After a bit of a wait, Apple Music Classical is now available for Android phones. We knew it was coming – we reported on code in an Apple Music beta back in early 2022 – but I didn't think it would take quite so long to arrive. And it's interesting that Apple has made it available for Android before bringing it to the iPad or the Mac, presumably because the Primephonic service Apple bought to make its classical app already had an Android version.
As with the iPhone version, the Apple Music Classical is its own app rather than a tab in Apple Music. It streams at up to 24-bit/192kHz lossless audio, it's ad-free, and it's free to anyone with an Apple Music subscription (but not Apple Music Voice) or Apple One. If you have compatible headphones you can also access some tracks in spatial audio.
Apple Music Classical isn't quite finished on Apple kit
While Apple has been busy with Android there are still a few bits missing from the Apple Music Classical wish list on Apple devices. There's no iPad-optimised app yet, and unlike Apple Music the Classical app doesn't yet integrate with CarPlay. There isn't a desktop app for the Mac either.
On the iPhone – and now on Android too – the app isn't exactly beautiful but the content is very impressive, not least because it comes with the same detailed metadata previously provided by Primephonic. As Apple said at launch, there's a bit more to classifying, organising and searching for classical music than there is with rock, pop or EDM: the same piece of music may be performed many times by multiple orchestras, multiple conductors and multiple soloists and the browsing and search functions of the Apple Music Classical app are designed to help you navigate all of that.
The app is available now and requires Android 9 or later.
