Imagine having your very own DJ in your pocket, ready to mix your favorite songs at a moment’s notice. No, not your dad’s 3-5 second crossfade, but instead a completely customized mix that makes the two songs you’re transitioning between meld together like they were designed that way by the artists themselves. That’s the idea behind Apple Music’s upcoming AI-powered AutoMix feature, which is coming with this fall’s iOS 26 release.
As a former Spotify user and now years-long YouTube Music user, this is the first time I’ve even batted an eye at one of Apple’s few Android apps. I’m not really a big fan of the old-school cross-fade functionality, but this is different. Google is consistently adding Gemini-powered features across all of its verticals — including in the main YouTube app — but so far, we haven’t seen much of this AI prowess in YouTube Music. AutoMix is a seemingly small Apple Music feature with big implications, and I have some ideas on how Google can bring its super-powered Gemini experience into its music app.