Apple Music subscribers will soon be able to listen to full-length music tracks on TikTok without having to leave the TikTok app. The platforms have teamed up to launch two new features — Play Full Song and Listening Party — that allow users to connect their accounts and open an Apple Music player directly within TikTok. The features are rolling out worldwide over the coming weeks, according to Apple.
Together, Play Full Song and Listening Party aim to help Apple Music subscribers to discover new music on TikTok without jumping between platforms, and ensure that artists are fairly compensated. Because full-length song playback is built on Apple’s MusicKit, streams are paid within the Apple Music service.
When TikTok users find a new song they like on their For You or Sound Detail pages, they can soon hit the Play Full Song button. An Apple Music player will then open, where subscribers can listen to the entire track and a personalized stream of other recommended songs. Users can also add music from TikTok directly to their Apple Music playlists, similar to integrations that TikTok has previously launched with Spotify and SoundCloud.
“Tapping into the music you love should feel effortless,” said Apple Music’s Ole Obermann. “With Play Full Song, Apple Music subscribers can move easily from discovering a track on TikTok to listening to it in full instantly, without breaking the flow.”
Listening Party is a version of the Play Full Song feature that allows multiple TikTok users to listen simultaneously. Apple says the feature is designed to “bring artists and fans together around music” by creating a shared Apple Music environment within TikTok where fans can listen to songs from their favorite performers and interact with each other in real time, and even engage with the artist directly.
TikTok has partnered with other music streaming platform providers in the past, but this team-up with Apple Music seems to be one of the more expansive. Given TikTok shut down its own short-lived music streaming platform in 2024, it’s now seemingly leaning on befriending its competitors instead.