In a move to give competitors like Spotify a run for their money, Apple Music is testing a new feature that allows users to import songs and playlists from other streaming services into their library, reports tech news outlet MacRumors. The reference to this imminent functionality was initially spotted in the latest beta version of Apple Music for Android by a Reddit user.
As MacRumors suggests, Apple has likely developed this feature in cooperation with SongShift, a tool allowing users to migrate their music libraries and playlists across various music streaming services.
The image posted by the Reddit user reveals that the Apple Music app for Android advises users to “add saved music and playlists you’ve created in other music services to your Apple Music library.” The option also appears in the Android app’s settings.
Not all users who have launched the beta app have seen this feature, leading to the hypothesis that Apple is currently engaged in early-stage A/B testing or split testing of this feature. In A/B testing, different user groups are presented with varying versions of an application, and through statistical analysis, the better performing version is gleaned.
While similar transfer options have been around for a few years, many offer limited functionality without a one-time payment or subscription. Still, it remains uncertain whether the SongShift and Apple Music integration will follow through to a fully fledged addition to the platform’s toolkit.
