Latest iOS 15.5 beta brings back a much-loved Apple Music API
- maj
- 09
What you need to know
- Apple has added an Apple Music API back into iOS 15.5 after removing it from iOS 15.4.
- The API allowed third-party developers to control the playback speed of subscription music.
- Users will need iOS 15.5 installed to notice the change — the update is thought to be weeks away from public release.
Apple decided to "re-evaluate" its decision to remove the API.
Apple has re-enabled an Apple Music API that allows third-party apps to control the playback speed of songs. The API was first removed when Apple shipped iOS 15.4 but an engineer has confirmed that it is now back as of the latest iOS 15.5 beta.
In a developer forum post discussing the issue, iGeneration notes that an Apple engineer confirmed that the 'MPMediaPlayback.currentPlaybackRate' API is now operational once more after the company "re-evaluated our previous decision."
We have re-evaluated our previous decision to disable changing the playback rate for subscription content from Apple Music in third-party applications, and we came to the conclusion that we could safely enable that functionality again, just like before the release of iOS 15.4.
As such, this issue is fixed in iOS 15.5 beta 4.
It isn't clear why Apple removed support for the API in the first place, but this re-evaluation of the situation does now mean that third-party developers can take advantage of it once again. Anyone who had to remove a feature from their app because of this API change can now safely add it back in. Assuming Apple doesn't decide to re-evaluate its re-evaluation of it, of course.
Apple says that the API is now available to anyone who installs the latest iOS 15.5 beta, an update that should be available to everyone within the next few weeks.