AutoMix in iOS 26 Adds DJ-Like Song Transitions to Apple Music

Apple Music is one of the apps that got a noticeable Liquid Glass design overhaul in iOS 26, but Apple also added a useful new feature that streamlines song transitions.

AutoMix is designed to transition from one song to another as the song that's playing ends, using time stretching and beat matching for a seamless shift. Apple says that it's meant to work "like a DJ."

Songs are designed to transition at the "perfect moment," based on an analysis of the key and tempo of the music. AutoMix replaces Crossfade, and can be enabled when opening up ‌Apple Music‌ after updating to ‌iOS 26‌.

AutoMix is live in the developer beta, and so far testers have been impressed with the feature, and there are multiple threads on Reddit and other social media networks praising it as one of the best features in the new update. Though Apple describes AutoMix as using "intelligence" for beat matching, it is not an Apple Intelligence feature, and is not limited to newer iPhones. It is, however, designed for ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers, so you need an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription to use it.

There are other new features in ‌Apple Music‌ too. For songs that are in a different language, Apple has a Lyrics Translation feature, plus a Lyrics Pronunciation option so you can accurately sing those lyrics. There's also an option to pin favorite playlists to the top of the Music app, and access those through a new pinned music widget on the Home and Lock Screens.

‌iOS 26‌ is available for developers at the current time, but a public beta will be coming in July. The update will see a launch this fall alongside new iPhone models.