Australian Apple subscribers are getting Friends Mix

From September, Australian subscribers to Apple Music are among those who will get a new feature which allows them to bond with their friends on the platform.

Rather than choose tracks based on their tastes, Friends Mix collates 25 tracks their friends are playing and suggests songs based on those.

The playlist will be updated every Monday and can be accessed either via For You or by asking Siri

It joins Apple Music’s personalized collection as the Favorites mix on Tuesdays, the New Music mix on Fridays and the Chill mix on Sundays.

The feature is currently in beta testing.

However, it will not be available for subscribers in China, Russia and Turkey.

In a recent interview with Fast Company, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasised that his company’s vision was the human element in curating and hit out that rivals were increasingly relying on algorithmic playlists

“We worry about the humanity being drained out of music, about it becoming a bits-and-bytes kind of world instead of the art and craft,” Cook said.

Music, he said, was “better than any medicine”, and Apple Music had a more philosophical intent in its streaming involvement, adding “We’re not in it for the money.”