Apple Music skips about 2 seconds into track on macOS and tvOS

Apple Music on both macOS and tvOS skips about 2 seconds into a track. Is there a fix?

  1. The issue only occurs with streamed tracks. If I download the track, the problem goes away.
  2. I don't notice this on all tracks. When it happens on a track, however, it consistently happens.
  3. It started occurring about a week ago or so.
  4. Soundcheck is not turned on.
  5. The issue does not occur on iOS.


I compared the waves between streaming and downloaded:


MBP M1 16" 2021

macOS 12.3.1

Apple Music 1.2.3.56


Apple TV 4k 2nd Gen

tvOS 15.4

Apple Music (latest version as of 4/10/2022)

MacBook Pro (2020 and later)

Posted on Apr 10, 2022 8:03 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 6, 2022 6:58 AM

I'm making tests, my results are as follows:


  1. It only happens with Lossless AND streaming. I tried downloading some songs and I never get skipping with downloaded songs. I also tried disabling Lossless and it doesn't skip with regular AAC when streaming.
  2. I tried reproducing the problem (using Lossless with Streaming) with a playlist in both normal and random order, in both cases I advanced to the end of a song (about 10 secs before ending) and when the next one is played the skipping doesn't happen.


This only points to caching, the Music app must be loading a lower (or different) bitrate song before loading the Lossless stream version (just like any streaming video) when a song is requested on demand and this is causing the skip, hence when playing it on an ordered manner it doesn't skip. A list wether random or normal is still an ordered list, the random list is generated when the first chosen song is played, and we can go forward or backwards through the songs in that "random" list.

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83 replies

Feb 17, 2024 12:49 AM in response to philfnyc1

Hey philfnyc1,


It sounds like you're having a specific issue with Apple Music on both macOS and tvOS where tracks skip about 2 seconds into playback, but only with streamed tracks, not with downloaded ones. This problem started occurring approximately a week ago and doesn't happen on iOS devices. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially fix this issue:


  1. Check Network Connection: Since the issue only occurs with streamed tracks, it's worth ensuring that your network connection is stable and not experiencing any interruptions. Try restarting your router or switching to a different network to see if the problem persists.
  2. Restart Devices: Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary software glitches. Try restarting your Mac and Apple TV to see if that helps.
  3. Update Software: Make sure that both your macOS and tvOS are updated to the latest versions available. Apple often releases software updates that include bug fixes and performance improvements.
  4. Reset Apple Music: On your macOS device, try signing out of Apple Music and then signing back in. This can sometimes resolve issues related to your Apple Music account.
  5. Check for Known Issues: Visit Apple's support website or community forums to see if other users are experiencing similar issues with Apple Music on macOS and tvOS. There may be ongoing issues or solutions provided by Apple or other users.
  6. Contact Apple Support: If the problem persists after trying the above steps, consider reaching out to Apple Support for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps or escalate the issue if it's a known bug.


By following these steps, you should hopefully be able to resolve the issue with Apple Music skipping tracks on macOS and tvOS. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to ask!


Best regards, Anas Amr Galal

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Apple Music skips about 2 seconds into track on macOS and tvOS

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