The Up Next list on iOS 18’s Music app has been tweaked to function more like the queuing system on Spotify and Apple Music for Android.
Apple has completely fixed the Up Next queue in the Music app, people noted on Reddit. You can now queue up a song right after the current one, add songs to Up Next while listening to a playlist or from the queue, and clear the whole list in one fell swoop. Plus, the queue isn’t removed if you play another song, like before.
iOS 18’s Music app fixes the broken Up Next queue
These changes, present in the Music app on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, will be available to all users after the iPhone maker releases the iOS 18, iPadPOS 18 and macOS Sequoia updates to the public this fall.
Queuing up songs while listening to a playlist
The Play Last menu option has been renamed Play After and works like the old Play Later option by putting a song, album, or playlist at the end of the other songs you’ve queued up. The Play Next option remains present for those times when you’d like to add a song to Up Next for immediate playback right after the current tune ends.
I prefer the new system and think many people will like it over the old one. I have a massive House Party playlist that I fire up when I invite friends over for a party, and this lets me quickly queue up songs from that playlist without using Play Next for everything, like before.
The new Add Songs to Queue button
You can now add songs to your Up Next list without leaving the queue. Touch the floating mini-player at the bottom to bring up the Now Playing screen, then hit the icon in the bottom-right corner that looks like a bulleted list.
Hit the new Add Songs to Queue button at the bottom of the queue to pick more songs to add the your Up Next without leaving the queue. This wasn’t possible before, and it’s yet another way the new Up Next queue is more user-friendly.
Switch to a different song without leaving the queue
Selecting a song from the queue no longer clears the list. This was very annoying and why many people felt Spotify’s queuing system worked better. The new system removes this pain point, so my queue persists even when changing the currently playing song and through app restarts, precisely how I want it to work!
Clearing the Up Next queue
The Up Next interface in iOS 18 includes a new Clear button near the top-right corner. So, if you need to clear your queue, there’s now a dedicated button for that.
The Music app has been sprinkled with Apple Intelligence like many other stock apps on iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, such as Messages.
A better Up Next system
You can still reorder your Up Next list with drag handles or swap left over an item to remove it. With the changes above, Up Next now behaves more like the queuing system on Spotify and the Up Next list in the Music app for Android.
This is actually how Up Next worked in iOS 9, and I’m glad Apple came back around because I found the old system illogical, convoluted and frustrating to use.