iTunes starts up whenever I connect my bluetooth headset

after SEVERAL attempts at this annoying activity, i can confirm this works with OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 Thank you very much!

You can either:

1. Use an app to disable the iTunes play/pause hotkeys (which also disables this bluetooth auto-start functionality.

The app can be downloaded from this link: http://redth.codes/itunes-media-hotkey-disabler/

2. Make the same changes yourself using terminal:

To disable the functionality:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist

To re-enable it:

launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist

I wanted to share this fix for others. To stop the iTunes app from automatically launching when you use your bluetooth headphones, go to SysPref > CDs and DVDs and change "When you insert a music CD" from Open in iTunes to IGNORE.

For some reason this works. I have no idea why. For me, iTunes no longer automatically launches when I connect my bluetooth headphones 🙂

I can also confirm that the simplest solution is the best.

Just remove "Itunes Helper" from login Items. Problem solved!

System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items.

jespermolgaard wrote:

I can also confirm that the simplest solution is the best.

Just remove "Itunes Helper" from login Items. Problem solved!

System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items.

I'm glad that works for you but many, many, many, many, .... people have tried that to no avail.

thanks KiawahOC! this seems to have helped.

i can't believe apple would allow this to happen. my bluetooth headphones are connected to my phone. any time there is activity on it like a call or a text (which is all the time) iTunes pops up and BLARES random music in my ears.

+1

what version of OSX are you using anyway?

+1 - helped me!!!

Stopping rcd is the answer. Haven't yet tried to see what happens after reboot.

didnt we buy macs so we wouldnt need to customize basic functionality? why hasnt apple fixed this??????

Apparently Apple sees this idiocy as a feature, not a bug.

The following worked for me on 10.11.5. Just run this command on terminal:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist

To revert use "load" instead of "unload".

Results:

• Play/Pause on keyboard and/or bluetooth headset do not open iTunes anymore!
• iTunes can be opened manually.
• Media keys still work once music apps are running (Spotify, iTunes, etc).

Source http://superuser.com/a/827710

Auto-start of the reviled iTunes is just too much to bear. If Jobs were still at the helm, heads would be rolling. I've tried all the fixes to no avail. It's just another marvelous 'feature' of the once mighty Mac OS....

So dumb.

I have the same very annoying problem.

I'd like to know the name of the "genius" who introduced this annoying feature, we should give him the Nobel prize for the hassle!

Thank you very much, save my day.