iOS 17.3's Collaborative Apple Music Playlist Feature Includes Animated Emoji Reactions
With the iOS 17.3 update, Apple reintroduced the collaborative Apple Music playlist feature, allowing Apple Music users to build playlists with friends, family, and others who share their musical tastes.

For context, Apple initially tested collaborative playlists in iOS 17.2, but ended up pulling the feature from the fourth beta prior to when iOS 17.2 was released. Apple said on Monday that it would instead be launching in 2024, and on Tuesday, collaborative playlists showed up in the iOS 17.3 beta.
The new implementation allows all of the collaborators on a specific playlist to provide emoji reactions, similar to how tapback reactions work in Messages. To add an emoji reaction, play a collaborative playlist and then while a song is in progress, you can tap on the music player to see the emoji interface.
There are standard emoji reactions to choose from like heart and thumbs up, but tapping on the "+" button allows you to choose from any of the available emoji options.
When you play a song that others have added emoji reactions to, you can see those emoji pop up from the emoji interface. Those who want to see collaborative Apple Music playlists and emoji reactions in action
can join the MacRumors Apple Music playlist to add songs and listen to content from other MacRumors readers.
Collaborative playlists in Apple Music are expected to be available to the public in January following the launch of iOS 17.3.
Popular Stories
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...