Apple Music on the iPhone, Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Upcoming Workshop Roadmap (Announced by Ali)

Ali opened the session with an announcement outlining planned future workshop topics based on frequently asked questions and community interest.

• Details
  • Ali: Wants to cover third-party podcast players, including revisiting Eye Catcher and Overcast in more depth.
  • Ali: Plans to address Focus settings — specifically how to control which calls come through during a Focus mode.
  • Ali: Wants to demonstrate how to set up an iPhone with VoiceOver independently.
  • Ali: Plans to cover terminal mode features on the Brilliant BI-40X.
  • Ali: Also wants to do a segment on Simple Radio for listening to local radio stations.
  • Siena: Expressed interest in demonstrating how to set up an iPhone from scratch using VoiceOver, noting that many retail staff (e.g., at Apple Stores or Best Buy) are unfamiliar with accessibility features.
  • Ali: Agreed this is important, sharing that he has a similar personal story to share at a later session.
• Conclusion
  • The following topics were scheduled or penciled in:
    • Mantis tutorial: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 1:00 PM (assigned to Siena).
    • Brilliant BI-40X terminal mode tutorial: August 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM (assigned to Ali).
    • iPhone VoiceOver setup from scratch: August (date TBD, tied to Siena receiving her new iPhone).
    • Podcast players and Simple Radio: To be added to the docket.

Apple Music Tutorial — Home Tab and New Tab

Siena shared her iPhone screen and walked participants through the Apple Music app, starting with the Home and New tabs.

• Details
  • Siena: Demonstrated the five tabs at the bottom of the app: Home, New, Radio, Library, and Search.
  • Siena: Showed the account menu (labeled with the user’s name) accessible from every tab, containing account info, music profile, subscription, purchase history, notifications, privacy settings, and gift card redemption.
  • Siena: Explained the Home tab displays algorithm-based recommendations including Top Picks, Made for You, and Trending content.
  • Siena: Showed the New tab, which lists updated playlists, new albums, and new songs recently added to Apple Music.
• Conclusion
  • Participants were given a clear overview of the Home and New tabs and their content.
  • No questions were raised at this stage.

Apple Music Tutorial — Library Tab

Siena demonstrated the Library section, covering playlists, artists, albums, songs, and downloaded content.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed how to create a new playlist and access the More menu for editing sections.
  • Siena: Navigated through existing playlists, including collaborative playlists previously shared with Ali.
  • Siena: Noted that if an Apple Music subscription lapses for more than three months, access to playlists and saved content is lost.
  • Siena: Opened “Ali’s Favourites” playlist to demonstrate playback, showing a wide variety of songs including Bollywood, pop, and classic hits.
  • Macara: Raised the point that playlists can be transferred to another service (e.g., YouTube Music, Spotify) before cancelling a subscription.
  • Ali: Confirmed he transferred all playlists when moving to YouTube Premium.
  • Siena: Also confirmed she transferred playlists when moving from Apple Music to YouTube Premium.
• Conclusion
  • Users are advised to transfer playlists before cancelling a music subscription to avoid losing curated content.
  • Playlist transfer is supported across services including YouTube Music and Spotify.

Apple Music Tutorial — Search Tab

Siena demonstrated how to use the Search tab to find songs, artists, and albums.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed that in iOS 26, the search field is located at the bottom right corner of the screen.
  • Siena: Demonstrated searching for “One More Night” by Phil Collins using Braille Screen Input.
  • Siena: Showed how to play a song, add it to the library, download it for offline listening, favorite it, share it, and add it to a playlist.
  • Siena: Noted that Apple Music does not allow playback through Zoom (even via loopback), so audio could not be demonstrated live.
  • Lily: Noted that Siri can be used to play songs, playlists, and radio stations within Apple Music without navigating the app manually.
  • Ali: Acknowledged Siri is enabled on his device but he personally does not use it, viewing it as a learning opportunity to understand others’ workflows.
• Conclusion
  • The Search tab allows users to find and manage music efficiently.
  • Siri integration is a valid and useful alternative workflow for Apple Music navigation.
  • Simple Radio was added to the future topic docket following Lily’s mention of radio station searching.

Music Streaming Service Preferences (Open Discussion)

Lily raised a discussion question asking participants to share their preferred music streaming service and reasons.

• Details
  • Ali: Prefers YouTube Music/YouTube Premium because it allows background playback with the screen locked, and he feels it offers better overall value than paying separately for Apple Music.
  • Lily: Also uses YouTube Premium with a family plan (5 members), appreciating the bundled podcasts, music, and ad-free video.
  • Jackie: Currently uses Spotify, citing affordability, the ability to cast to other devices (e.g., a dining room speaker), and 15 hours of free audiobooks per month.
  • Ali: Cautioned that 15 hours of audiobooks runs out quickly and is not worth subscribing to Spotify solely for that feature; prefers Audible for no hourly listening limits and exclusive content (e.g., Great Courses).
  • Makara: Primarily uses Apple Music but acknowledged getting value from YouTube Premium when previously subscribed; expressed openness to rejoining.
  • Macara: Agreed that Spotify’s audiobook feature can work if supplemented with other sources.
  • Ali: Expressed preference for separate apps for music, podcasts, and books rather than an all-in-one platform like Spotify.
  • Siena: Uses YouTube Music primarily for background playback of live shows (e.g., the Ali and Makara podcast), ad-free listening, and offline video downloads.
  • Ashlyn: Participated in the discussion, agreeing with points raised.
• Conclusion
  • YouTube Premium was the most commonly preferred service among participants for its value and background playback.
  • Spotify was noted as a solid option for those who value casting and free audiobook access.
  • Apple Music remains a strong choice for those deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem.
  • Audible was recommended over Spotify for dedicated audiobook listeners.

