Many consider Apple Music to be one of the best music streaming services you can use today. Not only is there a huge catalog of songs and podcasts to listen to, but the service seamlessly integrates local music with online streaming, and the addition of lossless audio gives it an edge over its competitors. However, if you plan to switch from Spotify to Apple Music, you will lose access to a specific feature.
This feature helps smoothly transfer audio playback from one device to another, something Apple Music is not able to do. This lack of real-time cross-device continuity is considered by many users to be one of Apple Music’s biggest problems. On Spotify, switching between devices is quick and easy. If you’re listening to music on your desktop or gaming console, you can use your phone to skip to another track, fast-forward the current song, or skip to another playlist altogether.
The same is not possible on Apple Music. You can’t use your phone to change the song on your Mac or Apple TV, or resume playing a song you were listening to on your MacBook on your iPhone. On student or individual plans, trying to play music on a new device with a track already playing on another triggers a warning that playback is only allowed on one device. The family plan also does not offer continuity between devices; If you are playing music on one device while another is already streaming music, a new session will be created and the music will be streamed to both devices simultaneously, independently of each other. During transfer
Why doesn’t Apple Music sync playback across devices?
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Apple Music isn’t the only music streaming platform that doesn’t offer playback transfer between devices; Synchronized playback between devices is a Spotify feature missing from YouTube Music and many other services. There are probably two main reasons why Apple still hasn’t implemented this feature in Apple Music.
The first reason is a difference in design philosophy due to how Apple Music evolved from very different services. Today, Apple offers the same platform on iOS, macOS, tvOS, Android and Windows. However, this was not always the case. For example, the standalone Apple Music app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android was built on existing Beats Music app code, while its macOS version used existing iTunes code as a base. Windows didn’t get Apple Music until 2023, and Windows users previously had to rely on an older iTunes app. This difference in app infrastructure likely led to each device having separate playback, and it’s a decision Apple has stuck to.
The second reason has to do with some issues that may exist with this feature and some benefits of ignoring it. For example, cross-device continuity can be a barrier when you’re listening to music on a desktop computer and then want to quickly switch to your phone to go out. Additionally, synchronized playback generally prevents you from using the same account to listen to music on multiple devices simultaneously. On Spotify, you can’t listen to music on both your phone and your computer. You can do this with the family plan, but only if you have different accounts on each device. With the Apple Music Family Plan, you can enjoy simultaneous audio playback on devices using the same Apple ID.
