There's finally a proper Sonos alternative for Apple-loving audiophiles — Bluesound is getting Apple Music as a free upgrade soon, and not just on its own devices

Good news for Apple Music aficionados: it's coming to the entire BluOS ecosystem

by · TechRadar

News By Carrie Marshall Published 20 October 2026

(Image credit: Future)

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  • Bluesound is adding fully integrated Apple Music support, on top of existing AirPlay support
  • This is rare in streaming systems — Sonos has basically had a monopoly
  • Available now via free software update

If you want to play Apple Music natively, in high resolution, on multi-room audio equipment the choice has largely been Sonos, Sonos or Sonos. That's now changed, and direct integration with the Apple Music service is coming to the Bluesound platform and BluOS software as a free upgrade.

That's a big deal because in addition to Bluesound's own products, the BluOS operating system also powers devices from big audio brands including NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, DALI, Cyrus, and Monitor Audio.

It's a significant upgrade, because like Spotify and TIDAL, Apple Music is now fully integrated into the BluOS platform rather than supported indirectly via AirPlay 2. That means the audio is streaming directly to your player rather than via your phone, tablet or computer, so there's no compression, as there is over AirPlay or Bluetooth.

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Devices like like the Bluesound Node line, as well as Bluesound's Wi-Fi speakers, will now be more tempting for Apple fans (Image credit: Future)

When is the Apple Music upgrade coming to BluOS?

The update is available from today, 20 October 2026, and you can get it by updating the BluOS software on your device. You'll then be able to use the BluOS Controller app to select your streaming, whether that's to a single device or a multi-room setup.

In the case of multi-room setups you'll be able to share Apple Music to specific rooms and audio zones, or have the same music playing everywhere.

Although the update itself is free, Apple Music is of course a subscription-based service, though you don't have to pay extra for higher quality or ad-free streaming.

It's a major win for Bluesound as the key Sonos alternative. There's obviously a lot of crossover between the the slickness the Sonos system has been known for and what people expect from Apple products.

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