Are you prepared to join in a festive sing-along? Apple has now announced the release of a new function for Apple Music that can instantly convert millions of music into karaoke recordings. Apple Sing is the new feature that allows users to lower the voices of famous songs with the touch of a slider button and then sing along with the music using improved real-time lyrics.

However, this function will not cause listeners to switch to songs that have already had the voices removed. Rather, Apple claims, it uses a machine learning system built into the gadget to analyse the music in real time. The algorithm separates the voice from the instrumental accompaniment, so that users of the Apple Music app may control the vocal level independently from the rest of the song.

Apple says this technology expands on its existing noise-cancellation capabilities and other advancements it has made for FaceTime. The function is compatible with iPhone 11 and subsequent models, as well as iPad and Apple TV.

To alter the level of the singing, users will first need to open the lyrics view and press on the microphone button. It’s important to note that the function doesn’t completely silence the song at its default setting, but it’s still fun for a karaoke night at home or a family game night.

Apple Sing expands upon the company’s prior investment in real-time lyrics, which enables users to see matching lyrics in rhythm with their music playback. These lyrics have now been improved so they work better with Apple Sing.

The updated lyrics function will now animate with each word, allowing for beat-by-beat synchronisation, rather than merely line-by-line animation. Like karaoke, it may let individuals sing along even if they aren’t acquainted with the music.

Two further improvements are being made to the lyrics to accommodate overlapping voices and duets.

Apple Music’s new background vocals feature will be the first of its kind to isolate the backing voice from the main line and animate it independently as it is being sung. This would make it possible for a choir to divide into several sections for each song. These accompanying vocals are shown in a reduced font size to set them apart from the main voice.

To make it clearer when you should start singing or when your duet partner should, the lyrics for duets will automatically swap the justification of the lines on the screen whenever there is a singer shift.

Lyrics have also been improved in more subtle ways, such as by adding a highlight and undulating when the artist is holding on a word or portion of a word for a longer duration to indicate to people singing along to hold that note, too.

Apple Sing is not yet accessible for all of Apple Music’s 100 million songs due to an internal procedure that each song must through before it can be made available for the feature. In its place, Apple claims it will be accessible at launch across the top 80% of its most played songs. Apple will release 50 playlists showcasing this new functionality in various ways, such as topical playlists and playlists organised by decade and genre, making these music simpler to access. These will be included in Apple Music on all new devices from the company, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Although Android users will miss out on Apple Sing’s voice control function, they will receive access to the other real-time lyrics updates, the firm said.

Unfortunately, the new function isn’t accessible just now, but it is coming “soon” to Apple beta testers. (Beta testing is no longer limited to programmers; Apple now welcomes feedback from the general public as well.) By the end of the month, it will be available to everyone. Apple didn’t reveal when exactly the feature will be released, but we assume it will be out before the end of the Christmas party season.

This function is compatible with iOS 11 and later, iPhone SE 3rd generation, iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd generation, iPad Air 4th generation, iPad mini 6th generation, iPad 9th generation, and Apple TV 4K. (3rd generation).

When it comes to getting partnerships done to integrate lyrics in their product across foreign markets, Spotify has lagged behind Apple for years. However, it all changed in November of 2021 when Spotify introduced in-stream lyrics. Apple has now leapt ahead once again with a new feature that has been a “labour of love” for its development staff for a number of years. Also, if Apple Sing becomes popular, it may nudge people to switch over or become subscribers for the first time. While Spotify has been said to be developing its own karaoke mode, this functionality has yet to go out to the general public.