When you’re in the mood to groove, what music app do you pull up? Is it cluttered, green and black Spotify, with an endless sprawl of menus and promotional videos? Or is it spacious and coral Apple Music, with animated graphics and live radio? Of the two, when it comes to functionality and quality, students with iPhones should choose Apple Music as their music platform.
To freshman and Apple Music subscriber Noah Urquiza, Apple Music’s shuffling system is far more efficient than Spotify’s.
“It shuffles based on what you’ve been listening to before, rather than just shuffling your entire playlist,” Urquiza said. “I know that unlike my ‘liked’ songs, there are some songs I haven’t listened to for a while that I don’t really like anymore, and it doesn’t really give me those because it knows I haven’t [listened to them] for a while.”
Apple users can access an array of live radio stations and shows on Apple Music, alongside Apple Music-only curated stations, according to Apple Support.
“I listen to them sometimes to get something new,” Urquiza said. “They have a hip hop radio station, they have rock radio stations, they have jazz, they have everything.”
Spotify has drawn criticism for frequent interface changes due to A/B testing, a marketing method of comparing product variations, and a home screen inundated with music, podcasts and recommendations, according to a Spotify Community discussion thread. Apple Music, by contrast, offers a more polished and cohesive interface that simply displays music, playlists and stations, aligning with Apple’s broader design ecosystem.
“It shows you what’s necessary and blocks what’s not,” Urquiza said. “It doesn’t use distractions like big bold letters and the whole ‘Tiktok’ [music recommendations] thing that I really don’t like.”
In September, Apple Music launched a lyric translation feature for iOS 26 that supports over 30 languages and includes lyric pronunciation guides, according to Apple Music for artists. Thus far, Spotify has only deployed a beta version of the feature for some songs in limited regions, according to Digital Music News. Senior Peri Akalin, who has an Apple Music Family Plan subscription, sees this as a reason to stick with Apple Music.
“As someone who is really interested in other languages, I like the translation feature because I can understand those lyrics and their meaning better,” Akalin said. “And learn a little bit of another language from them, even if it’s just through small parts of the song.”
Additionally, although Apple Music does not have a free tier, its family plan supports up to six people and costs just $16.99 per month, the same as Spotify’s Duo plan for two, according to Spotify and Apple Music.
Some argue that Spotify’s emphasis on collaborative features provides a compelling incentive for using the platform. Spotify Premium user and senior Namrata Motwani believes that Spotify Jam and Spotify’s daily mix playlists, which creates a more interactive shared listening experience, elevate it above Apple Music.
“I enjoy using the Spotify jam with my friends, especially when we’re in the car and vibing together,” Motwani said. “It’s nice for all of us to be able to collaborate, not just in a playlist, but also on the jam when we feel spontaneous with our song selection.”
However, Apple Music has collaborative playlists and supports AirPlay, which lets multiple users queue music from their devices on compatible speakers or car systems, according to Gadget Hacks. Apple Music integrates smoothly with CarPlay, offering reliable navigation between playlists and libraries, according to Merge Screens.
Apple Music should be the go-to music streaming platform for Apple-using students because it offers stronger performance and a more consistent user experience.
