Apple Music Crossfade: What Is It & How Does It Work

By James Blair Updated on 2023-08-08 / Update for Apple Music Tips

What is crossfade on Apple Music? Apple Music crossfade is a feature that allows the user to smoothly transition from one song to another by fading out the first song while the second song fades in. The length of the crossfade can be adjusted to suit your preferences, with options ranging from 1 to 12 seconds.

In this post, we will guide you on how to crossfade Apple Music on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Once you set the crossfade, you will see the song fade in and out smoothly. Now, let's begin!

View also: FAQs about Apple Music

apple music crossfade

Part 1. Does Apple Music Have Crossfade

Yes. there is an Apple Music crossfade feature that you can turn on in the settings, which will allow songs to blend into each other instead of stopping abruptly between tracks. And since the update with iOS, Apple added the crossfade feature that had existed in the Apple Music Android version to iPhone and iPad.

However, the crossfade on Apple Music iOS app has been in beta and will actually work after a few months. But don't fret, we will introduce the best alternative way to crossfade songs on Apple Music iOS version in the next content.

Part 2. How to Enable Apple Music Crossfade Mac/Windows

How to get Apple Music crossfade on your computer? For desktop users, to enable this feature, you must be signed in with the same Apple ID as your iTunes account. In Apple Music, the process is very simple, you can do as below.

Crossfade on Apple Music on Windows:

crossfade on apple music on windows

Step 1. Open the iTunes app on your Windows.

Step 2. Select 'Edit' from the top menu bar. Then choose the 'Preferences' option.

Step 3. On the new window, click on the 'Playback' tab at the top.

Step 4. Tick the check bar next to 'Crossfade Songs' and you can then move the slider bar to adjust the duration of the crossfade between songs. Then tap on 'OK'.

Crossfade on Apple Music on Mac:

apple music crossfade on mac

Step 1. Open the Apple Music app on your Mac.

Step 2. Select 'Music' from the menu bar and then choose the 'Preferences' option.

Step 3. Click on the 'Playback' tab at the top.

Step 4. Tick the 'Crossfade Songs' check box. Move the slider to change the number of seconds from 1 to 12.

Part 3. How to Crossfade Apple Music iPhone/Android

For iPhone and Android users, there are also working ways to crossfade between tracks on Apple Music.

How to Enable Apple Music Crossfade Android

crossfade apple music on android

Step 1. Launch the Apple Music app.

Step 2. Select the three-dots icon at the top-right corner and then choose the 'Settings' option.

Step 3. Find the 'Crossfade' option under the 'Audio' section.

Step 4. The default setting is 'Auto', you can also select the 'manual' crossfade option and make any value between 2 and 5 seconds. This will work for most songs.

How to Get Crossfade on Apple Music iPhone/iPad

As we state in the above content, the crossfade feature has existed in iOS 17. Thus, it is feasible to add crossfade on Apple Music iPhone app. Here, we will introduce two solutions about how to crossfade songs on Apple Music iPhone app. Please update your iPhone to iOS 17 beforehand.

Crossfade on Apple Music iOS App

Step 1. Go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone.

Step 2. Scroll down to Apple Music and tap on it.

Step 3. Toggle on the 'Crossfade' button. Then you can choose what points the crossfade starts working.

apple music crossfade on iphone

Alternative Way to Crossfade Songs on Apple Music iOS

It's easy to make Apple Music crossfade on Android, Windows, Mac, and iPhone with iOS 17. However, there is no crossfade feature on iOS 15, 16, and former. So, how to crossfade Apple Music on those iOS devices? We've found an alternative way for you. That is, you can listen to your Apple Music songs with other music players on your iOS 15/16. Then you will be able to get your Apple Music songs crossfade on iOS with other music players.

To make this come true, it's necessary to make use of a technical Apple Music tool - AudFree Apple Music Converter. You can use it to download and convert Apple Music songs as your own music files stored on your local drive. It works to convert any Apple Music content to unprotected formats such as MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, etc. That is to say, you can keep the converted Apple Music forever and offline listen to Apple Music songs without an Apple Music premium subscription.

By using AudFree Music Downloader to download Apple Music, you can get unprotected Apple Music songs with 100% lossless sound quality after conversion. After that, you are able to listen to Apple Music songs with any other music player on your device. You can also transfer the downloaded songs to any other device for offline playback with a crossfade between tracks.

