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How to See Song Lyrics in Apple Music on iPhone and iPad (iOS 17)

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To see lyrics in Apple Music on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17, play a song, tap the mini-player to open Now Playing, then tap the Lyrics button. Supported songs show lyrics in time with playback; if timed lyrics are unavailable, you may still be able to open the full lyric sheet from the song’s credits.

The exact labels and layout can vary by iOS 17 update, device, language, and later Apple Music changes. The steps below use the control names you are most likely to see and note alternate wording where it matters.

What you need

  • The Music app and a song currently playing.
  • An active Apple Music subscription. Apple’s user guide says a subscription is needed to view lyrics.
  • A track supported by Apple Music lyrics. Lyrics are not available for every song, and catalog tracks are the most reliable choice.
  • An internet connection for streaming. Downloaded Apple Music tracks may show lyrics offline, but offline availability can depend on the track and whether its lyrics are stored with the download.

Apple lists a non-catalog track, unavailable lyrics, no internet connection, or a track that has not been downloaded as possible reasons the Lyrics button may be unavailable. See Apple’s lyrics and Apple Music Sing support page.

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Show synchronized lyrics on iPhone

  1. Open Music and start a song from the Apple Music catalog.
  2. Tap the song bar or mini-player at the bottom of the screen to open Now Playing.
  3. Tap the Lyrics button, usually shown as a quotation-mark or speech-bubble-style icon.

When synchronized lyrics are available, the current line is emphasized as the song plays. Depending on the track, the words may move line by line or in time with individual beats. Scroll to see more; tap a line to jump playback to that part of the song. Apple says synchronized lyrics are available for many songs, not all of them. Apple’s iPhone guide describes opening lyrics from Now Playing and tapping a lyric to jump within the track.

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Show lyrics on iPad

Start a song in Music, then open its Now Playing screen and tap Lyrics. On iPad, the Now Playing layout can place controls differently depending on screen size and orientation, so look for the Lyrics control rather than a particular corner of the screen. The basic path is the same as on iPhone.

View the complete lyrics instead of following playback

If you want to read the whole lyric sheet, or the song has no timed lyrics, open the song’s credits:

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  1. Open the song’s Now Playing screen.
  2. Tap More (usually the three-dot button).
  3. Choose View Credits or Show Credits.
  4. Tap View Lyrics.

Apple’s current guide uses “View Credits,” while an older Apple guide uses “Show Credits”; the wording can differ by software version. If the full-lyrics option is absent, lyrics may not be available for that track. See Apple’s guide to viewing credits and lyrics and its older guide using “Show Credits”.

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Hide lyrics or jump to a verse

Tap the Lyrics button again to hide the lyrics. When synchronized lyrics are displayed, tap a line to move playback to that point; this will not work as a timed jump if the song only has static lyrics.

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Translate or pronounce lyrics

For supported songs and languages, open the lyrics view and tap Translation and Pronunciation. Choose Show Translation to display a translation, or Show Pronunciation to see pronunciation guidance. The available options depend on the song, region, and languages set as preferred on your device; not every lyric has translation or pronunciation support. Apple documents these limits in its lyrics support guide.

Make lyrics larger

On newer versions of Apple’s software, the setting is Settings → Apps → Music → Larger Text, where you can choose larger text for Lyrics or Pronunciation. iOS 17 may place or name this setting differently, so treat that path as version-dependent rather than guaranteed on every iOS 17 build.

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Use Apple Music Sing

Apple Music Sing is an optional singing feature, not a requirement for viewing lyrics. On a supported song and device, open Now Playing → Lyrics, tap the Mic/Vocal Volume button, then adjust the slider to raise or lower the singer’s vocal level. The microphone control may not appear for every song or device.

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Apple’s current compatibility list includes iPhone 11 or later and iPhone SE (3rd generation); iPad Pro (5th generation or later), iPad Air (4th generation or later), iPad mini (6th generation or later), and iPad (9th generation or later). Its current support instructions call for the latest available iOS or iPadOS. Apple Music Sing predates iOS 17 and Apple’s iPhone guide lists it from iOS 16.2 on compatible devices, but availability and requirements can change. For details, see Apple’s Sing support page and its iPhone Sing guide.

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Why lyrics are missing or the button is gray

  1. Make sure a song is playing. The lyrics control is in Now Playing, not the general library screen.
  2. Open the full Now Playing screen. Tap the mini-player first, then look for Lyrics.
  3. Try an Apple Music catalog song. Imported or otherwise local tracks may not have Apple’s catalog lyrics or synchronized lyrics. Test with a track streamed directly from Apple Music.
  4. Check your connection. If you are offline, try reconnecting. For offline use, download the song through Apple Music first; lyrics may still vary by track.
  5. Try another song. Lyrics can be missing for one track even when they work for another.
  6. Check the feature you need. A track may have full lyrics but no synchronization, and translation, pronunciation, or Sing may have separate availability limits.
  7. If the interface seems different, update iOS or iPadOS if possible, then close and reopen Music or restart the device if the control remains unavailable.

Share lyrics or report a problem

To share available lyrics, open More → Share Lyrics, or touch and hold a lyric line, then select the lines and a sharing destination. Apple limits sharing to up to 150 characters when time-synced lyrics are available. To report incorrect synchronized lyrics, touch and hold the verse, select the relevant lines, scroll to the bottom of the share sheet, tap Report a Concern, and follow the prompts. See Apple’s iPhone guide and Apple’s support instructions.

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