Apple has unveiled a new version of Apple Music Replay — its answer to Spotify's viral Wrapped feature. The company is beefing up the review tool with more insights, new ways to visualize listening habits , and a more comprehensive system that lets users see not just what they've listened to, but also how their musical identity has evolved over the year.
A revamped Apple Music Replay with a focus on discovery and the return of favorites
The new version of Replay is no longer limited to a simple list of the most popular songs and artists. This year, Apple is introducing new thematic sections that highlight the full range of listening habits:
- Discovery: presents new artists that the user discovered for the first time during the year; a feature that highlights exploration and the breadth of listening.
- Loyalty: identifies the names to which users consistently return year after year.
- Comebacks: shows those artists who returned to the user's musical routine this year after a period of "absence".
With these sections, Apple attempts to tell a more complete story about each listener — not just what they heard, but also their relationship with their favorite artists.
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More data, more facts: A complete picture of the music year
Replay 2025 provides users with detailed metrics such as:
- the total listening minutes,
- the total number of artists listened to,
- the longest "series" of listening to a specific artist,
- the classification of favorite species,
- and additional information about the variety and frequency of listening.
All sections are concentrated in a modern, easy-to-use dashboard within the Apple Music Home tab, offering a much more direct experience than in previous years.
Monthly reviews and new playlists for “historical depth”
Apple is also adding monthly snapshots, allowing users to see their music activity at a more granular level. Additionally, subscribers can look back at previous years' worth of annual reviews and the Replay All Time, which compiles their most-played songs since they joined the service.
This is a strategy that enhances the sense of continuity and forms a long-term music database for the user — something that, until now, has been an asset of Spotify.
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New metrics and tools for artists
Replay 2025 wasn’t just designed for listeners. Apple is giving creators access to a refreshed metrics framework, including:
- increase in audience during the year,
- annual performance analyses,
- data for countries and cities,
- total number of listeners,
- total listening minutes.
With this data, artists can gain a better understanding of where and how their fan base is evolving.
The top songs of 2025 on Apple Music
Along with the presentation of Replay, Apple also revealed the top songs of the year:
- “APT” — ROSÉ & Bruno Mars (No.1 worldwide)
- “luther” — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- “Die With A Smile” — Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
- “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
- “Birds of a Feather” — Billie Eilish
The list reflects another year where pop, R&B and hip-hop dominated global listening.
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Intense Competition: Why All Platforms Are Rushing to Release Reviews
Apple Music Replay arrives just a week after 2025 Recaps YouTube's and on the same day that Amazon Music launched 2025 Delivered. This timing is no coincidence.
Most streaming services are trying to catch up with Spotify, which traditionally monopolizes the social buzz surrounding the annual outages. By releasing their own versions, Apple and the other players are trying to gain visibility in one of the most competitive areas of the music ecosystem: social media sharing.
A more mature and complete Replay experience
With Apple Music Replay 2025, Apple is attempting to create a review that truly resonates with its massive user base. More insights, dynamic sections, better organization, and a clear focus on personalization create a product that can now stand alongside Spotify Wrapped — and in some ways surpass it.
The battle of music recaps continues, and Replay 2025 shows that Apple is ready to play hard.
