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Play/pause media button (F8) on MacBook Pro doesn't work

I have a MacBook Pro 16" with M2 pro, 2023 edition.

The play/pause key works right after booting up, but then within an hour of using the computer, it stops working.

I mainly listen on Spotify, and I can skip songs and go back on songs, but the play/pause button simply does nothing.

This is true whether or not Spotify is on-screen or off-screen at the moment.


My bluetooth headphones that are connected can successfully pause Spotify.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on May 15, 2023 9:45 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 23, 2023 9:51 AM

I found a potential solution to this issue. I signed out of the Apple Music application and re-signed in and now all media keys work across the top of the Magic Keyboard!

  1. Open Music app
  2. Go to Account
  3. Click Sign Out (Media keys should work now)
  4. Under the Account dropdown, click Sign In.
  5. Type User Name, click Sign In
  6. Type your Password for iTunes Store/Apple Music account and click Sign In

This resolved my issue. Hope it helps you too!

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 23, 2023 9:51 AM in response to gsdgrad05

I found a potential solution to this issue. I signed out of the Apple Music application and re-signed in and now all media keys work across the top of the Magic Keyboard!

  1. Open Music app
  2. Go to Account
  3. Click Sign Out (Media keys should work now)
  4. Under the Account dropdown, click Sign In.
  5. Type User Name, click Sign In
  6. Type your Password for iTunes Store/Apple Music account and click Sign In

This resolved my issue. Hope it helps you too!

May 17, 2023 2:39 PM in response to nbarshain

Hey there nbarshain,


Thanks so much for using Apple Support Communities.


It's possible that the F8/play button on your keyboard is being treated as a standard function key instead of the key used to control media playback. If so, then you should be able to adjust this functionality right from System Settings by following these steps:


1. Choose Apple menu  > System Settings.
2. Click Keyboard in the sidebar.
3. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts button on the right.
4. Click Function Keys in the sidebar.
5. Turn on “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”.


That info can also be found here: How to use the function keys on your Mac - Apple Support


We hope this does the trick for you!


Cheers.

Play/pause media button (F8) on MacBook Pro doesn't work

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