Does Apple Music’s EQ Settings Affect Spotify, YouTube Etc?

EQ settings allow users to tweak the sound of their music in a specific way to ensure they get to hear their favorite tracks in all their glory.

In this article, we take a look at Apple Music’s EQ settings and check to see whether changing them will affect the sound in other apps, such as Spotify & YouTube.

Here’s how Apple Music’s EQ Settings Work:

Apple Music offers 23 preset EQ settings that can be applied to different genres. Adjusting the EQ settings within Apple Music will affect the tone of the music in this app only. Third-party software is required if you want to adjust and save EQ settings across multiple music apps.

Will EQ Settings within Apple Music affect other apps?

EQ settings are adjusted for Apple Music by navigating to the device’s ‘Settings’ > ‘Music’ > ‘EQ’.

This gives the impression that users who change their EQ settings in this way will be adjusting the EQ settings across all other audio-playing apps.

However, this is not the case – EQ settings will only be changed for audio on Apple Music and tracks played through the ‘Music’ app, such as those bought on iTunes. 

What EQ Settings can You Control with Apple Music?

EQ settings are an essential part of every music lover’s music experience – it helps get the most out of the tracks we enjoy, and moreover, the right settings can vastly improve the richness of sound.

If you’ve never adjusted the EQ setting for Apple Music, it’s time to get up to speed.

• The EQ settings for Apple Music are in the form of presets.
• There are a total of 23 preset EQ settings you can choose from.
• The presets are specifically designed for different musical genres or styles.

The EQ settings available for Apple Music are as follows:

Acoustic, Bass Booster, Bass Reducer, Classical, Dance, Deep, Electronic, Flat, Hip-hop, Jazz, Late Night, Latin, Loudness, Lounge, Piano, Pop, R&B, Rock, Small Speakers, Spoken Word, Treble Booster, Treble Reducer, and Vocal Booster.

If you’ve seen an EQ setting on the list that piques your interest and you want to select it, then simply use the following instructions to adjust your Apple Music EQ settings.

How to Adjust your Apple Music EQ Settings on iPhone or iPad:

1. Tap ‘Setttings’ on your iPhone or iPad’s home screen.
2. Find Apple Music and give it a tap.
3. Search the list until your find ‘EQ’ and then tap it to view the available settings.
4. Select the EQ setting that is appropriate for you.
   • Top-tip: Adjust your EQ settings whilst listening to music to ensure you find the right preset.
   • Rememeber, EQ settings will be switched off as default if you have not adjusted your EQ settings before.

How to Adjust your Apple Music EQ Settings on Mac:

1. Launch Apple Music on your Mac.
2. Select ‘Window’ from the options that run along the top of your screen.
3. Choose ‘Equalizer’, and a new window will open.
   • The default EQ setting will be ‘Flat’
4. Open the list of presets by clicking the blue arrow.
5. Choose the preset that brings out the best qualities of the music you’re listening to.
   • On Mac, you can also tweak specific levels yourself by dragging the sliders found in the pop-up window.

Can you Change the EQ Settings on YouTube?

There are no dedicated EQ settings for the YouTube. Changing the EQ settings for YouTube will require you to download third-party software.

There are a few Google Chrome extensions that are specifically designed for YouTube EQ settings. However, they are not affiliated with YouTube.

With the extension downloaded, users will be able to adjust EQ settings whilst playing videos on YouTube from the video’s page. An EQ button will appear beside the like and dislike buttons, giving you the ability to make changes on the fly.

YouTube Music, on the other hand, does have an EQ setting, albeit for Android users only. To access the EQ settings, simply open YouTube Music and open settings, followed by ‘Equalizer’.

Check out our article, Is Apple Music playing in CD quality?

Can You Change the EQ Settings on Spotify?

Spotify is one of the leading music streaming platforms and understands that users really want the ability to have control over how they listen to their favorite tracks.

This is why Spotify users not only have EQ presets that they can choose from but, moreover, are able to manually customize the settings themselves.

However, the settings do differ between devices:

• If you are on an iOS device, you have a multitude of different presets to choose from.
• On Android devices, the number is reduced to only 5.
• Both types of devices allow customizable EQ settings by moving sliders.
• iOS Spotify users have 6 sliders, one more than Android users.
• Adjusting these sliders will affect the different frequencies in the music.

How to Adjust EQ Settings on Spotify with an iOS Device:

1. Open the Spotify app on your device.
2. Tap the gear icon to open ‘Settings’
3. Next, select ‘Playback’
4. Choose ‘Equalizer’ and toggle it to its ON position.
5. Select a preset from the list or manually drag each individual dot to customize it to your preference.

How to Adjust EQ Settings on Spotify with an Android Device:

1. Launch the Spotify app on your device.
2. Open ‘Settings’
3. Find ‘Audio Quality’ from the list and select ‘Equalizer’
4. Pick from one of the 5 presets or adjust manually.

As mentioned previously, Android devices using Spotify have certain limitations for EQ settings.

“Equalizer availability on Android varies depending on the manufacturer. Changes you apply also affect the sound of other apps.”

[Source: Support.Spotify.com]

Please also read our article about Apple Music’s curated playlists!

Can You Adjust EQ Settings on Your iPhone Globally (Across All Apps)?

You may think that once you change your EQ settings on an iPhone, it will affect all your audio across each and every app. However, this is not the case.

If you have an iPhone and use multiple apps that play audio content, such as both Apple Music and Spotify, then changing the settings on your iPhone won’t affect Spotify’s playback.

In fact, the EQ settings in iPhone only affect Apple Music playback and music played from the ‘Music’ app.

You’ll need to adjust the EQ settings for each app individually for them to match up.

However, it is possible to download third-party software that can affect EQ settings on multiple apps, but you’ll need to check what apps are compatible to ensure that this will work.

For example, the ‘Boom’ equalizer works with Spotify and other apps, too!

In the end, if you want a way to control the EQ settings for all music across all apps from your iPhone, you’ll want a pair of decent-quality headphones. As HeadPhonesty.com points out:

“If you want another equalizer option that will control all sound output, check to see if your headphones’ app has an equalizer.”

[Source:Heaphonesty.com]

Adjusting the EQ settings on the hardware that you use to listen to music is a surefire way to ensure that all apps have the same playback settings.

Sources

Make Your iPhone Sound Better with These iPhone Equalizer Settings

Spotify|Equalizer 

How to Set Your Apple Music Equalizer

Best Spotify Equalizer Settings: How to Make Your Music Sound Better