iOS 8 May Add Beats Music as a Default App in Future Update

As if users needed more apps to put away in an “Unused” folder, it’s said that the Beats Music streaming app might turn into a default app on iOS devices, joining the ranks of Safari, Notes, Mail, and other built-in iOS apps that every iPhone and iPad user gets with their device.

According to the Financial Times, Apple will be bundling the Beats Music app into iOS starting at some point early next year, most likely arriving in a major iOS 8 update in the form of iOS 8.2 or iOS 8.3.

This wouldn’t be a surprising move, considering that the Beats Music app is already included by default on the Apple TV.

Apple bought Beats for a cool $3 billion earlier this year, and while the headphone maker has largely remained independent for the most part since the acquisition, Apple has been making small changes over the last few months by incorporating Beats into the Cupertino-based company.

Most recently, Apple Stores have added Beats headphones to their repair repertoire, and Genius Bar employees will be able to service Beats products, as opposed to just Apple products, which is certainly good news for anyone who owns a pair of Beats cans that need fixed.

Overall, though, Apple has made an effort to keep their brand separate from the Beats brand, even with the new headphones that were announced last week, the Apple logo appears nowhere on the headphones, possibly pointing to the fact that Apple wants to keep the Beats business separate for now, with the only indication of an Apple-owned company being some fine print on the packaging.

This isn’t too surprising, considering that Apple probably doesn’t want to mess with the winning formula that Beats Electronics has used for several years to make it such a successful business, and we don’t blame Tim Cook and company for not wanting to mess with that.

However, the streaming music industry is something that Apple has lacked in, and considering that music is what skyrocketed Apple, it would make sense for the company to get in on this newer way of consuming music.

This is where Beats Music comes in, and while the service’s userbase is still rather small compared to the juggernauts like Spotify, Rdio and Pandora, Apple could easily change that with one simple move: putting the Beats Music app on every single iPhone and iPad.

If this were to happen, not every single user would use the app, obviously, but it would significantly increase the chances of millions of users at least trying it out. From the snowball effect could take place and before you know it, Beats Music could be on top.

One thing that isn’t quite clear is how the built-in Beats Music app will be included in iOS. The Financial Times says that it will exist under the iTunes brand, joining the App Store and the iTunes Store that are already available on iOS, but it looks like it’s something that we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.