In iOS 15, Apple's native Photos app features a significant update to Memories, including a new design, a more interactive interface, new visual effects, and richer integration with Apple Music.
When creating and viewing Memories, the Photos app has always supported basic music integration, but now Apple Music subscribers can choose to add any Apple Music song to a memory.
When a memory is selected in Photos, new "Memory Mixes" can suggest songs based on your Apple Music listening history that may go with the photos and videos, or you can choose a song yourself for a more personalized experience.
In addition to auditioning songs, Memory mixes can also suggest Memory Looks – essentially color filters – that may go with your chosen memory and accompanying music in order to evoke a particular atmosphere.
Here's how you can select songs from Apple Music to add to your Memories in iOS 15 (a public beta is coming in July, with an official release due in the fall).
- Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad, then select the For You tab.
- Under the Memories section, select a memory you want to edit.
- Tap the playing memory to bring up the controls overlay, then tap the Memory Mixes icon in the lower left corner (it looks like a musical note with stars).
- Swipe left or right, and the Photos app will use machine learning to marry suggested music tracks from Apple Music with different Memory Looks that may go together. (Use the Restart icon in the upper left corner to rewind the memory.)
- If you come across a song you like, simply tap the screen, and the music and look will be applied to your memory. Alternately, tap the Music icon (the musical note with the + sign) to select another track.
- You can browse Apple Music's Top Suggested songs and other categories, or tap the Search icon at the top to find a specific song in your music library.
- Tap Done when you've chosen a song to preview it in your memory, then tap the screen and the music will be applied to your memory.
In addition to Apple Music integration, Photos also features new Memory types, including new international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories, including the ability to recognize individual dogs and cats.
Top Rated Comments
That out of the way, ANY attention paid Music is welcome. While it has played a role in music discovery, there remains a loooong way to go. Amongst many other things, I'd like to see more robust data - inline with liner notes from the vinyl days. Who engineered the album, who are the musicians, where was it recorded, etc. Why that data still hasn't been included with digital audio files is baffling. It definitely helps listeners better connect with the music in deeper, more meaningful ways.