Apple Music App Keeps Opening? 7 Issues (Solved)

Apple Music is one of the most popular music streaming services available today and its subscribers open up the Apple Music app regularly to listen to their favorite artists and enjoy its many features.

However, some users have found that Apple Music keeps opening when it shouldn’t, leaving many subscribers confused.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the issues of Apple Music opening on its own and arm you with the solutions you need to stop this from happening.

1. Apple Music Pops Up on your Lock Screen (Even When it’s Not Playing a Song)

Pop-ups on the lock screen of your iPhone are usually helpful. With a quick glance down, you can check if a message has been received or if there is a notification from one of your important apps.

However, Apple Music users have reported that since updating their iPhones to iOS 11, Apple Music seems to be a little too keen to pop up on their lock screens.

To make matters worse, Apple Music keeps opening even when it is not playing any music.

This problem with Apple Music opening via a pop-up on the lock screen has frustrated a fair few users who have complained about the problem on Apple’s support pages. However, there are some solutions that you can try if you’re having the same issue.

Prevent Apple Music from Opening by Disabling Notifications

Apple Music has its own notification options that can be altered from within your device’s settings.

Many users have found that disabling Apple Music’s notifications prevents Apple Music from opening on your lock screen and appearing as if it is playing music when it’s not.

If you want to disable Apple Music’s notifications, then follow the steps below:

1. Open ‘Settings’ on your iOS device.
2. Navigate to ‘Notifications’
3. Locate ‘Music’ and tap on it.
4. Toggle the option for ‘Allow Notifications’ to OFF.
5. Finally, restart your device.

This simple procedure should fix the error of Apple Music opening on your lock screen and appearing as if it is playing music.

However, if you’re still having issues, try fully rebooting your device.

2. Apple Music Keeps Unnecessarily Opening on the Lock Screen due to a Faulty Widget

Sometimes the problem of the Apple Music app opening on your device’s lock screen cannot be solved with the solutions above because the issue lies with a widget that is not behaving as it should.

If you’ve tried the fixes above and are still finding Apple Music is popping up when it shouldn’t, then try taking these steps listed below and disable your faulty widget:

1. Launch Settings from your iOS device.
2. Tap ‘Touch ID & Passcode’
3. Enter your password to move forwards to the next screen of options.
4. Now toggle off ‘Today View and Search’

3. Apple Music Keeps Opening because you have Not Closed it Down Properly

Understanding how to shut down your apps completely is a very useful thing to learn. Apps running in the background can slow down your device and make it sluggish to respond to your commands.

Moreover, if you’ve not closed down your app completely, it may send you notifications and pop-up when you don’t expect it to.

With Apple Music, you may well receive pop-ups on your lock screen, and this could lead you to believe it is opening all by itself. In reality, it may be that you simply haven’t shut the app down and merely tapped the home button.

If you want to learn how to fully shut down Apple Music, or any app for that matter, follow these steps:

1. Double-tap your Home button.
   • If your phone does not have a home button, swipe up slowly and pause mid-screen.
2. You will now see a preview selection of all your currently running apps.
3. Find Apple Music (or any app you want to close) by swiping across.
4. Swipe up on Apple Music and it will close completely.

4. Apple Music is Opening on your Mac because you Accidentally Hit the Play Button

Many users have found that Apple Music has a tendency to keep opening on their Mac computers and there are a variety of reasons why this may happen.

One of the most likely causes is that the ‘Play’ button for Apple Music is bound to one of your keys or the touchpad.

Thankfully, with the steps below, you can ensure that won’t happen in the future:

1. Use the Finder to navigate to the applications folder.
2. Locate and open the Utilities folder.
3. Launch the Terminal app.
4. Now paste the following command:
   • launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist
5. Now hit Enter.

GeekDashBoard.com explains that this method works and that once you follow the procedure above:

“(…)nothing will happen if you press the Play button on your keyboard or Touchpad. Executing the above command will prevent the Music app from opening automatically on Mac.” [Source:Geekdashboard.com]

5. Apple Music Keeps Opening on Your Mac Computer because it is Set as One of your Startup Apps

There are many processes and programs that launch when your Mac is booting up. Many of the applications that are launched as your Mac turns on are essential, but there are certain apps that do not need to have an automatic launch.

Learning how to disable what apps launch during startup is essential unless, of course, you want Apple Music to keep opening every time you turn on your Mac.

For some users, Apple Music launching on startup will not be a problem. It may be the case that the first thing you do when you turn on your computer is to start finding your morning music.

However, you should be aware that every app that launches during the startup of your Mac will add to the length of time it takes for your Mac to be fully booted up.

