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How to seamlessly switch Apple Music between devices?

Can someone please explain to me how Spotify has better device handoff than Apple Music? What I'm listening to on one Apple device should show on my other Apple device. People have been complaining about this for almost a DECADE. I'm absolutely switching to Spotify if this isn't fixed in iOS 17.




[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on May 20, 2023 6:16 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 4, 2023 3:45 PM

Bumping this as I still run into the desire for this functionality on a daily basis. I do all of my work on Mac / iPhone and I use AirPods Pro / Max to listen to music between devices. I can't explain enough how simple the functionality is for one Apple device to recognize the activity of another. This works for countless other Handoff apps. Music is arguably one of the most logical to include this, but it doesn't.


When I talk to people about why I love using Apple music, I have to deliberately avoid the topic of multi-device streaming as this is a pain point and a leg up for Spotify.


I pay for Apple because of the seamless, integrated ecosystem. This is a big gap and will prevent Apple Music from becoming #1 for streaming so long as the function doesn't exist.

50 replies

Aug 7, 2023 11:22 AM in response to swandy

swandy wrote:

We might be discussing two different issues. If I play a song or playlist on any of my devices (iphone 14, iPad mini and M2 iMac) I can’t continue the same playlist/song on another device without finding the playlist and then finding the song I was playing. I am not talking about using the HomePod speakers - just listening from either the device or using AirPods.

Well, I wasn't responding to you but, it does appear we're talking about the same thing. A Homepod is just one more Apple device. Some suggestions have been given in this thread. But, we don't really know why this doesn't work for you or the OP.

Oct 4, 2023 8:43 PM in response to MikeyBoii

I have been wishing for and asking for this ability for since Apple Music started. You would think it is the most logical of all the Apple apps to provide this. There is an app in the Mac App and iPhone App Store called Playoff that would duplicate this but even after I installed it on my iPhone, iPad and iMac, it was not completely reliable so I gave up on it as it looks like it hasn’t been updated in quite a while.

Oct 6, 2023 11:49 AM in response to aleksradman

I agree, this should just work. Another issue for me is the lack of support for lossless audio over airplay 2 for hardware which isn't made by apple; Sonos comes to mind! I don't get apples logic sometimes, I'm paying for a service (Apple Music) and their hardware (iPhone 15 max, Ipad pro, Mac Pro etc) but can't play lossless. Absolutely crazy! This is why subscribers leave, its just lazy of ignorant?

Jul 20, 2024 2:12 AM in response to aleksradman

For some time I have been using Spotify and wanted to switch to Apple Music but my daughters just wouldn't have it. So what I did was that I switched alone and started using the app. Today was the first time I wanted to use the handoff but there is not an option to do so. For some reason, Apple is refusing to apply some options that are almost second nature elsewhere. Perhaps they want to wait so they are not accused of copying someone.


One other option that would "blow out of the water" other music apps is to make music libraries from Spotify importable to Apple Music. Worth considering, unless it is a violation of copyrights or other proprietary software.

Aug 30, 2024 5:10 AM in response to aleksradman

To me the most frustrating is the lack of handoff between my phone and watch. When I start a playlist or podcast in the car on the way to run or workout and don’t want to carry my phone the whole time, I have to get far enough away so the Bluetooth disconnects and then go into podcasts or music and start over. Just incredible how all apple products and services used but they don’t handoff, yet as noted above Spotify has been doing this across devices and operating systems for years.

Nov 12, 2024 10:18 AM in response to aleksradman

I have to chime in because this is also driving me nuts!


I just imported my library from Spotify to Apple Music, and I just now realized that this isn't a feature that Apple Music supports. Not gonna lie, this is making me feel like I'd rather continue paying for Spotify than use my free Apple Music plan that I get through Verizon. This is one of those features that I didn't realize how critical it is until I notice that it's gone.


IE: I'm at work right now. I'm listening to music on my Mac. The UI for favoriting songs is really lacking (tiny star button) so I figured I'd just look at my phone and favorite it there while I walk to get coffee. Boom, no chance. It really feels like the stone age of streaming. I might as well have just downloaded hard copies of my music on each separate device, because that is the net affect!


Also while I'm here, the fact that I can't favorite songs from the Sonos app is also a deal breaker. This is also pushing me back to Spotify! Please patch the leaking holes because this ship is feeling like one I don't want to jump for!

How to seamlessly switch Apple Music between devices?

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