How to seamlessly switch Apple Music between devices?

As it works for most people, it's not really something "they" can fix. Unfortunately, this is probably going to require more troubleshooting on your part.

I would start by turning off everything on the list above, restarting your devices and turning everything on again.

swandy wrote:

We might be discussing two different issues. If I play a song or playlist on any of my devices (iphone 14, iPad mini and M2 iMac) I can’t continue the same playlist/song on another device without finding the playlist and then finding the song I was playing. I am not talking about using the HomePod speakers - just listening from either the device or using AirPods.

Well, I wasn't responding to you but, it does appear we're talking about the same thing. A Homepod is just one more Apple device. Some suggestions have been given in this thread. But, we don't really know why this doesn't work for you or the OP.

I have been wishing for and asking for this ability for since Apple Music started. You would think it is the most logical of all the Apple apps to provide this. There is an app in the Mac App and iPhone App Store called Playoff that would duplicate this but even after I installed it on my iPhone, iPad and iMac, it was not completely reliable so I gave up on it as it looks like it hasn’t been updated in quite a while.

I agree, this should just work. Another issue for me is the lack of support for lossless audio over airplay 2 for hardware which isn't made by apple; Sonos comes to mind! I don't get apples logic sometimes, I'm paying for a service (Apple Music) and their hardware (iPhone 15 max, Ipad pro, Mac Pro etc) but can't play lossless. Absolutely crazy! This is why subscribers leave, its just lazy of ignorant?

Handoff between Mac and Iphone is absolutely necessary....and needs to be fixed.

It works with my car stereo, i listen on beats fit pro and when i enter car and phone connects via bluetooth to car it continues there and stops in the earbuds.

Is there a place to make such request?

For some time I have been using Spotify and wanted to switch to Apple Music but my daughters just wouldn't have it. So what I did was that I switched alone and started using the app. Today was the first time I wanted to use the handoff but there is not an option to do so. For some reason, Apple is refusing to apply some options that are almost second nature elsewhere. Perhaps they want to wait so they are not accused of copying someone.

One other option that would "blow out of the water" other music apps is to make music libraries from Spotify importable to Apple Music. Worth considering, unless it is a violation of copyrights or other proprietary software.

To me the most frustrating is the lack of handoff between my phone and watch. When I start a playlist or podcast in the car on the way to run or workout and don’t want to carry my phone the whole time, I have to get far enough away so the Bluetooth disconnects and then go into podcasts or music and start over. Just incredible how all apple products and services used but they don’t handoff, yet as noted above Spotify has been doing this across devices and operating systems for years.

I thought I should try Apple music after many years with Spotify just to see if they do better. But to be honest, I'll just let this subscription run out and I'll definitely switch back to Spotify. This is one feature I can't do without.

I have to chime in because this is also driving me nuts!

I just imported my library from Spotify to Apple Music, and I just now realized that this isn't a feature that Apple Music supports. Not gonna lie, this is making me feel like I'd rather continue paying for Spotify than use my free Apple Music plan that I get through Verizon. This is one of those features that I didn't realize how critical it is until I notice that it's gone.

IE: I'm at work right now. I'm listening to music on my Mac. The UI for favoriting songs is really lacking (tiny star button) so I figured I'd just look at my phone and favorite it there while I walk to get coffee. Boom, no chance. It really feels like the stone age of streaming. I might as well have just downloaded hard copies of my music on each separate device, because that is the net affect!

Also while I'm here, the fact that I can't favorite songs from the Sonos app is also a deal breaker. This is also pushing me back to Spotify! Please patch the leaking holes because this ship is feeling like one I don't want to jump for!

I can only assume there is an underlying technical hurdle that is not evidently clear to an outside observer; this feature seems like an absolute no brainer for anyone who has ever walked away from their desk while listening to music on their computer.

I'm no expert but couldn't something like this work? Where you check the RSSI of the bluetooth connection to determine if you're walking away from a computer while music is playing?

def is_airpods_in_use():
    # Query connected Bluetooth devices
    airpods_connected = check_bluetooth_connection("AirPods")
    # Check if AirPods are active audio output
    active_device = get_active_audio_output_device()
    return airpods_connected and active_device == "AirPods"

def is_user_nearby():
    # Use Bluetooth RSSI to estimate proximity
    rssi = get_device_rssi("User's iPhone")
    # RSSI threshold for "nearby" vs "away" (e.g., -70 dBm is far)
    return rssi > -70

def is_music_playing():
    # Query media playback status
    return get_music_playback_status() == "playing"

def prompt_user_for_transfer():
    # Prompt the user for confirmation
    response = input("You are walking away from your computer. Transfer music to iPhone? (yes/no): ")
    return response.lower() == "yes"

def transfer_music_to_iphone():
    if is_music_playing():
        # Pause music on the computer
        pause_music_on_computer()
        # Use AirPlay or Handoff to play music on iPhone
        start_playback_on_iphone()
        print("Music playback transferred to iPhone.")

def main():
    while True:
        # Periodically check conditions
        if is_airpods_in_use() and not is_user_nearby():
            if prompt_user_for_transfer():
                transfer_music_to_iphone()
                break
        else:
            print("Conditions not met. Monitoring...")
        # Wait a bit before checking again
        time.sleep(5)

# Run the program
main()

I believe your list is accurate.

But it works beautifully on my HomePod. I feel like they have it working but only want to give you the feature in a limited way.

Agreed. Apple should adress this soon. It is a big flaw for apple music

that icon and its menu do not show on my macbook (m2 2022) when apple music is open

That’s not the case the OP is asking. What OP wants is if from MBP then continue to plays to another device like iPhone.