AudFree Apple Music Downloader

audfree apple music converter
  • Download Apple Music for offline listening with crossfade
  • Convert Apple Music to MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, M4A, M4B, etc.
  • Quicker conversion and download speed of up to 30X
  • Keep original sound quality and all the metadata info

How to Crossfade Apple Music on iOS with Other Music Players

Before going ahead, please make sure that AudFree Apple Music Downloader has been installed on your computer. Then, do as instructed below to convert Apple Music to MP3 or any other format files and enable Apple Music crossfade on your iOS device.

Step 1 Add Apple Music songs to AudFree Downloader
add apple music songs for crossfade
Open AudFree Apple Music Downloader and click on the first 'Add Files' button from the bottom-left corner. You can add many Apple Music songs to it because it supports batch downloading. Also, it supports you to drag and drop Apple Music tracks from iTunes to it directly.
Step 2Choose output format for added Apple Music
define apple music output parameters for crossfade
Click on the 'Edit' icon in the bottom right corner that looks like a speaker icon to customize your output settings. You can choose the output audio format and change the codec, channel, bit rate, and so on to make lossless audio quality. Then click 'OK' to save your changes.
Step 3Export Apple Music songs to your computer locally
download apple music for crossfade with other music players
Click on the lower-right 'Convert' button to start downloading Apple Music songs to your computer. When the download process is complete, you can hit the 'Converted' icon from the bottom right corner to find your Apple Music downloads.
Step 4Transfer Apple Music downloads to your iOS device
You can now connect your computer to your iOS device with a USB cable. Then copy and paste the downloaded Apple Music songs to your iOS device. After that, you are able to play the downloaded Apple Music songs and crossfade Apple Music songs with other music players on your iOS device. Also, if you have installed any other music services like Spotify or Tidal, you can upload the converted Apple Music tracks to Spotify or Tidal and then enable crossfade on Tidal or Spotify.
View also: How to Crossfade on Spotify

Part 4. Fix: Apple Music Crossfade Not Working

If the crossfade feature is not working on your Apple Music, you can try the following steps to fix it:

1) Make sure that crossfade is enabled in the Apple Music settings. To do this, go to Settings > Music > Crossfade Songs and turn on the toggle switch.

2) Check if your Apple Music subscription is active and up-to-date. If your subscription has expired or is not active, you may not be able to use certain features, including crossfade. This method can solve multiple Apple Music not working issues on Mac and iOS devices.

3) Update to iOS 17 provided that you are crossfade on iPhone. Only iOS 17 owns the crossfade feature.

4) Try restarting your device and then open the Apple Music app again. This may help to refresh the app and fix any issues that may be causing the crossfade feature to not work.

If none of these steps work, you may want to contact Apple Support for further assistance or use the alternative tool AudFree Apple Music Converter to get Apple Music free forever and crossfade the Apple Music tracks on other players.


Part 5. FAQs about Apple Music Crossfade

We selected some frequently asked questions about the Apple Music crossfade.

Q1: Can You Crossfade on Apple Music?

A: Yes, you can crossfade Apple Music directly on the Apple Music app.

Q2: Can You Crossfade on Apple Music iPhone?

A: iOS 15 and 16 don't have a feature of crossfade. But you can try updating to iOS 17 or using AudFree Apple Music Downloader to make Apple Music crossfade with other music players.

Q3: How Long Should a Crossfade Be?

A: You can set Apple Music crossfade between 2 and 5 seconds. This is the best crossfade duration that will work for most songs.

Q4: How to Turn Off Apple Music Crossfade?

A: Go to 'Settings' on your Apple Music app, then select the 'Crossfade' option from the 'Audio' section. Turn the 'Off' option on. This will turn off your Apple Music crossfade.

Q5: How to Change Crossfade on Apple Music?

A: Simply use the slider on the crossfade bar to adjust the crossfade duration to your designed points.

Part 6. Final Thoughts

Until now, you have known how to crossfade Apple Music manually on your device. Although there is no crossfade feature on iOS 15 and 16, you can still get Apple Music crossfade by using the AudFree Apple Music Downloader. It enables you to download Apple Music songs and play them in any other music player on your iOS device. Then you can crossfade on Apple Music songs easily. Not only this, if you want to burn CD from Apple Music or have other needs about Apple Music, you can also think about AudFree Apple Music Downloader.


James Blair

James Blair

Staff Editor

(Click to rate this post)
James Blair is an experienced writer and music lover. Reviews and tips on using popular music, like Apple Music, can be found in his articles.
audio

AudFree Auditior

30X convert Apple Music, iTunes podcasts, audiobooks and Audible books. to MP3, etc.