Apple's Hidden Social Network Needs a Friend – CNET

Apple's Hidden Social Network Needs a Friend - CNET

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Apple’s Hidden Social Network Needs a Friend

There’s a social network woven into Apple Music, but it’s hard to find anyone who wants to use it.

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Bridget Carey Principal Video Producer
Bridget Carey is an on-camera reporter who helps you level up your life — while having a good time geeking out. Her exclusive CNET videos get you behind the scenes, so you can see new trends, experiences and quirky gadgets. Bridget Tries is her video series, in which she explores our changing world by getting up close with today’s oddities before they become tomorrow’s normal. She started as a writer with a syndicated newspaper column and has been a technology journalist for over 15 years. Now she’s a mom who stays on top of toy world trends and robots. (Kids love robots.)
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Bridget Carey looking puzzled with question marks and the Apple Music logo

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Apple has a social network with usernames and friends to follow, but it’s so hidden inside Apple Music that even Apple Music subscribers I’ve spoken with had no idea it existed.

I’ve been a paying customer of Apple Music for years, I’ve made a number of playlists and I use the app every single day. And yet, I never knew there was a social network aspect to the service — that is, until this week when I set up a new iPhone, opened the Music app, and I was prompted to set up a username and find friends.

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Watch this: Apple Music’s Anti-Social Social Network

In this week’s episode of One More Thing (embedded above), I go through the history of Apple’s failed attempts to make social networking successful inside its music apps over the years, and what the service looks like today.

The main reason to add friends in the network is to be able to get music recommendations from other people’s shared playlists. It can help expand the music you discover.

Right now, it’s complicated to find and add friends — and perhaps Apple isn’t motivated to make it an easier experience when it doesn’t need to be a social networking company. But with TikTok Music now expanding as a streaming music service, perhaps the competition may motivate Apple to improve this feature.

Read more: Best Music Streaming Service of 2023

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