Apple Music has a new look, and it was literally made by sound

Apple has announced a major visual refresh for Apple Music. The streaming platform is dropping the bright magenta red look that has been around for over a decade in favour of a simple black and white design.

The new look is already live on Apple’s official website, with the change set to arrive on iPhones and Macs through the upcoming iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 software updates.

Real physics over digital renders

Rather than just drawing a new logo on a computer or generating it with AI, Apple used practical effects.

Working with British music producer Fred again, sound design team NEST Acoustics and ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the company literally built the logo using sound waves.

The team etched the Apple Music logo onto the glass bottom of a tank, filled it with mineral oil and placed underwater speakers into the liquid. They then played specific audio notes made by Fred again through the oil.

The physical ripples and light reflections on the surface were recorded straight on camera with zero CGI to create the new fluid music note logo.

Tweaked typography and glass styling

This rippling look ties into Apple’s latest Liquid Glass design seen on recent software updates. Along with the new icon, Apple Music gets sound-reactive wave animations across splash screens and video clips.

The app itself is also getting a slight visual cleanup. The wordmark now uses bold lowercase letters next to the Apple logo.

In the iOS 27.2 test build, the active menu tabs switch from red to blue, library icons lose their bright colours and home screen widgets get a darker background.

A fresh audio signature

Alongside the visual changes, Apple introduced a fresh audio chime. This short sound will play at the start of original Apple Music video shows, radio programmes, live concerts and promotional ads.

For users in Malaysia, the new look will arrive once the public iOS 27.2 update drops next week. Those currently testing the iOS 27.2 Release Candidate through Apple’s Beta Software Programme can already see the black and white icon on their home screens today.