5 issues we want Apple Music to fix

Apple Music kicked off with a bang today, with its iOS 8.4 update delivering an all-encompassing music service that doesn't just stream music – it's also an internet radio service (like Pandora), an Instagram-style social network for artists and fans and a replacement for your old Music app.

For the most part, Apple Music pulls it off, but there are a few quirks and issues we'd definitely like to see addressed before decide on whether we're going to stick with it past the 3 month trial period.

Limited cellular data options

If you want to listen to Apple Music outside of your Wi-Fi network, you'll have to switch on the Use Cellular Data option in your iOS settings. That's fair enough, but for some reason, cellular data for Apple Music doesn't have its own tab.

Album art replaced with random junk

We're not sure why, but many of the albums in our existing library, which we've been ripping from CD since the early days of the MP3, have had their album art replaced by random junk that Apple Music has downloaded from the internet.

Lacks higher quality streaming

Surprisingly, Apple Music streams at a bitrate of 256 kbps, which is lower than most of its competitors. Spotify, Rdio, MOG and even Beats Music, which Apple Music's streaming foundation is built on, all stream at 320 kbps (Beats Music still streams at this quality on Android and Windows Phone devices, rubbing even more salt on our wounds).

Not the full iTunes library

It may have been naive of us to have expected that we'd be able to stream music from the entire iTunes library, but that's how the service has been pitched to us for a while now. This would have easily given Apple Music the edge over its biggest competitor, Spotify. Instead, it has roughly the same number songs as its rival (30 million, which is 13 million songs less than is actually available to purchase from iTunes).

Too much going on

A first world problem to be sure, but the Apple Music app has got way too much stuff going on in each of its sections, leaving the app feeling cluttered and somewhat confusing.

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible.

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.