Music app for ios5 is unusable (it's so bad)

Just want to add another name to the long list of dissapointed people with this application. For a device that has its roots as a Music player, then Multi media device this is a total abomination. How could Apple get it so wrong!

Missing features:

Cannot speed up podcasts. 2x button 1/2 button missing.

There is no played/watched indicator on the Podcasts.

There is a problem when playing podcasts that it repeats the same one, tried a few things to make this move to the next unplayed but it just doesn't.

The progress bar is just wierd.

The suffle play has gone back to my iPOD nano days, it plays the same order each time from the same seed and is really annoying.

In an excellent update (IOS 5), best ever to have such a shocking software tool you would have to wonder if Apple are hoping to release a decent App that you have to pay for to manage the music down the line..

Just a thought but I think that eveyone listed here should use that feed back form and make sure to give them this url so they can be aware of their own Apple Support Communities.. I still think it's just plain dumb that they don't have people in here. I'd say, shame for that.

Actually folks from Appe do frequent these forums. They rarely ever post but when they do it will be at the head of the thread. You have to click on the post to see the details and the post itself has a yellow background. The message they leave is usually short and to the point; they're aware of the problem and are working on a resolution. The posts almost always occur when there is something wrong that's fairly strategic (often update/upgrade issues), so you'll never see them comment on cosmetic concerns, features or how something like the Music App works.

Apple tech and design folks do visit though and historically they have addressed most of the reasonable concerns discussed in future updates. I really hope that'll be the case here. This isn't the only forum or website with a lot of complaints about the Music App plus there are plenty of tech artilces, blogs and magazines discussing it so I know they're keenly aware of the concerns.

As recommended, using the feedback form is vaulable as well.

used my iTunes feedback ability from computer, and Apple haven't even updated the list of operating systems to include iOS 5 or the Music "Cr" app for iPad.

I am having issues with song order, random songs playing when others are selected, features that are just plain gone, etc. I have tried all suggested fixes. I have live updating unchecked on iTunes, and the song order does get corrected for a day, then the song order will get scrambled, and then the next day the song order will be back in the correct order all with me doing absolutely nothing.

I have also noticed I am having to charge my iPad 1 a lot more due to quick battery drainage with no location services on, and I haven't even attempted to turn on iCloud for fear of what problems that will initiate.

Was the Music "Cr" app this bad on the beta release, or did Apple tweak and have a brain fart upon final release. Hard to believe this POS software got through beta testing with any positive feedback. Miss my highly functioning, and aestetically pleasing iOS 4 with a functional iPod app that worked.

This is the worst iOS software Apple has made so far. It's very unintuitive and just plain aweful

I'm glad to see that this issue has stirred so much noise, so I hope Apple take our complaint seriously and thoughtfully. The whole app works as badly as it looks, I can't fathom how on earth somebody like Apple got it so wrong, it's painful to use IMHO.

Fox!

The music app that came with iOS 5 to my iPad is really, really, really awful. Is it actually an official Apple app or did a virus replace my music app with third party shareware crap? Because this is what it feels like to use the app!

Anyone knows alternatives to the music app? Would pay even 20$ for a nice player app. Yesterday I downloaded "CoverShuffle" to be able to play music without waiting for hours and being stuck in endless, horribly scrolling lists.

danielberlin wrote:

Anyone knows alternatives to the music app?

Groove or Groove for iPad are pretty decent Music App alternatives. Groove does not handle podcasts however.

richsadams wrote:

Groove or Groove for iPad are pretty decent Music App alternatives. Groove does not handle podcasts however.

Hi!

Thanks for this great suggestion. You made my day! Groove is sooo cool. I've got about 40 GB of music on my iPad which is obviously not manageable for the "original" music app.

After 3 minutes of analysing my library Groove suggested such cool playlists and artists "in the spotlight" which I almost had forgotten in my library.

I think I'll never use the Apple music app on my iPad - at least not this version.

For podcasts, I highly recommend Shifty Jelly's Pocket Casts.

I wanted to contribute to this thread as a means of showing support to the fact that the ipad music app is a total step backwards in development by apple. I have done feedback via apple support within a few days of the iOS5 release.

I assume apple have stripped out all previous music app functionality so as to get ready for iTunes Music Match. For instance I will guess that Music Match may not support embedded lyrics or that such lyrics may lead to a mis-match in comparison with music already in the iTunes store.

I am truly hoping this is the case and once Music Match is released (I assume that will be within a couple of weeks) that we may then progressively see functionality return.

Perhaps I am being kind to apple developers here in suggesting a possible reason for the stripped-back functionality of the Music App but I still have to say that I still do not like the layout or appearance of the new app compared to the 4.3 version. You would think they'd leave things alone that "just work" ... rather than change them so that they "work, just"

I would suggest that the apple developers get their finger out on this app and placate the ipad users with restoring some of the original functionality. I am yet to see a single favourable comment about the music app in these forums or elsewhere for that matter, so they must realise all is not well.

I have a iPhone 4S on ios5 and am predominantly an audiobook listener on my device. I just wanted to add my voice regarding the ios5 upgrade and total break down of support for audiobooks. I just can't believe Apple would release a product of such poor quality.

For me, the only viable solution I have found is the Bookmark App to listen to books and keep my place in the story when I exit out. The only problem in using Bookmark is that for the .wma digital books I get from the public libraries (via Overdrive Media Console), the individual tracks are treated as separate books. But since most of the digital tracks are over an hour long, I'm okay with this for now.

The Bookmark app is great with the books I rip from CDs and .mp3 digital downloads from the library.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm going to give it a try!

Do you know how Groove for the iPad handles Smart Playlists (or any Playlist from iTunes for that matter)?

Like most here, I absolutely despise what Apple has done with their native music player on both the phone & tablet. I've been waiting to upgrade on both devices but might put off the iPad 2 purchase and am considering a shift away from the iPhone. I've spent countless hours digitizing, rating and organizing my music (currently a 30GB library) and have loved what the Smart Playlists have allowed me to do but it seems a lot of that has started to go away.

mrmackey wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm going to give it a try!

Do you know how Groove for the iPad handles Smart Playlists (or any Playlist from iTunes for that matter)?

Like most here, I absolutely despise what Apple has done with their native music player on both the phone & tablet. I've been waiting to upgrade on both devices but might put off the iPad 2 purchase and am considering a shift away from the iPhone. I've spent countless hours digitizing, rating and organizing my music (currently a 30GB library) and have loved what the Smart Playlists have allowed me to do but it seems a lot of that has started to go away.

Groove handles iTunes Smart Playlists fine.