[FIXED] How to Stop Apple Music from Automatically Playing on All Devices

You know how sometimes Apple Music launches as soon as you enter your car, pair a Bluetooth device, or even boot up your phone. Yeah, no one likes that, but it happens. Then again, there are several ways to prevent the app from starting when you don’t need it, and we’re here to help you learn how. 

We’ll explain how to stop Apple Music from playing automatically on all compatible devices. The solutions will focus on your iPhone settings, CarPlay setup, and a few more fields. Anyhow, let’s start from the top.

How to Stop Apple Music from Launching on iPhone: Fast Fix

The quickest way to disable the Apple Music auto-launch is to simply tap the infinity symbol directly from the app. In case you’re new or don’t know how to find it, just follow these simple steps.

1. 1. Launch Apple Music from your iPhone.
2. 2. Play any song.
3. 3. Scroll to the bottom-right edge of the screen and tap the symbol with three dots to see what’s playing next.
4. 4. The infinity icon should be next to the “Shuffle” and “Repeat” symbols.
5. 5. Tap the Infinity symbol to disable the automatic launch. 

This method will work only if you can see the infinity icon. If not, the “Autoplay” feature isn’t even active, and your Apple Music is starting for different reasons. Let’s explore alternative routes you can take. 

Fix #1: How to Stop Apple Music App by Disabling the Handoff Feature

Apple’s “Handoff” feature simplifies multitasking. But Handoff has access to several functions, which may cause launching media from Apple Music when you don’t want it to. 

Disabling Handoff might solve this problem, and this is how you can do it.

1. 1. Open “Settings” on your iPhone (the cogwheel icon).
2. 2. Tap “General”.

1. 3. Go to “AirPlay & Handoff”.

1. 4. Tap the green slider next to “Handoff” to disable it.

Fix #2: How to Stop Apple Music App by Disabling Bluetooth

Sometimes, the Apple Music app may play automatically whenever a new device is discovered and paired via Bluetooth.

Cutting off Bluetooth from your iPhone may solve this problem. It will prevent it from recognizing other Bluetooth-compatible devices, plain and simple. This is how it’s done.

1. 1. Launch “Settings” (the cogwheel icon).
2. 2. Tap “Bluetooth”.

1. 3. Tap the green slider next to “Bluetooth” to disable.

Note that disabling Bluetooth on your iPhone will also make other Bluetooth-related features like AirDrop, Find My, and similar functions unavailable. 

How to Stop Apple Music from Auto-Playing on Mac

Stopping Apple Music auto-play on a Mac device is the same as on mobile devices. In other words, you’ll have to determine whether the Autoplay function is on and disable it. If the problem persists, disabling your Bluetooth and Handoff can do the trick. 

So, in short:

1. 1. Launch Apple Music from your Mac device.
2. 2. Play any song and click on the Playing Next button.
3. 3. Look for the infinity icon and tap it.

Extra Fix: Disabling Handoff on Mac

Disabling the Apple Handoff feature on Mac is simple, but the process may be different depending on the version of your device. If you’re using macOS version 13 and later, this is how it’s done.

1. 1. Tap the “Apple” icon in the top left corner of your screen.
2. 2. Click on “System Settings”.

1. 3. Go to “General” from the sidebar on the left.
2. 4. Click on “Airdrop and Handoff” on the right side of the “General” menu.

1. 5. Disable “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud Devices”.

If your Mac device is running on any earlier version (12.5 and earlier), some menus may be named differently, but they look the same otherwise and contain the same settings.

1. 1. Tap the “Apple” icon and go to “System Preferences”.
2. 2. Tap “General”.
3. 3. Disable “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices”.

While you’re looking through your Mac’s settings, you may want to disable the Bluetooth function to see if it helps resolve the problem. 

How to Stop Apple Music from Automatically Playing when Connected to Bluetooth Speakers or Headphones

Apple Music can start playing random songs as soon as your iPhone gets connected to headphones or any audio Bluetooth devices. 

