A music player for the Apple ecosystem
Music,
remembered.
ARC Music is a music player for the Apple ecosystem, especially at home on Mac. Find your next song, make room for your albums, and keep the moments that matter. Chapters brings your weeks, months, and years of music back into a story.
Get ARC MusicAvailable now on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
One library, three perspectives
Find the view
that fits the moment.
Move naturally between an ordered collection, a cinematic flow, and an immersive wall of artwork. Each view draws from the same Apple Music library.
Library
An ordered collection, with continuous scrolling and room for every record.
Ambient → Focus
Let the room change
with the way you listen.
ARC’s continuous Focus control changes atmosphere and information density without interrupting the music. Stay with the colour, or bring every detail forward.
Ambient · 0
Stay with the artwork and its atmosphere. The app’s controls naturally fade away.
New in 1.1 · Now Playing
Choose how
the song looks.
Six styles for the song in front of you. Choose one from the player menu on Mac or the style button on iPhone and iPad. Ambient–Focus, Moments, and album links work in every style.
Standard
The cover floats in its own colours, with the song beside it.
Memory
Keep the part
you felt.
Save a Moment at the exact point a song means something. ARC keeps the time, your note, and the listening context together on your device. Explore Moments, Listening Days, Albums Revisited, and Listening Rhythms—or choose to replay a saved Moment.
Overview
Intentionally saved Moments, Listening Days, Albums Revisited, and Listening Rhythms.
Chapters
Time passes.
The music connects.
Let a week, a month, a year of music become a story again. Chapters draws on listening recorded by ARC on this device and the Moments you chose to keep.
- Weeks
- Months
- Years
A week, remembered
A completed week opens with its dates and the music recorded in ARC.
Open when you’re ready.
Choose a completed week, month, or year from Memory. It plays as a short film made from your own records: the days you listened, records new to you, albums you returned to, the late hours, your favourite song and artist, and the Moments you kept. Each film keeps its look whenever you reopen it, on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Let the music return.
Chapter music takes over for the film, with Sound on or off. Exit to return to your previous playback. No pop-up reminders; private Voice notes never play automatically.
ARC Music on iPhone
Your music, close at hand.
Browse your albums, settle into a song in Standard, Vinyl, Film, Print, or Shelf, and keep a Moment as it happens. Long-press a song or cover for its album and artist, and watch your Chapters films full screen.
Available now on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
ARC Music on iPad and Mac
More room for your music.
Explore your albums on iPad, with wider layouts and Chapters films in portrait or landscape. Settle into listening on Mac, with every Now Playing style, including Ocean. ARC gives your music room to breathe, with an experience shaped for each screen.
Available now on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Mini Player · Mac
Keep the song in view.
A small square player floats above your work, across Spaces. Choose Cover, Vinyl, Film, Prism, Print, or Shelf. Open it from Window › Mini Player or the player menu in the footer.
New in 1.1 · Widgets
Your song on
the Home Screen.
Add ARC to your Home Screen in Cover, Vinyl, Film, Prism, Print, or Shelf, choosing a style for each widget. The large sizes play and pause; on iPad, widgets go up to extra large.
New in 1.2 · iCloud Sync
One Memory,
on every device.
Turn on iCloud Sync in Settings to keep Moments, notes, tags, and listening history the same on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It’s stored in your own private iCloud, never on an ARC server, and stays off until you turn it on.
Voice notes, if you choose
Voice notes sync only when you tick Include Voice notes. Another device downloads one the first time you play it.
Light on your devices
Edits go up after a few seconds and listening history at most every five minutes. Nothing runs while ARC is idle.
Yours to control
Turn sync off at any time and your Memory stays on each device. Delete Memory from iCloud removes only the iCloud copy.
Eight languages
A familiar language.
Your own words.
ARC follows your system or app language by default. You can also choose a language in ARC Settings; it takes effect after restarting the app.
- English
- 简体中文
- 繁體中文
- 日本語
- 한국어
- Français
- Deutsch
- Español
Song, album, and artist names keep their original wording. So do your notes.
Made to stay with you
Your music.
Your moments.
Your devices.
Local first, by design
Your listening memory belongs with you.
ARC stores Memory on your device. Turn on iCloud Sync to keep Moments, notes, and listening history the same on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own private iCloud, never an ARC server. Voice notes sync only if you choose to include them.
- Music source
- Apple Music
- Memory storage
- On device
- Voice notes
- Private by default
- iCloud Sync
- Off until you turn it on
- Memory export & import
- In your hands
Use ARC without creating an ARC account. Export your Memory to a file you control, and import it when you need it. Choose explicitly whether to include Voice notes in an export; the option starts off. There is no ARC registration, sign-in, or ARC server; iCloud Sync uses your own Apple Account.
