Disable or Enable Autoplay in Apple Music and Other Tips

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 have significantly improved the way Apple Music works. The new Listen Now tab offers better suggestions, Search has been greatly improved, and the UI as a whole feels much improved. On iPad, Apple Music now has superior navigation due to the addition of a custom sidebar.

However, there are also various updates and improvements to how Apple Music works by design. One important and notable change is that Apple Music continues to play related tracks automatically after the end of an album or playlist. You may or may not like this function. For those who wait patiently, Apple is preparing to release iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 in the Fall, which means the fourth week of September this year.

Disable or Enable Autoplay on Apple Music

By default, the Autoplay function in Apple Music kicks in after the last song in an album or playlist. Then random selections from inside or outside your music library will continue to play. This means the music never stops! Better still, it also helps you discover new tracks. But if that bothers you, it’s pretty easy to disable Autoplay on Apple Music.

Start by opening the Now Playing screen on iPhone; To do this, tap the currently playing song. Then tap the Up Next icon in the lower right corner of the screen.

Now, it’s a simple matter of tapping the Autoplay icon (which looks like an endless loop) next to Play Next. This should stop Apple Music from playing tracks automatically.

You only need to do this once; You don’t have to repeatedly disable functionality for each album or playlist. Tap the Autoplay icon again on the Up Next screen when you want to activate the function.

On iPad, disabling or enabling autoplay in Apple Music is the same as on iPhone.

Go to the Now Playing screen, switch to the Up Next list, and then tap the Autoplay icon to disable or enable the function.

Other Apple Music Tips and Tweaks

In iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple Music comes with many other improvements. Before we finish, let’s take a look at a handful of features and settings you might not know.

Add Apple Music Widget to Home Screen

iPhone has received updated and detailed rich widgets that you can easily add anywhere on the Home screen. Apple Music also has one; Displays recently played albums and playlists that act as quick shortcuts to the Music app.

Dive into the widget gallery; Shake the home screen and tap the plus-shaped icon in the upper-left corner of the screen to reach it. Select the Apple Music widget, choose a size (small, medium, or large) and tap Add Widget. You can then drag the widget anywhere on the Home screen.

Note: You cannot add widgets to the Home screen on iPad.

Scroll Down to Start Searching

Despite the many filters in the Library tab, searching for your music can often be a hassle. In iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple Music makes things easier by adding a search bar; by default it is just hidden.

Start by tapping any of the categories (Albums, Artists, Playlists, etc.) in the Library. Then, scroll down to reveal the Search bar.

Disable Motion on Poster Cover Art

Apple Music’s Listen Now tab comes with redesigned poster images, some with varying gradients and animations. If you prefer static poster art instead, turn off that setting.

Start by going to iPhone/iPad Settings > Music. Tap Motion, then tap Off. Alternatively, you can select Wi-Fi Only to restrict poster art animations when connected to Wi-Fi; This will help you protect cellular data.

Boost Sound with Headphone Stays

As of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, you can use an accessibility setting called Headphone Accommodations to increase sound on supported Apple and Beats headphones, such as AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro.

This is not an Apple Music related feature; applies to all audio outputs in general. But if you are deaf, it will come in handy when listening to music.

Go to iPhone Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Headphone Placements. After enabling the feature, you can use the various controls listed on the screen to increase the sound output as you wish.

Love it or Hate it

Apple Music continues to grow (with almost 70 million subscribers at the time of writing), so expect more additions and improvements as time goes on. Sure, you may or may not like them all, but Apple’s music streaming service overall, things have improved a lot compared to a while ago. That said, Apple Music still has a lot to do if it wants to catch up with Spotify.

Next: Apple Music can’t play downloaded songs on your iPhone or iPad? Try these fixes.