What you need to know
- Apple Music on Windows is a pretty terrible experience.
- An emerging new app called Cider is hoping to change that.
- It's an open source app for Mac and Windows that uses Apple's official API.
An emerging Apple Music app for Windows and Mac might well be the answer to Apple's absolutely terrible iTunes experience on Windows.
Cider is a new open source Apple Music app built on Apple's official API. Cider from Cider Collective started life as Apple Music Electron, from the developer:
Starting off as Apple Music Electron we strived to build a open source client for Apple Music that wasn't caught up in Apple's horrible locked in ecosystem and allows for some breath-ability in your experience. This project was later replaced with what we have today called Cider.Cider is AME's successor by blood and uses a localized Vue.js page that allows for easy media playback and multi-platform support using Electron.
While the app is still in Alpha, the very earliest stages of development, the early signs are that this is a fantastic, sleek, and snappy experience that on Windows at least will give users reprieve from frankly awful experience of trying to listen to Apple Music using iTunes, while offering more features and integration than the Apple Music webpage.
The app is also available on macOS. Windows users can download the app from the Microsoft Store for less than a dollar, but it also comes with a free 24-hour trial. I've used it for 10 minutes and already plan to buy it. The Microsoft store is filled with some early rave reviews. While it doesn't support Apple's lossless audio (because of the API limitations), one user marveled that the quality was better than both iTunes and the Apple Music web player.
Cider even offers a web remote feature, so you can control your music from another device to save you having to Alt+Tab during a game, or if you're away from your device. It also supports Spatial Audio, and has integration for Discord and Last.fm. Users will need an Apple Music subscription to use the app.
