Apple Classical references appear in iOS 15.5 betas ahead of launch

iPhone 12 showing Apple Music with a sculpture in the background
iPhone 12 showing Apple Music with a sculpture in the background (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple Classical references have been found in iOS 15.5 beta 1.
  • The new classical music app will be the result of Apple's Primephonic buyout from last year.
  • No timescale has been put on Apple Classical's launch.

Apple's iOS 15.5 beta is now in the hands of developers and public beta testers alike and it appears that it has some of the underpinnings required for the unannounced Apple Classical app.

Set to be the fruit of the Primephonic buyout from last year, the Apple Classical app will play host to classical music rather than it being built into the standard Apple Music app. Details are still sparse and the app isn't yet available, but the first iOS 15.5 beta does have references to it in internal files, as MacRumors reports.

There are references to the upcoming "Apple Classical" app that Apple has in development to complement Apple Music, suggesting the standalone app could soon see a launch. There are "Open in Apple Classical" and "Open this in the new app designed for classical music" in the Music app code, but the Classical app has not yet launched.

Apple Classical App Code

Apple Classical App Code (Image credit: MacRumors)

No timeline for when we can expect the new Apple Classical or iOS 15.5 releases has been shared yet, nor whether the classical music streaming app will require a new subscription. It does seem likely that it will simply be part of the existing Apple Music or Apple One subscriptions that people are already paying for, however.

Apple Music is one of the best iPhone solutions for people who want to stream their music, although fans of Spotify might have something to say about that. All eyes will be on Apple Classical to see what it has to offer when it does eventually launch.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.