Key Takeaways
- Cider brings Apple Music to Windows, offering a familiar interface for $3.49 on itch.io or $3.99 on the Microsoft Store.
- Cider mirrors the Apple Music app on iOS, with customizable layouts, radio stations, and lyric view.
- Windows users now have the opportunity to fully utilize their Apple Music subscription with Cider, even on a PC.
I love both my Apple Music subscription and Windows PC, but I hate that these platforms aren’t friends with one another. Now, at long last, Cider allows people like me who support both Microsoft and Apple to have the best of both worlds.
What Is Cider?
Cider is a platform that brings Apple Music to the Windows operating system. It costs $3.49 on itch.io or $3.99 on the Microsoft Store. The browser version of Apple Music is an option, but I find it’s worth the price tag to have a program dedicated to Apple Music, just like how Windows allows Spotify users to download the platform directly to their desktops.
Additionally, I don’t listen to Apple Music on my phone while working or gaming on my PC because I tend to get distracted by notifications or endless scrolling across social media apps. Cider offers a great platform to use your Apple Music subscription on Windows, mimicking the interface you’ll find on an iPhone and Mac.
There’s even a way to listen to Apple Music with Cider on Linux, too.
Why Cider Is the Best Option for Apple Music on Windows
Cider offers virtually the same interface as the Apple Music app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can choose from four different layout options when you first launch the platform, so it’s customizable, too.
Cider shows different tabs for Radio stations based on your favorite artists, New music to discover based on your listening history, and the Home page with all your saved singles, albums, and EPs. Custom playlists will appear on the left side of the screen. You can view the lyrics to a song by clicking the bubble with apostrophes on the right side of the screen. There’s also an option to show upcoming songs on the right side of the screen, allowing you to queue specific songs and adjust the order of upcoming songs. There are the familiar options to shuffle, pause, skip, repeat, and like songs at the bottom of the screen with the music player. This placement depends on which layout you choose.
One of my favorite features on Apple Music that’s even better on Cider is seeing suggested music based on a specific song or album I’ve clicked on. Apple Music has this feature, but my phone screen is much smaller and displays fewer options. Because I’m running Cider on my PC, I see more suggested options after I click on one of my favorite albums and scroll to the bottom, which allows me to discover more similar music.
If you’re looking for even more ways to take advantage of your Apple Music subscription, this handy app brings Spotify’s AI DJ to Apple Music so you can discover new music.
Just because you have a PC doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of your Apple Music subscription. Cider offers a nearly identical layout to iOS apps, so Windows users can still listen to Apple Music.
