Think about the last time you were waiting in line, commuting, or just needed a mental break. Chances are, you reached for your iPhone not to make a call, but to escape, learn, or feel something. That’s the power of modern entertainment—it’s personal, on-demand, and everywhere. Your iPhone 17 comes with three powerhouse apps pre-installed that form the core of this experience: Music, Podcasts, and TV. They’re not just icons; they’re gateways to vast worlds of sound and story. But with so much content, it can be overwhelming. Let’s cut through the noise and explore how to make these apps work for you, creating a personalized media hub that fits your life, not the other way around.
1: Apple Music – Your Infinite Soundtrack
Remember the days of carefully crafting a 20-song mix CD? Apple Music is that, times five million, with the soul of a world-class DJ who knows your taste better than you do. It’s not just a streaming service; it’s an intelligent music companion.
First Steps: Finding Your Groove
Open the Music app. If you’re not subscribed, you’ll be nudged toward a trial. Once in, don’t just stare at the ocean of songs. Start with the “Listen Now” tab. This is your personalized homepage. Based on what you’ve played, liked, or even skipped, Apple Music’s algorithms and human curators build this space for you. You’ll see “Made for You” mixes with your name on them, playlists that perfectly bridge your love of 80s synth-pop with modern indie, and “Replay” playlists that show your most-played songs of the year so far. It’s a surprisingly nostalgic and insightful feature.
The “Library” vs. The “Cloud”
This is a crucial mental model. Your Library is your personal collection. When you “Add” a song, album, or playlist, you’re not downloading it—you’re saving a link to it in your space, like bookmarking it. To actually save it to your phone for offline listening (on a plane, in the subway), you need to download it. Tap the “…” next to any song or album and hit download. See the little downward arrow? That means it’s physically on your device.
Beyond Playlists: The Hidden Gems
- Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos: If you have AirPods Pro or Max, you’re in for a treat. For supported tracks, this isn’t just stereo left and right. It’s sound that feels like it’s above, behind, and all around you. It turns your skull into a concert hall. You can toggle this in Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos. Try it with a meticulously produced album like The Beatles’ Abbey Road remix or Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever—it’s a revelation.
- Lyrics in Real-Time: Tap the speech bubble icon at the bottom of the now-playing screen. The lyrics scroll in perfect sync with the song. It’s not just for karaoke; it’s a new way to appreciate songwriting.
- The Siri Shortcut: This is where it feels like magic. Raise your wrist and say, “Hey Siri, play the coffee shop playlist,” or “Play something I’d like based on The National.” She gets it right an astonishing amount of the time. It’s your voice-activated radio station.
The Social Layer: SharePlay and Collaborative Playlists
Listening doesn’t have to be solitary. On a FaceTime call, you can start a SharePlay session to sync a song or playlist with the other person. Even better, you can create a Collaborative Playlist. Make a playlist for a road trip, a party, or just you and a friend, then tap the person icon at the top to generate a link. Anyone with the link can add songs. It’s a living, breathing mixtape built by your whole crew.
2: Apple Podcasts – A Universe of Talk, On Your Time
Podcasts are the quiet revolution. They’re professors, comedians, investigators, and friends, all talking directly into your ears. The Podcasts app is your mission control for this spoken-word universe.
Subscribing vs. Following: The Key to Sanity
When you find a show you like, don’t just play an episode. Subscribe (or “Follow,” in Apple’s newer terminology). This does two things: it automatically delivers new episodes to your library, and it tells the algorithm what you’re into, so it can recommend similar shows. Your Library tab then becomes a clean, chronological feed of new episodes from all your subscriptions—a personal daily newspaper made of voices.
Taming the Playback: Make Time Your Own
The player screen is a toolbox for efficient listening.
- The Speed Dial: Tap the 1x button. You can speed up to 1.2x, 1.5x, or even 2x. What sounds like chipmunk chaos at first becomes normal after a few minutes, letting you blaze through informational content. Conversely, slow it down to 0.75x for a dense, complex interview.
- Skip Silences: This button (it looks like a waveform) is a genius timesaver. It automatically detects and shortens pauses in conversation, shaving significant minutes off long episodes without distorting speech.
- Skip Back/Forward: Customize the skip buttons in the app’s settings. Set them to jump back 15 seconds to re-hear a missed point, and forward 30 seconds to blow through ads or long intros.
Discovery That Goes Deeper
Beyond browsing categories, use Search like a pro. Search for a topic (“urban planning,” “baking sourdough”), a guest’s name, or even a phrase you heard referenced. You’ll get episodes from across all podcasts that match, not just show titles. It’s a deep dive into the global conversation.
The “Now Playing” Queue: Your Listening Agenda
This is perhaps the most powerful, overlooked feature. When you tap “Play Next” on an episode, it slots into your Up Next queue. You can build a perfect listening lineup for a long drive: a news briefing, followed by a true-crime episode, then a comedy show to lighten the mood. Reorder them by dragging. It turns passive listening into an intentional activity.
3: The TV App – Your Unified Cinema and Living Room
Here’s the modern dilemma: you have Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, maybe HBO Max, and of course, Apple’s own shows. Jumping between apps to figure out what to watch is a chore. The TV app aims to solve this. It’s not just for Apple TV+; it’s the central dashboard for your viewing life.
“Watch Now”: Your Universal TV Guide
This tab is the main event. It aggregates content from nearly all your connected streaming apps (you link them once in Settings). It shows you:
- What you’re currently in the middle of watching (regardless of which app it’s on).
- Up next episodes, in order.
- Trending shows and curated picks across services.
- New episodes of shows you follow.
See a show you like on a service you subscribe to? Tap it, and it launches directly in the Netflix or Hulu app. The TV app is the friendly concierge that remembers where you left off in every hotel in town.
Apple TV+: The House Productions
This is Apple’s own studio output. The quality bar is consistently sky-high, with a focus on cinematic visuals, A-list talent, and compelling, often ambitious storytelling. From the sci-fi epic of Foundation to the warmth of Ted Lasso or the thriller Slow Horses, it’s worth exploring. The best part? Many shows release episodes weekly, bringing back the lost art of the water-cooler conversation and anticipation.
Rent, Buy, or Subscribe – All in One Place
The Store tab within the TV app is your digital video store. Want to rent the latest blockbuster that’s not on a subscription service? Buy a classic film to own forever? It’s all here, in 4K HDR quality, integrated into your Watch Now queue. No more separate Amazon Prime Video or Google Play Movies apps for purchases.
The Magic of AirPlay
You’re watching a show on your phone, but you want it on the big screen. If you have a modern smart TV or an Apple TV box, tap the AirPlay icon (the rectangle with a triangle at the bottom). Select your TV. In seconds, your video is streaming wirelessly to the living room, and your phone becomes a sophisticated remote control. It just works, and it never gets old.
Family Sharing with Separate Profiles
If you share an Apple ID with family for purchases, things get messy (“Why is my Up Next queue full of cartoons?!”). With Family Sharing set up, each person gets their own profile in the TV app. Your recommendations, your Watch Now queue, and your viewing history remain private and tailored. Kids get a curated, age-appropriate interface. It’s peace of mind in a feature.
Conclusion: The Curated Escape
Your iPhone 17’s entertainment suite is a testament to a simple idea: technology should adapt to your mood, not force you to adapt to it. Music provides the emotional score, from pumped-up anthems to late-night introspection, learning your tastes and surprising you. Podcasts feed your curiosity, turning downtime into a classroom, a comedy club, or a deep conversation, all controlled at your own pace. The TV app ends the endless scrolling across platforms, giving you a single, smart command center for your viewing, whether it’s a two-minute clip or a five-season saga.
Together, they transform your phone from a communication device into a portable sanctuary. They understand that entertainment isn’t a distraction; it’s a fundamental part of being human—a way to feel, to think, and to connect. By diving a little deeper into each app’s tools—the collaborative playlists, the playback speed dial, the unified watchlist—you move from being a passive consumer to an active curator of your own personal world of sound and story. So put in your headphones, hit play, and let your iPhone handle the rest.