How to use Lyric Translations and Pronunciations in Apple Music (iOS 26): A step-by-step guide

Apple Music now offers enhanced features for international music enthusiasts with the new iOS 26 update. The update introduces Lyrics Pronunciation and Lyrics Translation support. This significantly simplifies how users can interact with and understand foreign language songs.

To help you sing along even if you don’t speak the language, Lyrics Pronunciation offers a phonetic guide for accurate sounds. If you’re more interested in the words’ deeper meaning, Lyric Translations provides line-by-line interpretations to connect you with the artist’s message.

First, let’s quickly review how to access the standard lyrics interface before exploring these specific features.

How to view lyrics in Apple Music

(Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac)

• Open Apple Music on your device.

• Find and play the song you want to view.

• Tap or click on the player bar at the bottom to open the “Now Playing” screen.

• Tap the Lyrics button in the lower corner—it resembles a quotation mark inside a speech bubble.

For most tracks, you will see time-synced lyrics that scroll automatically. Popular recent releases often feature “Sing” mode (karaoke-style) with precise pacing. Note that not all songs support time-syncing; some may only display a static list of text, while others may have no lyrics available at all.

Switching between Translation and Pronunciation

Once you become familiar with the interface, you can enable advanced features like singing along or text translation.

Important Note: Pronunciations and Translations are only available on iPhone and iPad. These features are not supported on Apple TV or the macOS version of Apple Music.

Steps to view phonetic guides or translations:

• Open Apple Music on your iPhone or iPad.

• Play a foreign-language song you want to explore.

• Tap the player bar to open the “Now Playing” view.

• Tap the Lyrics button (the quotation mark bubble icon) to reveal the lyrics.

• If available, phonetic guides will automatically appear underneath the standard time-synced lyrics.

• To switch modes, tap the Translation button on the left side of the screen (often an icon with a character or globe).

• Select Show Translation.

You can now read the translated meaning line-by-line or switch back to the phonetic guide to rehearse your singing. Additionally, it is noteworthy to mention that availability depends on the specific song, and translations are based on the Preferred Languages setting on your iOS device.