Apple enables animated artwork for third-party music apps

9to5mac.com

Apple will allow third-party music apps to display animated artwork on the iPhone lock screen, expanding beyond its own Apple Music service. This new feature, enabled by the MPMediaItemAnimatedArtwork API, will let apps show full-screen, animated artwork with playback controls. Developers can now integrate this functionality into their apps for the iOS 26 update. While the feature is currently in developer beta, it will be available to all iPhone users in the fall. It remains unclear if Spotify, Apple's main competitor, will adopt the new API.


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Apple enables animated artwork for third-party music apps | News Minimalist