A notable visual enhancement in iOS 26 for iPhone is the revamped lock screen layout while music plays. Users can now experience animated artwork that fills the screen, accompanied by playback controls presented on a translucent glass surface.
This feature is currently available for testing with Apple Music. Simply play a track featuring animated album art and then lock your device. Additionally, third-party music streaming platforms like Spotify will be able to utilize this feature as Apple is making it accessible via an API, allowing developers to integrate it into their apps.
This new API, named MPMediaItemAnimatedArtwork, is currently being tested within the developer SDK. It allows any app playing media to present an animated video clip for display on the lock screen, including a placeholder image while the video loads.
Users will need to wait for the public release of iOS 26 before apps in the App Store can utilize this new API to showcase full-screen animated artwork on the lock screen.
There has yet to be confirmation on whether Spotify, Apple Music’s main competitor, plans to take advantage of this feature. Despite frequent criticism of Apple for restricting access, Spotify has been slow to adopt new platform features, such as AirPlay 2 and HomePod integration.
While this feature primarily targets music, the new API isn’t restricted to just streaming apps; it has the potential to be used by other audio-based applications, including those for audiobooks and podcasts, to display video artwork if available.
iOS 26 is currently in its developer beta phase and is expected to be released as a free software update to all iPhone users this fall.
