For weeks, music lovers have been refreshing their Apple Music apps like clockwork, waiting for that magical moment when their year in music gets wrapped up into a neat little package. The tension’s been building, and if you’re one of those people who can’t wait to see if that embarrassing song you played on repeat actually made your top ten—well, your wait might finally be over.
The Drop Everyone’s Been Waiting For
Apple Music Replay 2025 was officially released on December 2, beating its biggest rival to the punch. That’s right—this year, Apple swooped in ahead of Spotify Wrapped, giving its users bragging rights for getting their year-end stats first. It’s a small victory in the streaming wars, but for millions of subscribers who’ve been anxiously checking their apps, it’s everything.
The timing isn’t random, though. Last year’s Replay dropped on December 3, and Apple seems to have found its sweet spot in that first week of December window. It’s early enough to give people their stats before the holiday chaos hits, but late enough that the data actually represents a full year of listening. The company’s been quietly perfecting this formula since 2019, when they first introduced Replay to compete with Spotify’s wildly popular Wrapped feature.
Here’s what makes this year different: Apple Music Replay includes new sections like “Discovery” for new artists, “Loyalty” for artists you’ve returned to yearly, and “Comebacks” for artists making a return to your rotation. It’s not just about what you listened to most—it’s about telling the story of your musical journey throughout the year. The feature tracks everything from your total listening minutes to your longest artist streak, giving you a comprehensive look at your sonic habits.
What You’ll Actually Get
Unlike Spotify’s one-and-done approach, Apple Music Replay updates weekly throughout the year, letting you check in every Sunday for a running tally of your favorite tracks. But the December release is special. It’s the complete year-end Highlights package explicitly designed for social media sharing. We’re talking colorful slideshows, shareable videos, and those stats that’ll either make you proud or make you question your life choices.
The experience includes a year-end playlist with your most-played songs and a Highlight Reel with images and video designed for Instagram and TikTok. You’ll see your total minutes spent listening, the number of artists you discovered, your favorite genres, and plenty of other metrics that’ll fuel either your music snob credentials or your guilty pleasure confessions.
Accessing it couldn’t be easier. Just head to the Apple Music app’s Home tab and look for “Replay: Your Top Music,” or visit replay.music.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. No extra fees, no complicated setup—just pure, unfiltered data about your questionable (or impeccable) taste in music.
The Numbers Behind Your Listening
For artists, this year brings new tools too. The Apple Music for Artists app now shows listenership growth and year-over-year performance summaries, giving musicians deeper insights into their fanbase. And speaking of numbers, the top song of 2025 on Apple Music is “ROSE” and Bruno Mars’ “APT.”, with Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish rounding out the top five.
So whether you’re ready to proudly display your indie cred or sheepishly admit you played the same Taylor Swift song 847 times, your Apple Music Replay is waiting. Time to face the music—literally.