This can happen at the worst moments (e.g. in the middle of a class, during business interviews, etc.). And the thing is that Apple doesn’t have a conventional method of preventing the autoplay feature from launching in such cases.

One workaround involving one of my favorite iPhone utilities is “Personal Automation”. You can create a personal Bluetooth automation that can counter Apple Music’s automatic playing in simple steps, but let me briefly explain how it works.

Apple iPhone automation functions are exactly what they sound like. They are self-initiating processes defined by the user’s input. It’s important to keep tabs on the ones you create so that when more streamlined alternatives do become available you can shut them off, but I’ll get to that in a second.

Here’s how to create an automation that will stop Apple Music from launching when your iPhone is connected to Bluetooth.

1. 1. Launch the “Shortcuts” app and click on “Automation” at the bottom.

1. 2. Tap “New Automation”.

1. 3. Scroll down and tap “Bluetooth”.

1. 4. Select “Choose” and tap the name of your device (e.g. “Speakers”).
2. 5. Tap “Done” in the upper right corner.

1. 6. On the next screen, just tap “Next”.

1. 7. Tap “New Blank Automation”.

1. 8. Tap “Add Action”.

• 9. Tap “Media”.

1. 10. Scroll down to the “Playback” section and tap the “Play/Pause” button.

1. 11. After you tap “Play/Pause”, select “Pause” then and tap “Done”.

This neat little trick will override the Apple Music auto-start on the selected device, but it’s important to emphasize that it will only work as long as the automatic launch is active.

This means that if you find another workaround (or if Apple brings a simpler way to disable auto-launch and you decide to use it), you should disable this Automation, so let me brief you on how it’s done. 

1. 1. Launch “Shortcuts”.
2. 2. Select “Automation”.
3. 3. Select the name of this automation (“Bluetooth – Media – Pause”)
4. 4. Next to the automation’s name should be a slider called “Enable This Automation”; if it’s green, tap on it, and it should turn gray.
5. 5. Select “Done”: to complete the process.

How to Stop Apple Music from Automatically Playing when Connected to Car

To remain safe, you need an absolute, clear focus when you’re driving, and Apple Music launching full blast as soon as you turn up the engine is not just a minor inconvenience. 

One fix is to create a personal Bluetooth automation like the one we explained above, but there’s an easier fix – simply disable CarPlay. Here’s how to do it.

1. 1. On your iPhone, open the “Settings” app.
2. 2. Open “Screen Time”.

1. 3. Navigate to “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”

1. 4. Make sure “Content & Privacy Restrictions” are activated and tap “Allowed Apps”.

1. 5. Tap on the green slider next to “CarPlay” to disable it.

And that’s how to stop Apple Music from automatically playing in car!

How to Stop Apple Music from Automatically Playing: FAQs

Why does Apple Music open on startup when I turn on my iPhone or Mac?

Apple Music will only launch on its own if the “Autoplay” feature is enabled in the player. It is active by default, meaning that iPhone and Mac users will have to manually disable it by tapping the “Autoplay” symbol. 

How to stop Apple Music from playing songs on its own?

The fastest method to prevent Apple Music from playing songs is to disable the “Autoplay” feature from the player. The infinity icon next to the song/playlist indicates that this function is currently active, so tap it to disable the function. Alternatively, users can disable Handoff and CarPlay and turn their Bluetooth off to ensure Apple Music won’t start on its own. 

How do I disable Apple Music on my iPhone?

It is not possible to fully uninstall Apple Music from your iPhone. However, you can cancel your Apple Music subscription by opening the “Settings” app, tapping your profile icon, going to “Subscriptions”, finding “Apple Music” and canceling the subscription.

Did We Fix the Problem? Do You Now Know How to Stop Apple Music From Automatically Playing?

That’s all for today. Stopping Apple Music from auto-playing is easy. You usually uncheck the infinity sign button in your player to do so.

This guide covered a few more options, including the Handoff feature, basic Bluetooth disabling, and a trick for using the Shortcut app.

If you want more content, don’t miss our How To guides. Cheers!