My Favorite iOS 26 Apple Music Feature Has a Hidden Bonus
▼ Summary
– Pinned music is a new iOS 26 feature allowing users to pin up to six items to the top of their Library for quick access.
– Users can long-press on a pinned item to set a custom ‘Tap Action’ with three options: Go to Playlist/Album/Artist, Play, or Shuffle.
– This customization lets each pin perform a different action when tapped, such as playing immediately or shuffling the content.
– By default, all pins are set to the ‘Go to’ action, but users can change this to better suit their preferences.
– The hidden Tap Action feature enhances pinned music by speeding up music playback and adding personalized control.
Among the many new features arriving with iOS 26, one stands out for its sheer usefulness and clever design: pinned music. This long-awaited addition to the Apple Music app lets you keep your favorite playlists, albums, or artists just a tap away, but it also hides a powerful customization option that elevates the experience even further.
For years, Apple Music users have navigated a vast library of over 100 million songs, often adding new music only to lose track of it later. The desire for quicker access to essential playlists and albums has been a common request. iOS 26 finally addresses this by allowing you to pin up to six items directly to the top of your Library screen. This creates a personalized shortcut row for your most-listened-to content.
While the limit of six pins might feel restrictive to some, the feature is well-implemented and intuitive. The real magic, however, lies in a hidden setting that many users might overlook. By performing a long-press on any pinned item, you can assign a custom ‘Tap Action’ to it. This menu presents three distinct choices: “Go to Playlist / Album / Artist,” “Play,” or “Shuffle.”
This means you can tailor the behavior of each pin individually. If you want a specific playlist to start playing immediately upon tapping, you simply set its Tap Action to “Play.” Alternatively, if you prefer a shuffled experience for a particular album, you can select the “Shuffle” option. By default, every pin is set to the “Go to” action, which simply opens the playlist, album, or artist page. For many use cases, having it launch playback directly is a much faster and more satisfying interaction.
The ability to customize the Tap Action for each pin separately is a thoughtful touch. It means your pinned row can be a mix of instant-play buttons, shuffle triggers, and standard navigation links, all based on your personal listening habits. Pinned music already streamlined the process of finding and starting your music, but this additional layer of personalization makes the feature significantly more powerful and efficient. Have you tried customizing your music pins yet?
(Source: 9to5Mac)
