
If you have a big existing music library and you're not sure about Apple matching it for access on your mobile, you can turn this feature off on your computer but leave it on for your mobile. To do this, simply toggle the iCloud Music Library option off. So if you're precious about your existing downloads (and rightly so), you may want to turn off iCloud. Apple will match these with its own tracks so you can listen offline – but it may not always get the right version. This can present some problems to users with a big existing library, especially if you have your own playlists. In your iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > Music and toggle iCloud Music Library on. A number of features are only available with iCloud Music activated – most notably offline listening. You might want to enable iCloud Music Library to get the most from Apple Music if you're using an iPhone or iPad. Sign in to iCloud Music for extra features. The iPhone will simply become smarter about how to play what you want to hear, without necessarily forcing you to use Apple’s own apps if you don’t want to.3.

It has since returned with the release of beta 3, which again drew attention and headlines - as well as Apple’s response.Īlthough it’s not technically allowing you to set a “default,” the Siri-powered feature could eventually feel like one for users with consistent listening behavior. The audio choice feature first appeared in iOS 14.5 beta 1, but had been pulled in beta 2. Spotify, in particular, has alleged that Apple is behaving in anti-competitive ways - for instance by requiring a commission on Spotify’s in-app purchases even though Apple runs a rival music service that Spotify claims has first-party advantages. In fact, Siri may ask you again at some point - a request that could confuse users if they thought their preferences had already been set.Īlthough this may seem like a minor clarification, it has a greater importance given the increased regulatory scrutiny Apple is under these days over how its App Store and app ecosystem work. However, your response to Siri is not making that particular service your “default,” Apple says.

Instead, the feature is Siri intelligence-based, meaning it can improve and even change over time as Siri learns to better understand your listening habits.įor example, if you tell Siri to play a song, album or artist, it may ask you which service you want to use to listen to this sort of content. But Apple doesn’t consider this feature the equivalent to “setting a default” - an option it more recently began to allow for email and browser apps.

Following the beta’s release back in February, a number of beta testers noticed that Siri would now ask which music service they would like to use when they asked Siri to play music. Apple has clarified that the iOS 14.5 beta is not actually allowing users to select a new default music service, as has been reported.
