Bluesound is getting native Apple Music as a free upgrade soon, making it a better Sonos competitor

(Image credit: Future) Bluesound is adding fully integrated Apple Music support, on top of existing AirPlay supportThis is rare in streaming systems — Sonos has basically had a monopolyAvailable now via free software updateIf 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. 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.Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.When Sonos had its major software issues in 2024, Bluesound and WiiM emerged as the two multi-room systems hoping to benefit most from it, but WiiM has a strange relationship with Apple. None of its products support Apple Music natively, and many of its products don't even support AirPlay.So this is a big win for Bluesound with Apple fans, especially since it's always been considered the more audiophile-led alternative to Sonos — now Apple Music can be a source for that. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Contributor Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.