In short: Apple Music Sing (karaoke mode) won’t work when Low Power Mode is enabled. Also, keep in mind that it’s only available with some songs. The karaoke feature is not available for all songs on Apple Music.
Apple Music Sing is a karaoke mode that lets you follow along as you listen to your favorite songs with perfectly timed lyrics on your iPhone or iPad.
To use the karaoke mode, play a song from Apple Music, then tap the Lyrics button on the bottom of the Now Playing screen. You can adjust the volume of the vocals to sing along.
Unfortunately, many people have noticed that the Apple Music Sing (karaoke mode) is not working on their devices. Let’s go through some troubleshooting steps.
Apple Music Sing won’t work with Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode reduces the amount of power that your iPhone or iPad uses when the battery gets low. However, Apple Music Sing (karaoke mode) won’t work with Low Power Mode.
If your device has Low Power Mode enabled, you’ll get the “Vocal controls will be available once Low Power Mode is turned off on your device” message.
To disable Low Power Mode, navigate to Settings > Battery.
You can also add Low Power Mode to the Control Center. Navigate to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, then select Low Power Mode to add it to Control Center.
Now whenever you want to disable the setting, just swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen and tap Low Power Mode to disable it.
When Low Power Mode is on, your iPhone or iPad will last longer before you need to charge it, but some tasks, including Apple Music Sing might not work until you turn it off.
You’re not connected to the internet
If Apple Music Sing is not working and the Lyrics button is grayed out, chances are you’re not connected to the internet. Check your internet connection, or connect to a different network.
Once you’ve established a good internet connection, the Lyrics button should be available and you should be able to use the Apple Music karaoke mode.
The song doesn’t have lyrics
If Apple Music Sing is not working and the Lyrics button is grayed out, chances are you’re playing a song that’s not from the Apple Music catalog, or lyrics aren’t available for that song.
According to Apple, not all songs have lyrics. If Apple Music lyrics are not showing, it could be that the song you’re playing does not have lyrics available.
This means that if you’re playing a song that doesn’t have lyrics, then you won’t be able to use the karaoke mode on Apple Music because you can’t sing along.
You can add lyrics to a song on Apple Music by becoming a verified lyrics publisher, or you’re the actual artist of the song. You can also add custom lyrics as well.
Since Apple Music Sing (karaoke mode) only works for select songs, try testing the feature with a curated selection, such as the Sing-Along Essentials playlist.
You’re not using a compatible device
Apple Music Sing is only available for iPhones with A13 Bionic chips. This includes the iPhone 11 and later. The karaoke feature is also available on selected iPad devices as well.
Without a compatible device, the Apple Music Sing (karaoke mode) won’t be available. According to Apple, the Sing is supported on the following iPhone and iPad models:
- iPhone 11 and later or iPhone SE (3rd generation).
- iPad Pro (5th generation and later).
- iPad Air (4th generation and later).
- iPad mini (6th generation) or iPad (9th generation and later).
Even if you have a compatible device, a caveat is that your device must be updated to the latest version of iOS. If your device is not running the latest software, Apple Music Sing won’t work.
To check for updates, navigate to Settings > General, then tap Software Update. If you see more than one software update option available, choose the one that you want to install.
Then, tap on Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. And that’s about it.
Tap the Mic button on your iPhone or iPad, not HomePod
If you want to AirPlay to HomePod, first tap the Mic button on your iPhone or iPad. If you’re playing directly on the HomePod, it doesn’t work when controlling your playback.
For some reason, if you’re playing directly on the HomePod, it doesn’t work when controlling your playback from the iPhone. But if you specifically AirPlay from the phone, it does work.
Enable Apple Music Sing and then select AirPlay on your HomePod. It will stream from your iPhone instead, so your notifications and other sounds go to your HomePod as well.
Apple Music Sing works when the song is on your playlist
What I’ve discovered after tinkering with the Apple Music app is that the Sing karaoke mode mostly doesn’t work when I Create Station, but it does work if I play the song through a playlist.
Whenever I play a song from my playlist (after adding the song to my playlist) the Mic button appears and I can adjust the volume of the vocals to sing along. Try it yourself.
Also, If I go to the album of the song manually, it works. If I just look up the song on the search bar, the Sing karaoke mode does not work. I’m pretty sure it’s a bug on Apple Music.
Last resort (glitch workaround)
As great as the Apple Music app is, there have been reports of numerous bugs and errors, especially with the Sing karaoke mode. I’ve found a workaround that might help.
- Force close the Apple Music app.
- Turn Low Power Mode on.
- Open the Apple Music app.
- Play a song that is compatible with Sing.
- Open the app switcher (don’t close anything though).
- Go to the Control Center and disable Low Power Mode.
- Go back to Apple Music and play the song.
- The vocals volume slider should appear and work.
I love the Sing feature because I can sing along on Apple Music, but getting it to work is quite tricky to say the least. If you’re dealing with the same issue, try the workaround.
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