Apple Music separates playlists from its library as Spotify tests a free-tier restriction

Apple Music has added a small but useful control, while Spotify is testing a restriction that could limit access to new music for some free listeners.

According to TechRadar's Tom Bedford, Spotify users on the free, ad-supported tier in some regions have reported a pop-up saying that only Premium subscribers can play a track during its first three days after upload. Bangladesh and India were mentioned in the reports. The test may expand to other regions, but Spotify has not confirmed a broader rollout. TechRadar says it contacted the company and will update its report if it responds.

Apple Music's iOS27 update adds two Settings sliders, both turned off by default. One controls playlist songs and the other controls favorite songs. When enabled, users can add songs to playlists or favorites without also adding them to their library.

This separates the library from playlists and favorites. Previously, deleting a song from the library could also remove it from a playlist. The change is modest, but Reddit users cited several situations where it could help. Apple also upgraded its entire Music catalog to CD quality in 2021 without charging existing users more, according to the report.