Apple Music appears to be replacing its 13-year-old red "beamed eighth note" icon with a much simpler black-and-white version, and a large part of the internet is not happy about it. The new logo appeared in iOS 27.2 beta 4, alongside a white-on-black version for dark mode. It follows an apparent change to the full Apple Music logo, a bolder, all-lowercase design first seen with the launch of Apple Music Hall, the company's new venue in London.
Beyond dropping the color, the new icon is tilted slightly further left, the bottoms of the notes are more oval-shaped, and a very subtle drop shadow sits under the bar and notes. Apple also offers a "Clear" version, and like other icons it can be tinted to any color. The company also removed red from the home screen widgets and changed the pink-red tint inside the app to blue.
Reaction has been harsh. Commenters called the design "boring" and "generic," and one said it was "the worst logo change of all time." Others said the update had "sucked up the charm" of the app. A few users defended it, with one saying the red "made no sense" to them and another simply saying "I love it."
Apple has a history of drawing criticism for icon and interface changes, though users often adjust and later embrace them. The app is still in beta, so the design could change before release, but so far the update seems to have more critics than fans.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing