Apple iOS 16.3 is coming next week with new features and at least a critical iPhone fix. Now, his code has leaked the existence of a new app: Apple Music Classical.

Spotted by iSoftware Updates, the code for the iOS 16.3 release candidate (released Wednesday) contains references to “Open in Apple Music Classical” and “Explore this artist in the app designed for classical music.” It’s logic. In August 2021, Apple promised “a dedicated classical music app next year” following its acquisition of classical music streaming service Primephonic. But radio silence followed – until now.

Dividing the Apple Music app, which currently houses all genres of music, may actually annoy some fans. Especially those who like to create a mix of genres in their playlists or who just feel like Apple is over-complicating things. After all, Spotify, Tidal, and other big streaming services just offer classical music as a genre in their main app.

On the other hand, in its press release on the acquisition of Primephonic, Apple promised “a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better navigation and search capabilities by composer and repertoire, detailed classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits.

“In the near future, we will be delivering a dedicated classic experience that will truly be the best in the world,” added Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music and Beats. While its timeline was off, the extra wait means hopes will be high that the newly leaked app lives up to those claims.

While there’s no suggestion in the iOS 16.3 Release Candidate code that Apple will launch Apple Music Classical with the update, all will be revealed in a few days.

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