How to Use Ambient Music in iOS 18.4 – A Free, Built-In Feature for Focus and Relaxation

With the iOS 18.4 update, Apple has introduced a brand-new Ambient Music feature that’s now available in the iPhone’s Control Center. Best of all, it’s completely free to use—no Apple Music subscription required.

Ambient Music offers a selection of calming and focused playlists designed to match your mood or activity. There are four categories to choose from: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. You can easily add one or more of these options to your Control Center for quick access.

Just tap on a category to instantly start a curated playlist tailored to that vibe. Whether you’re winding down, staying productive, or just want some relaxing background music, Ambient Music makes it easy—and customizable.

Add Ambient Music Buttons to Control Center

1. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen.
   
2. Tap the + button in the top-left corner, or long press on a blank space.
   
3. Tap Add a Control at the bottom of the screen.
   
4. Scroll down to the new “Ambient Music” controls section and choose from Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.
   
5. Tap any blank space to exit out of edit mode.

Accessing Ambient Music Controls on iPhone in iOS 18.4

When you activate an Ambient Music category from the Control Center, playback controls will automatically appear on your screen, making it easy to pause, skip, or adjust the volume.

If you’re using a newer iPhone with the Dynamic Island, you can tap or long-press it to quickly open the playback controls or launch a full-screen music player complete with album art for a more immersive experience.

Changing Ambient Music Category Playlists

It’s not immediately obvious, but each Ambient Music category in iOS 18.4 actually offers multiple playlists to choose from. This feature is a bit tucked away in the interface—some might even call it a hidden gem or a less-than-obvious design choice.

Apple provides unique playlist options for each mood-based category, giving you more control over your listening experience. Here’s how to find and customize them for Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.

• Sleep: Sleep Sounds, Bedtime Beats, Sound Bath, and Piano Sleep.
• Chill: Piano Chill, Ambient Chill, Lo-Fi Jazz, and Pure Chill.
• Productivity: BEATstrumentals, Binaural Frequencies, Pure Focus, and Classical Concentration.
• Wellbeing: Pure Meditation, Spa, Beats & Breath, and Pure Calm.

Here’s what you need to do to choose a different playlist – or even one of your own:

1. Open Control Center, then tap the + icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Tap one of the Ambient Music buttons that you added to your Control Center (try to avoid tapping the minus symbol or the button will disappear).
3. Tap the playlist name in blue next to “Playlist,” then select one of the playlists from the dropdown. If you select From Library, tap Choose to pick a playlist from your Music library.
4. Tap any blank space, then tap again to exit out of edit mode.

Now that you’ve learned how to switch between different Ambient Music playlists, you can better match your listening experience to your needs—whether you’re winding down for better sleep, looking to relax, needing background sounds to stay focused, or wanting peaceful music for meditation and self-care.