Photo Credit: Apple
Apple Music introduces its audio haptics feature for all users as part of the release of iOS 18.
Apple Music has introduced Music Haptics for all listeners, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, as part of the release of iOS 18.
Using the iPhone Taptic Engine, the feature plays taps, textures, and “refined vibrations” to the audio of the track you’re listening to. Music Haptics works with Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Shazam, and “supported third party apps” when your iPhone is connected to WiFI or cellular service.
To coincide with the release, Apple Music has debuted a new space dedicated to Music Haptics. This space features new playlists Haptics Beats, Haptics Bass, Haptics Vibrations, and Haptics Hits. It also features a selection of albums and more.
Haptics is live now to subscribers of Apple Music worldwide. To activate the functionality, users should go to the Settings app on their iPhone, select Accessibility, and make sure Music Haptics is turned on.
The logo will appear on the Now Playing screen in the Music app, as well as in the Now Playing view on the Home Screen and in the Control Center. Tapping the logo will temporarily pause Haptics, and tapping again will turn it back on.
While the functionality is obviously predominantly aimed at those affected by hearing loss, there’s a wide variety of individuals who will find such a feature useful, or at least entertaining. Some users have suggested it “sounds like an Atari game,” when the iPhone is set on a table with Music Haptics turned on and left to tap and vibrate to the music.
Users who actually grew up playing Atari games may beg to differ at that description — I think it sounds more like an old floppy drive, personally — but it’s certainly an interesting concept.
Music Haptics is supported on iPhone 12 and later, excluding iPhone SE (third generation), running iOS 18 or later.