If you find that your Mac takes too long to get going, then it may be that you have too many apps launching during startup.

Each application that launches when your Mac is trying to boot up is called a ‘Login Item’.

These Login Items can be edited and changed to your specifications, so if you’re ready to remove Apple Music from that list, read on:

1. Click the Apple icon and then select ‘System Preferences’
2. Click ‘Users & Groups’ followed by your Username.
3. Select the ‘Login Items’ tab.
4. Local Apple Music and click the (-) to remove it from the list.

Alternatively, you can try these steps instead:

1. Find the Apple Music app on your Mac.
2. Right-click the app and then hover your cursor on ‘Options’
3. Deselect ‘Open at Login’.

Please also read our article on reasons why Apple Music suddenly starts playing.

6. A Corrupted Plist File is Causing Apple Music to Keep Opening on your Mac

If Apple Music keeps opening on your Mac and it’s not due to it being on the list as one of your Login Items, then the problem may be with one of Apple Music’s files.

More specifically, the problematic file may well be the .plist file. Deleting the .plist file can prevent Apple Music from opening when it shouldn’t.

The reason why a .plist file can cause Apple Music to keep opening is that the file itself is corrupted, and by deleting it, Apple Music will create a new .plist file that is free from errors.

The new .plist file will be automatically made once the original has been deleted and you reopen the Apple Music app, so there are no additional steps you need to take.

All you need to do is delete the .plist file by following the steps below:

1. Using the Finder choose ‘Go’ followed by ‘Go to Folder’
2. Copy and paste “/Library” into the dialog box.
3. Now hit Enter.
4. Locate the ‘LaunchAgents’ and ‘Launch Daemons’ folders.
5. Find the .plist files in both these folders and delete them.
6. Now copy and paste “/Library/Caches into the ‘Go to Folder’ dialog box.
7. Hit Enter.
8. Locate the Music folder and delete the cached files found within.
9. Now copy and paste “/Library/Preferences” into the ‘Go to Folder’ dialog box.
10. Hit Enter.
11. Locate the .plist files and delete them.

If you’re still having the issue that Apple Music keeps opening after following the previous guides, it may be time to use some third-party software to stop it from happening.

Here’s How the noTunes App can Stop Apple Music from Opening:

The noTunes app is a third-party app that was created to prevent apps such as iTunes and Apple Music from opening against a user’s wishes.

noTunes takes the pressure off the user to find a solution and allows Apple Music subscribers the peace of mind that their Apple Music app stays closed unless they choose to launch it.

If that sounds like a solution that will work for you, take these steps to get noTunes to prevent Apple Music from opening when it shouldn’t:

1. Once you’ve downloaded the noTunes.zip file onto your mac, unzip it.
2. Click on the noTunes app and choose ‘Open’ if prompted.
3. Now the noTunes app will appear within the menu bar (it will be identical to the Apple Music app icon).
4. Once you click the icon, a line will appear across it, indicating that it is preventing Apple Music from opening.

7. Apple Music Needs to be Deleted & Reinstalled so it Won’t Keep Opening

If you are using the Apple Music app on your mobile device you may find that the copy of Apple Music that you’ve downloaded is simply no good.

Occasionally, the download of Apple Music may be the problem and, thus, the reason why it is not behaving as it should. One obvious error with a bad copy of Apple Music will be that it keeps opening or even crashing suddenly. 

By deleting the app completely and redownloading it, you can be sure that you have a fresh copy that is bug-free and doesn’t open when it shouldn’t.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to delete the Apple Music app from Mac computers.

Here’s How to Delete Apple Music from your iOS Device:

1. Locate the Apple Music app on your Home screen.
   • You may have to swipe across to find it.
2. Press and hold the Apple Music icon until a cross appears or the option to ‘Remove App’ is available.
3. Tap ‘Remove app’ followed by ‘Delete App’
4. Apple Music will now be deleted.
5. Launch the App Store on your device and search for Apple Music to redownload a fresh copy of the app.

Here’s How to Delete Apple Music from your Android Device:

1. Launch the Google Play Store app on your Android device.
2. Locate your Profile icon in the top right-hand corner and tap it.
3. Select ‘Manage apps and devices’
4. Now tap ‘Manage’
5. Find Apple Music.
6. Tap Uninstall. 
7. Search for Apple Music in the Google Play Store and redownload it.

Sources

iPhone Music App Pops Up on Lock Screen When Not Playing

How to Stop Apple Music From Opening Automatically On Mac

How to Stop Apple Music From Automatically Playing