Privacy & your dataBefore you listen
A few things
to know.
Requirements, your data, and the current state of ARC.
What do I need to use ARC Music?
A compatible Mac, iPhone, or iPad, permission to access Apple Music, and an Apple Music subscription for subscription-catalog playback. Availability depends on your Apple Music account and region. ARC does not include a music subscription.
Which devices are supported?
See the App Store listing for supported devices and current system requirements. Get ARC Music on the App Store
Do I need an ARC account?
No. ARC has no accounts or sign-in. To keep your Memory the same on several devices, turn on iCloud Sync in Settings; it uses your own Apple Account and iCloud.
How does iCloud Sync work?
It’s off until you turn it on in ARC Settings. ARC then keeps Moments, notes, tags, and listening history the same on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own private iCloud. Voice notes sync too if you tick Include Voice notes, and another device downloads one when you play it. Nothing goes to an ARC server, and the developer can’t see your data. If iCloud is signed out, turned off for ARC, or full, your Memory stays on the device.
What works without an internet connection?
Your saved Memory and locally stored voice notes remain on your device and can be viewed without a connection. Music search, library refresh, streaming, and replay may need Apple Music and internet access. ARC does not promise offline music downloads.
Does ARC import my complete Apple Music listening history?
No. Listening Days and listening patterns are based on playback observed by ARC on this device. Chapters uses these local records and saved Moments, too. None of these is a reconstruction of your entire Apple Music history.
Where do Chapters come from, and why are some periods missing?
Open Chapters from Memory to browse completed Monday–Sunday weeks, calendar months, and calendar years. A period needs at least one saved Moment, or three distinct songs with qualified listening across two recorded dates. Listening qualifies after at least 30 seconds of observed playback. The current incomplete period and periods without enough records have no film. Themes depend on the records available.
How does music work in Chapters?
Choosing a film pauses your current playback and prepares chapter music through Apple Music. Catalog music needs the appropriate subscription, authorization, and availability; song lookup, artwork, and streaming may need an internet connection. Sound: Off lets you watch silently. Exit to restore your previous playback context; if restoration fails, ARC offers a retry. Private Voice notes never play automatically.
Can I export a chapter as a video?
No. Chapters plays in real time inside ARC; it does not export MP4 files or videos with music for downloading or social sharing. With the same source records and algorithm version, a chapter keeps the same edit. Editing or deleting its source records updates the derived story.
Do Search songs have to be in my Library?
No. Search Apple Music finds songs, albums, artists, and playlists beyond your personal Library. Browse their details and play in ARC without adding them first. Observed playback can form listening records, and you can save Moments from these songs.
Which Now Playing styles are on iPhone and iPad?
Standard, Vinyl, Film, Print, and Shelf. Ocean is on Mac only. Choose a style from the style button in the player.
Can I go from a song to its album or artist?
Yes. On Mac, click a song, artist, album, or cover in Now Playing or a Moment, or right-click it in song lists and Queue. On iPhone and iPad, long-press it. Then open the album in your Library, the artist’s albums, or Apple Music.
How do I add an ARC widget?
Touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and choose ARC. Choose a style for each widget. The large sizes include a play and pause button; tapping a smaller widget opens ARC.
How do I change the app language?
Open ARC Settings from the ARC mark at the top left, then choose Language. Keep Follow system or select one of eight supported languages. Restart ARC to apply the change; on Mac, Restart now or Later lets you choose when. Original music names and your notes are preserved.
Can I back up or move my Memory?
Yes. Memory export and import let you transfer an archive manually. Voice notes are excluded by default; select Include Voice notes explicitly if you want them in the archive. Keep exports private, particularly when they contain voice recordings. If iCloud Sync is on, imported records then sync to your other devices like any other change.
Does ARC record my microphone automatically?
No. Voice recording begins only when you choose to record and grant microphone permission. Voice notes stay on your device unless you turn on iCloud Sync and choose to include them.
Can I use Spotify or local music files?
Apple Music is the only music source currently supported. Spotify, local-file playback, and NAS libraries are not currently available.
Can I download or purchase ARC Music now?
Available now on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Get ARC Music on the App Store
About the screenshots
Screenshots show the real ARC app with original demonstration albums and sample listening records. Ambient–Focus, Now Playing style, and Chapters images are still captures of the app’s moving experiences. The widget images were photographed on our own iPhone and iPad and show albums from a personal Apple Music library.