Apple is rebuilding the Music app for macOS as a fully native app, according to beta code seen by 9to5Mac.
Code in the first beta of macOS Monterey 12.2, seeded to developers yesterday, shows that Apple is rebuilding the Music app using AppKit, macOS's native interface framework. The move will lead to significant improvements to the performance and experience of using the Music app, but no significant UI or interface changes.
According to 9to5Mac, the Music app is currently using JET, a technology to turn web content into native apps. The current Music app, which replaced iTunes but uses the same back-end, is heavily reliant on loaded-in Apple Music web content, which some users have criticised for having sluggish responsiveness and usability issues.
While some parts of the Music app, such as the library, were already native, Mac users will notice that searching for media in Apple Music is faster, displaying rebuilt native interfaces. As a result, scrolling, gestures, and animations are also more responsive.
Apple is likely still improving the new native parts of the app, so some interface elements or effects may currently be missing. Apple already rebuilt parts of the Apple TV app using JET in macOS Monterey 12.1.
