but then you'll have to go back to manually updating all of your apps. It's a weird 'one step forward, one step back' scenario that seems like it should be entirely avoidable.

Album art replaced with random junk

Album art replaced

We're not sure why, but many of the albums in our existing library, which we've been ripping from CD since the early days of the MP3, have had their album art replaced by random junk that Apple Music has downloaded from the internet.

Many of us have spent extensive time over the years carefully selecting the highest quality images or best variants of album covers for our libraries, so having to find these images and apply them again is disappointing to say the least.

Lacks higher quality streaming

Surprisingly, Apple Music streams at a bitrate of 256 kbps, which is lower than most of its competitors. Spotify, Rdio, MOG and even Beats Music, which Apple Music's streaming foundation is built on, all stream at 320 kbps (Beats Music still streams at this quality on Android and Windows Phone devices, rubbing even more salt on our wounds).

And then there's Tidal, which manages to stream its music at the lossless FLAC bitrate of 1411 kbps. So what gives, Apple? Why is the biggest and baddest new streaming service on the block peddling inferior audio quality?

Not the full iTunes library

It may have been naive of us to have expected that we'd be able to stream music from the entire iTunes library, but that's how the service has been pitched to us for a while now. This would have easily given Apple Music the edge over its biggest competitor, Spotify. Instead, it has roughly the same number songs as its rival (30 million, which is 13 million songs less than is actually available to purchase from iTunes).

Sure, it's got Taylor Swift's latest album, but Prince (a.k.a. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) is completely absent from the service (which is weird, because his entire discography is available to stream on MOG). And don't even think about trying to stream The Beatles.

Too much going on

A first world problem to be sure, but the Apple Music app has got way too much stuff going on in each of its sections, leaving the app feeling cluttered and somewhat confusing.

Apple doesn't provide any kind of tutorial for the app, so expect quite a bit of trial and error as you try to figure out how to do everything. If you ask us, this much information crammed into small areas on various tabs seems to go against Steve Jobs' love of simplicity. Hopefully, Apple will continue to streamline its Music app.

iOS Tips: Apple Music subscription: How to turn off auto-renewal

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The highly anticipated Apple Music subscription service has arrived, bringing limitless song streaming to the seemingly endless iTunes library. And the first three months are free!

But when signing up, you'll notice that Apple sets you up to auto-renew at the end of the trial, which means monthly charges of $9.99/£9.99/AU$11.99 (individual plan pricing) or $14.99/£14.99/AU$17.99 (family plan pricing) could kick in without you realizing it on September 30.

Not to worry: you can cancel the auto-renew right now without affecting your free trial, and it couldn't be easier.

Manage subscriptions

On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store, and open your Apple ID. Next tap "View Apple ID" and type your Apple ID password to reach the Account Settings screen.

Scroll down until you reach Subscriptions, and tap Manage. Here you'll find everything you're subscribed to, from Apple Music to magazines. Tap your Apple Music membership to bring up details about this subscription. Here you can toggle off auto-renew, or subscribe at any time if you decide to do so.

Cancel auto-renew for Apple Music

On a Mac, open iTunes and click on the silhouette at the upper-right that sits next to the search field. In the little Account window that pops up, select Account Info.

Type in your Apple ID password to open the Account Information screen; under the Settings category at the bottom, you'll find Subscriptions. Click Manage in the adjacent column to pull up the Manage Subscriptions screen, which lists Apple Music along with other subscriptions you may have for magazines, HBO Now, etc. Click the Edit link next to your Apple Music subscription, and you'll easily spot the option to turn off auto-renew.

And that's it! Now there's no chance you'll be charged at some future date, so you can enjoy your free trial of Apple Music worry-free.

Office 365 integration turns Cortana into your work assistant

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Cortana takes a bigger presence in the latest Insider Preview Build 10158 of Windows 10, especially for Office 365 users. Microsoft announced that the Halo-inspired digital voice assistant can deliver alerts for flight information, commuter traffic and package deliveries on the desktop, and Office 365 users can now get a glimpse of their schedule with deeper Cortana integration.

"By integrating with Office 365, Cortana can proactively help you prepare for an upcoming meeting," Microsoft said in a statement. "Cortana brings you helpful information about the people you're meeting with, recent documents they've worked on, and reminders about when and where you need to be next so you won't be late."

Your office assistant

Screenshots posted by Microsoft show that Cortana can complement your schedule with glanceable information, like the weather forecast. On Windows 10 Mobile, the screenshot also shows actionable buttons for an appointment entry so you can notify meeting participants if you're running late, or open Skype if it's a virtual meeting. Mobile integration will occur later this year, but desktop and tablet integration is available now.

Cortana

In another example, Microsoft shows flight information with a flight tracker to notify if your plane is on time. In the same view, Cortana also delivers traffic information to help you get to the airport on time for your flight.

Microsoft isn't the first to roll out proactive or predictive notifications. Rival Google offers similar alerts on its Google Now platform, but Google doesn't have deep integration with Google Apps.

How it works and how to get it

"Through Office 365, Cortana can pull together insights to help you be more connected – like how you and your colleagues are connected to each other, documents you share and your upcoming meetings with them," Microsoft said. "Cortana will even deliver reminders when that important person contacts you."

Microsoft did not specify where it is gathering the insights to make Cortana more useful for work, but Microsoft demoed various work-related features using data from the Power BI platform at the Ignite conference.

"This lets you ask questions like 'which projects are due to be finished by July?' or 'which countries are my best customers in?' or 'how many PCs do my customers have by industry?' – which sound like the questions you can already ask Cortana, just with a knowledge base about your business rather than more general web searches," we reported in May.

To get Cortana integration, you must be part of the Windows Insider program running the latest preview build, have an Office 365 account from work and be part of an organization that supports Cortana through the First Release program. For organizations that do not want Cortana integration at this time, Microsoft allows IT administrators to opt out of Cortana connectivity in the Office 365 Admin portal.

In addition to delivering your daily schedule, Cortana could be used to send emails with your voice. With dictation, you can tell Cortana the email recipient and compose the message with your voice.

It's unclear if Cortana's integration with Office 365 is the same personal assistant project that Bill Gates confirmed he is working on. Microsoft is also said to be involved with a Work Assistant app.

Windows 10

Windows 10 will be available on July 29 for customers to download. Microsoft offers Windows 10 as a free upgrade during the first year of release for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 owners. For ineligible customers, Windows 10 Home costs $129 (£99.99, €135) and Windows 10 Pro will retail for $199. Microsoft has not revealed international pricing for Windows 10 Pro.

Cortana will be one of the highlight features of the operating system, allowing users to search the web, find local files on their systems or network and receive notifications and alerts. Other new features included in Windows 10 include the return of the Start menu, new multitasking capabilities, the Microsoft Edge browser and Continuum for users who work with convertible notebooks.

In addition to Windows 10 availability, Microsoft has hinted that Cortana could make the leap to competing iOS and Android operating systems.

Read our review of Windows 10

Yahuui Blog

Wednesday, July 1, 2015