Apple Music unveils new black-and-white identity with a logo 'made by sound'

Apple Music has formally unveiled a new brand identity, a day after weeks of speculation fed by a monochrome app icon that surfaced in test software. According to 9to5Mac's report on the announcement, the service's official channels introduced the refresh on October 21, framing the new logo as something "made by sound."

Apple says the logo was captured entirely in camera rather than drawn digitally. The company describes the mark as physically shaped by an original composition created with the artist Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics. A behind-the-scenes video published alongside the announcement walks through how sound was used to bring the shape to life, though the details of the audio itself have not been spelled out.

The new look replaces the red that has long defined the Apple Music icon with a black-and-white treatment. The change was first spotted on October 13, when MacRumors reported that the iOS 27.2 beta had swapped in a redesigned app icon. Apple has now confirmed that the change is deliberate and part of a wider identity update rather than a test.

Timing-wise, 9to5Mac reports that the refreshed identity arrives with iOS 27.2 next week, while MacRumors says it will roll out with the next round of software updates. Apple has not published a detailed rollout schedule for other platforms in the material reviewed here, so how and when the new branding reaches Apple Music on Android, the web and other devices remains to be seen.

Reaction to the redesign has been mixed. Engadget and Creative Bloq have both written about negative responses to the monochrome logo, with some users unhappy about losing the familiar red. Those reactions are opinions from commentators and social media users, not anything Apple has addressed, and the company has not said it plans to revisit the design.

For Apple, the rebrand is notable less for the shape of the icon than for the way it was presented. Tying the logo to a musician and an acoustics studio fits the company's habit of leaning on music-making credibility to define the service, and it gives Apple Music a visual identity that is distinct from the red tile that has sat on home screens for years. iOS 27.2 is expected to reach customers next week, which is when most iPhone owners will see the new icon on their own devices.