How to disable "More than one device is trying to play music"

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Level 1

43 points

How to disable "More than one device is trying to play music"

I know this has been asked a few hundred times and the stock answer seems to be "tough-toodies, buy the family plan".

The family plan won't help. I am often on my computer, alone, working from home and attempting to listen to iTunes music via HomePod (which sounds fantastic when using two of them BTW) but that stream is interrupted very often or self-disables. Then I have to dig around on my multiple workspaces to find the iTunes pop-up which tells me "More than one device . . bla-bla-bla".

This is very disruptive.

So lately I have taken to unplugging my HomePods and just listen to my music library through my crappy old desktop speakers. But lately, even THAT is being interrupted by the iTunes popup.

Now, before you tell me to buy the family plan (which isn't a cure-all as there are several instances here where having that plan still results in interrupted streams) there is often no one else at home with me using iTunes.

Sometimes my 7-year old daughter is on her iPod Touch and sometimes she asks Siri to play some music or another. But most of the time it is just me in the house, working.

Apple Music USE to be the one thing from Apple that always worked as advertised.

To recap: 100% of the time that I am attempting to stream iTunes music at home on my iMac, iTunes will halt after 2-3 minutes and ask me to buy the Family Share Plan. THIS NEVER STOPS.

When I am alone in the house working, I am on my iMac and hopefully either playing music from my library via iTunes or streaming music via HomePod (which is less and less as leaving them unplugged is the only way to have some semblance of uninterrupted work time).

A: How do I identify the mystery device that is NOT in use and disable Apple Music from it.

B: Is there a setting on my daughters iPod Touch that will allow me to have it NOT trigger this Family Plan popup on MY iMac. She doesn't use iTunes enough to warrant adding the family plan and my wife never uses iTunes or streaming music of any kind.

Posted on May 10, 2019 10:03 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Urquhart1244

Level 10

147,100 points

May 16, 2019 1:55 PM in response to JKN1

When you get that message, it would mean that more than one device with your Apple ID is playing music from your Apple Music subscription.

The moment that you get the interrupt, is the moment that another device starts playing. It could be a device outside your home, even very far away.

Someone is using your Apple ID to play music from your Apple Music subscription. See all devices that use your Apple ID at appleid.apple.com.

Perhaps it is time to change your password, to lock out unauthorized use. Change your Apple ID password - Apple Support. It may even trigger the offender to ask you what’s up with the lock-out.

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Answer 2

Jun 13, 2019 11:40 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Just a note on the above:

https://appleid.apple.com does not show Amazon Alexa which is the cause of my problems.

The above link only shows my Apple devices and Windows machine with iTunes installed.

My issue was caused by me listening on my phone while my wife at home was trying to get Alexa to play music.

Open the Amazon Alexa app, then tap the menu button in the upper-left corner.
Tap Settings.
In Alexa Preferences, tap Music.

It shows there for me that Apple Music is my default player.

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Answer 3

May 16, 2019 2:09 PM in response to JKN1

The Message ""More than one device is trying to play music" indicates exactly that.

If you are sharing an Apple Id, and someone tries to play music on a device logged on to that ID at the same time you are playing music, that message will be triggered. It does not matter where the other device is, or how far away from you or your other devices it is. If it has an internet connection and can play music, it will trigger the message.

Family Sharing and the Apple Music Family subscription will in fact solve this by correctly using it. Each person should have their own Apple ID, then up to 6 people can play music at the same time on 6 devices, and the popup will not be triggered.

If you are sharing an Apple ID then only one device logged into a specific ID can ever play music at any one time.

This is in fact what its meant to prevent. Trying to have more than one user play music at the same time from a single User Apple Music subscription is a violation of the terms of Apple Music.

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Answer 4

JKN1 Author

Level 1

43 points

May 16, 2019 2:25 PM in response to Phil0124

The other person is my 7 year-old daughter playing games on my old iPhone here at home (with cellular disabled). When she is not home, this warning isn't triggered. She isn't playing Apple Music or using iTunes to play any music. She downloads free games from the App Store (or attempts to), watches YouTube vids. She likes to ask Siri questions. So her use of iTunes is inadvertent.

I'm really wondering if there is a setting somewhere that will ignore her device so that its HER device that fails at playing music and not mine (usually my iMac which has iTunes streaming or playing my musical files for most of the day).

If she was a teenager, I would gladly set her up with her own iTunes log-in or account. But she is 7.

And I recently changed my Apple ID/iTunes log-in password and it causes untold heartaches with my devices. Why it cannot use your Face ID or fingerprint for more log-ins I'll never figure out but that is for a different rant.

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Answer 5

ApexRon

Level 1

70 points

Jun 18, 2019 8:04 AM in response to JKN1

For me this happens when I am using the Music app on my AppleTV which is logged in with my AppleID

Four of my other Apple devices are not in use and definitely not playing Music. Two of those Apple devices are logged in with my AppleID but not in use. The other two are logged in with another AppleID.

I am using a fifth Apple device, a MacBook Pro, and it is logged in to my AppleID but it is not using iTunes.

I use two factor authentication so I can tell you no one is attempting to logon with my AppleID else I would get a message.

Apple Music has a bug, period.

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How to disable "More than one device is trying to play music"

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