In short: Most apps that are made for media consumption (videos and/or music) choose not to mix with other apps’ audio. So when the second app starts playing, Apple Music has to stop.
Does a song play on Apple Music suddenly stop whenever you open another app? I understand that it’s downright annoying. Let’s explore some of the solutions.
Can you listen to Apple Music while using other apps?
You can listen to Apple Music while using other apps, as long as you are subscribed to Apple Music and the other app allows media playback from other apps (other than itself).
According to an iOS music app developer, every app on iOS gets its own audio session from the system. Each app has to declare whether its audio can be mixed with others or not.
Most apps that are made for media consumption (videos and/or music) choose not to mix with other apps’ audio. So when the second app starts playing, the first one has to stop.
For example, when you’re listening to Apple Music and you decide to open the Reddit app, the song stops. It’s not Apple Music’s fault, the Reddit app simply doesn’t allow media playback.
This seems to be the case with Spotify as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do. It all depends on the app developer (whether the app allows media playback or not).
Why does Apple Music stop when you open another app?
The most common reason why Apple Music stops when you open another app is that the other app doesn’t allow any media playback to run in the background.
Here are other reasons why:
1. You haven’t given the app access to Apple Music
Apple Music stops when you open another app if you haven’t given the app access to Apple Music. Some apps might need your permission to access your Apple Music subscription.
According to Apple, you can browse and play music from Apple Music and your music library on the web and in apps, as long as you have given access to the other app.
When a certain app prompts you for permission to Apple Music, make sure to tap OK to allow access to your music library, playlists, and personal recommendations.
If you’re using a third-party website, open your account settings and look for an option to connect your subscription. You might have to sign in to the account that you use.
2. The other app doesn’t allow Apple Music to continue playing
Songs on Apple Music should keep playing when switching apps, unless the app that you have just opened tries to “take custody” of the media playback itself.
Basically, it’s up to the app developer of the app you’re switching to when playback stops to not code their app to stop background playback of other apps, in this case, Apple Music.
iOS gives priority to the foreground app for media playback, so other playback stops. It is also up to the foreground app to determine how it uses the audio output of the background app.
The app in the foreground can decide what to do with playing audio. It can choose to pause all other audio or let it continue playing in the background, or a mix of both.
If Apple Music stops when you open another app, disable the “in-app sounds” of the app you are trying to open. You can usually find this in the settings of the app.
Most applications will have a setting found inside your personal account settings for the mobile app’s sound preferences when the app is open. Here are some guides for different apps:
Apple Music stops when you open Facebook
If Apple Music stops when you open Facebook, select the “Never Autoplay Videos” option. Once you have done this, restart the Facebook app. Apple Music should now play in the background.
If it still doesn’t work, go to iPhone settings, then to Facebook settings, and turn off access to Location, Calendars, Photos, Bluetooth, Local Network, Microphone, and Camera.
Restart the Facebook app. Now you should be able to scroll Facebook and listen to music at the same time. If you watch a video the music pauses but starts again once the video has finished.
If Apple Music still stops when you open Facebook, force quit the Facebook app. Some people have reported a bug in the Facebook app that tells iOS that it’s playing content.
Facebook needs to fix this, not Apple.
The problem occurs when Facebook is open before Apple Music. Shut Facebook down, make sure Apple Music is open first, then restart Facebook second. This should solve the issue.
Apple Music stops when you open Instagram
Turn off Microphone access for Instagram in the settings. Close every app in the background before opening Apple Music. Play a song then open Instagram. The music won’t stop now.
If you’re using an iPhone, go to Settings > General, then scroll down to Privacy. Go to Microphone, then toggle the OFF switch next to Microphone. And there you have it.
If you’re using Android, go to Settings > Apps. Select Instagram, then go to Permissions. Disable access to the microphone. And that’s all there is to it.
Apple Music stops when you open Reddit
Even when you play a song on Apple Music, Reddit becomes the dominant music app when you open it. The code of the Reddit app tells the system that it is now the media player.
To prevent Apple Music from stopping when you open Reddit, mute the video by the speaker icon on the bottom right of the video, open the control center, then press play.
Apple Music stops when you open Twitter
Most of the time, whenever Twitter is autoplaying a GIF or video the song you are playing on Apple Music stops. Tweaking the Twitter settings for autoplay should fix it.
- Inside the Twitter app, go to Settings and privacy.
- Under General, select Data usage.
- Under Video, navigate to Video autoplay.
- Make sure it is switched to “Never”.
Additionally, you can also disable “Sound Effects” inside the Twitter app’s settings. Go to Display and sound then toggle the “Sound Effects” settings to OFF. Finally, restart the Twitter app.
Apple Music stops when you open WhatsApp
Turn off Microphone access for WhatsApp in the settings. Close every app in the background before opening Apple Music. Play a song. Open WhatsApp, then turn on Microphone access.
You can leave the Microphone access off, but it means you will not be able to use WhatsApp for calls and voice messages. You can still use it for messaging without interruption.
As annoying as it is, I believe the issue is related to WhatsApp because the music stops when using both Apple Music and Spotify. WhatsApp definitely needs to sort the bug out.
3. Your phone is running short of memory
One possibility is your phone is old and running short on memory. As a result, if your foreground app requests a lot of memory then the background app gets killed.
When your phone’s storage space is running out, it may slow down some apps and functions, or they may not run properly. Delete or back up some data to free up space.
Alternatively, clear your phone’s cache and data. You can typically clear cache and data via your device’s settings menu. This step removes temporary files to help free up needed space.
4. Your phone needs a simple restart
Since you’ve already fully updated your iOS on your device, the next steps would be to force close all of your running apps, including Apple Music, then restart your iPhone.
Related articles: