Does iOS 7 have Apple Music?

Introducing Apple Music

Apple Music is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. It was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8, 2015 and officially launched on June 30, 2015 (Engadget, 2015).

Apple Music provides users access to over 70 million songs, along with expert-curated playlists, music videos, exclusive artist content, and a live global radio station called Beats 1. The service is accessible across Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, Mac, HomePod, and Apple CarPlay (Telegraph, 2015).

Apple Music aims to compete with other leading music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play Music. It represents Apple’s push into subscription-based streaming services beyond just digital music sales on iTunes.

iOS 7 Release Date

iOS 7 was released by Apple on September 18, 2013. This marked a major overhaul of iOS, representing the first significant design change since the original iPhone operating system was introduced in 2007. iOS 7 introduced a completely redesigned user interface with a “flat”, minimalist aesthetic, new icons, translucency effects, new animations, parallax backgrounds, improved multitasking, Control Center for quick settings access, AirDrop wireless sharing, and more.

The iOS 7 update was initially announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, 2013. It was available as a free software update for iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation).

iOS 7 launched alongside the iPhone 5s and 5c models. It represented a major shift in iOS design under the direction of Jony Ive, bringing modernized visuals and interactions. Overall, iOS 7 aimed to create a fresh, appealing interface while improving functionality and remaining familiar to long-time iOS users.

Sources:
https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/10/4715240/ios-7-release-date
https://www.phonearena.com/news/iOS-7-release-date-and-time-are-today-Sep-18-get-ready-to-update_id47519

iOS 7 Features

Apple unveiled a major redesign of iOS with the release of iOS 7 on September 18, 2013 [1]. Some of the key new features included:

A completely redesigned user interface using a flat, minimalist design style. This did away with skeuomorphic design elements that mimicked real world objects.

Control Center providing quick access to commonly used controls and settings.
Revamped multitasking with new APIs to allow apps to perform updates in the background.
AirDrop for sharing content with nearby iOS devices using WiFi and Bluetooth.

Enhanced Spotlight search to search the device as well as the web.
New Photos app with photo filters and editing tools.
Siri improvements such as Twitter integration, Bing web searching, and the ability to change device settings like turning on Bluetooth.

Overall, iOS 7 represented a major leap forward for the iOS user experience and added many features highly anticipated by users. The redesign provided a more modern look and made core apps easier to use.

iOS 7 Limitations

iOS 7 had some limitations compared to later versions of iOS, especially when it came to hardware constraints and access to Apple’s latest APIs and frameworks.

iOS 7 was released in September 2013 and only supported devices going back to the iPhone 4, iPad 2, and iPod Touch 5th generation. Older devices did not have the processing power or RAM required to run iOS 7 smoothly.

Additionally, iOS 7 did not have access to new APIs and technologies Apple introduced in later iOS versions that enabled advanced features. For example, iOS 7 predated Metal graphics technology, App Extensions for inter-app communication, Widgets on the home screen, and Split View multitasking on iPads.

While iOS 7 introduced a completely redesigned user interface and some new core apps like Control Center, it was limited in what more advanced features it could support due to the technical constraints of older hardware and platforms at the time.

Apple Music Requirements

Apple Music requires iOS 8 or later to use the service. Apple Music was first launched in June 2015, two years after the release of iOS 7 in September 2013. iOS 7 predates the launch of Apple Music, so the streaming service is not natively supported or available on iOS 7 devices.

According to Apple’s system requirements, Apple Music needs iOS 8 or later, iTunes 12.2 or later, or an Apple Music-enabled device such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to use the service and its features. iOS 7 does not meet these version requirements.

iOS 8 was the first version of iOS to natively include Apple Music after its launch. So devices running on iOS 7 software do not have Apple Music available out of the box without upgrading to a newer iOS version first.

Why Apple Music is not Available on iOS 7

Apple Music was first launched in 2015, several years after the release of iOS 7 in 2013. The main technical reason Apple Music is not available on iOS 7 is due to hardware constraints.

Apple Music relies on newer hardware capabilities not present in iOS 7 devices. For example, Apple Music uses Bluetooth 4.0 technology and iCloud Music Library, which were not supported by iOS 7. The A7 chip found in later iPhones provides greater processing power required for Apple Music features like downloading songs, real-time curated playlists, and integration with Siri.

Additionally, Apple Music is deeply integrated into later versions of iOS and iTunes, utilizing APIs and frameworks not available in iOS 7. The iOS 7 operating system predates the launch of Apple Music, and lacks the necessary foundations in the OS to support Apple Music functions.

Overall, iOS 7 devices lack the chipsets, wireless technology, frameworks, and processing power required to run Apple Music smoothly. Given the age of the iOS 7 platform at the time of Apple Music’s launch, Apple understandably chose to limit Apple Music to newer iOS versions capable of providing the desired user experience.

User Workarounds

Since Apple Music is not natively supported on iOS 7, users have come up with some workarounds to still access some of its features. The main option is to use iTunes Match, Apple’s music locker service that launched years before Apple Music.

iTunes Match allows iOS 7 users to upload their personal music library to iCloud, including songs not available on iTunes. This gives them access to their full collection across devices running iOS 7 and earlier. iTunes Match subscriptions start at $24.99 per year (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5378564).

While not a full replacement for Apple Music, iTunes Match does provide iOS 7 users with access to their cloud music library. For newer features like curated playlists or radio stations, users will need to upgrade to a later iOS version.

Summary

In summary, Apple Music requires iOS 8 or later to install and use on iPhone and iPad devices. The streaming music service was first introduced in 2015 with the launch of iOS 8.4. Earlier versions of iOS, including iOS 7 which originally launched in 2013, do not have access to Apple Music. This is due to technical requirements, as Apple Music relies on features and frameworks only available in iOS 8 and later. While some workarounds exist to access Apple Music content manually in iOS 7, full Apple Music integration is not officially available or supported in iOS 7. Users with devices still on iOS 7 would need to update to iOS 8 or later to properly download, install and use the Apple Music app.

Verdict

Apple Music is not natively supported on iOS 7. When Apple Music launched in 2015, it required iOS 8.4 or later to be installed on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. iOS 7 was released in 2013, two years before Apple Music, and it does not have the technical capabilities to run Apple Music directly.

Next Steps for Users

As Apple Music is not available on iOS 7, users have a few options to access streaming music functionality.

The most straightforward option is to upgrade devices to a newer iOS version that supports Apple Music, such as iOS 8 or later. According to iOS 7: The ultimate Music app guide, Apple Music launched with iOS 8.4 in 2015. By upgrading to at least iOS 8.4, users can access Apple’s streaming music service.

For users who wish to keep iOS 7 for other reasons, another option is to use a different streaming music service that is supported on iOS 7, such as iTunes Radio. While iTunes Radio has since been discontinued, it was available for free in iOS 7 and offered similar functionality to stream music stations. There may be other third-party iOS 7-compatible music streaming apps as well.