Advertisement
Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.

Apple Music's Kids and Family section gets new playlists and a fresh look

The space is one of the most popular on the platform.

Chesnot via Getty Images

The next time you check out the Kids and Family section on Apple Music, you may notice something different about it. Apple has updated the space with new curated playlists and refreshed existing ones with updated artwork.

With today's update, the company promises families will find music for any occasion. It also went out of its way to curate songs that both parents and children will enjoy. You can see that approach reflected in the Back to School playlist, which includes songs from musicians like Avicii, Anderson Paak and other contemporary artists. The company also promises to update the playlists daily as labels release new songs.

"Once upon a time, children's music was restricted to lullabies and play-songs that were passed down from generation to generation — or sometimes recited by a cheerful purple dinosaur," the company says. "These days, the choices are endless. Children's music has undergone a dramatic shift. Now it's just great music the entire family loves."

According to the company, the Kids and Family genre is one of the fastest-growing on Apple Music. In the past four weeks, Apple has seen a 105 percent increase in the amount of time people have spent listening to associated content. So it's easy to see why it has decided to furnish the section with attention. Moreover, Apple says it considers the update as a way it can help families cope with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. We saw Apple try to do something similar earlier in the year when the company introduced its AI-generated Get Up! Mix. And then again when debuted its Come Together space, which collects all of the company's upbeat playlists in one place.