Apple Music Tutorial — Radio Tab

Siena demonstrated the Radio tab, covering Apple Music’s curated radio stations, local broadcasters, and international broadcasters.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed Apple Music’s own radio stations: Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, Apple Music Country, Apple Musica Uno, Apple Music Club, and Apple Music Chill.
  • Siena: Demonstrated the “On Air Now” section, latest radio episodes, artist takeovers, interviews, in-studio performances, and radio hosts.
  • Siena: Showed local broadcasters including Canadian stations such as KISS 92.5, 98.5 Montreal, 102.1 The Edge, CBC Radio 1, TSN 1050, and many others.
  • Siena: Demonstrated international broadcasters including Hot 97, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, 102.7 KIIS FM, and stations from Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Belgium, Africa, and more.
  • Siena: Noted that clicking the “Local Broadcasters” or “International Broadcasters” button reveals a much larger list than what is visible by scrolling.
  • Ali: Reminded participants that many streams are geo-restricted due to licensing and may be blocked outside their country of origin.
  • Lily: Added that users can search for a specific station (e.g., CKNW Vancouver) via the Search tab filtered by radio, if it does not appear in the default list.
• Conclusion
  • The Radio tab offers a wide range of Apple Music curated stations, local Canadian broadcasters, and international stations.
  • Many streams are geo-restricted by licensing.
  • Users can search for specific stations not listed in the default view.

Siri and iOS 26/27 Discussion

A discussion arose around Siri’s usefulness and the upcoming overhaul in iOS 27.

• Details
  • Lily: Uses Siri constantly for Apple Music and finds it very useful when commands are specific enough.
  • Ali: Has Siri enabled but rarely uses it; sees others’ usage as a learning opportunity.
  • Siena: Noted that Siri’s major overhaul in iOS 27 may only be available on iPhone 17 or later.
  • Jackie: Asked whether voice-based hands-free interaction with Siri would still be available after the overhaul.
  • Siena: Believes voice interaction will remain; the overhaul appears to add typing capability similar to Gemini on Android.
  • Ali: Noted that Siri performs better with current/trending topics (e.g., FIFA World Cup scores) because it is trained to prioritize them.
• Conclusion
  • Siri remains a useful tool for Apple Music navigation, particularly for users who prefer voice commands.
  • The iOS 27 Siri overhaul is expected to add Gemini-like functionality but will likely be limited to iPhone 17 and later.

Transition Announcement: Zoom to Google Meet

A formal announcement was made (recorded separately) regarding the permanent platform transition for Textravaganza.

• Details
  • Lily: Announced that Techstravaganza is transitioning from Zoom to Google Meet permanently, citing administrative difficulties with hosting, accessing recordings for podcast uploads, and screen sharing issues experienced by the team.
  • Lily: Noted that extensive testing with Google Meet has been completed and the team is confident it will provide a smoother experience for both the team and participants.
  • Siena: Announced that group and individual office hours will be organized to help participants get set up on Google Meet, including installing the app and joining a meeting.
  • Siena: Provided the support email: support@techstravaganza.ca, and noted that the WhatsApp group can also be used to book individual office hours.
  • Siena: Confirmed that during the transition period, the Textravaganza Studio will remain open on Zoom as a fallback for anyone having difficulty joining Google Meet.
  • Ali: Emphasized this is a long-term/permanent transition with no further platform changes planned.
  • Lily: Highlighted that Google’s support team is more responsive and helpful with accessibility issues compared to Zoom.
  • Siena: Added that Google has a strong track record of addressing reported accessibility issues in subsequent updates.
• Conclusion
  • Textravaganza will permanently move to Google Meet starting the following week.
  • Office hours (group and individual) will be available to assist participants with the transition.
  • Zoom will remain available as a fallback during the transition period.
  • Contact: support@textravaganza.ca or the WhatsApp group to book individual office hours.

Next Session Preview

Siena announced the topic for the following week’s session.

• Details
  • Siena: Confirmed the next session on June 24, 2026 will cover Gmail on the web for both Windows and Mac.
  • Ali: Expressed enthusiasm and noted the tutorial is coming at the right time given the group’s discussions about mail apps.
  • Siena: Confirmed she will lead the tutorial, having used Gmail on the web across both platforms for some time.
• Conclusion
  • Next session: Gmail on the web (Windows and Mac), June 24, 2026.

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