Apple Clarifies How Siri Music Service Settings Work in iOS 14.5

[MacRumors]

iOS 14.5 includes a feature that lets users select a specific music service to use with Siri, with the options including third-party services like Spotify in addition to Apple Music.

Several reports have referred to this as a feature that allows a user to select a default streaming music service, including our own, but Apple today told TechCrunch that the option is a bit more nuanced than a simple default music toggle.

There is no option to choose a music service that will be selected every time, with Apple instead using Siri intelligence. Siri will learn from your listening habits and the music selection process will improve over time. If you always ask Siri to select Spotify, for example, Spotify will be the default, but you can also change it in the future.

To be clear, when asking Siri to play a song in Spotify in iOS 14.5, it is not setting it as the "default," with Apple clarifying because the company does not want users to be confused if Siri asks again for your preferences in the future.

Siri will learn your preferences for all types of audio content rather than just music. It will let you open podcasts in Apple Podcasts or a third-party podcasts app, and let you choose a specific audiobook app if you listen to audiobooks.

Siri offers up a list of audio apps that you have installed whenever you make a content request, and that choice will dictate Siri's behavior going forward, but Siri may ask again in the future and even when a preferred audio option has been selected, it can be changed by asking for a different app. If you've selected Spotify, for example, but want to swap to Apple Music, you can say "Hey Siri, play [song] in Apple Music."

Apple has been improving the Siri audio request feature throughout the beta, and the third beta refines the dialogs for app selection. App developers are able to choose participate in the Siri app selection feature by making their apps available as an option.

The Siri app selection feature will be available to everyone when iOS 14.5 launches this spring.

Article Link: Apple Clarifies How Siri Music Service Settings Work in iOS 14.5

 

[mashdots]

That's pretty cool. I'd prefer a manual preference rather relying on ML, but it's a step in the right direction.

I wonder when spotify will be something to integrate into homepod and if this functionality can show up too

 

[Squuiid]

How does this impact HomePod?

 

[midkay]

That’s actually pretty cool. It seems like a more fair and reasonable solution than just picking a permanent default. Less work for the user, and it can be more flexible, for example if you tend to use one audio app at home and one at work.

 

[chriscl]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

 

[edgonzalez32]

I mean that's cool, but why not just let the user select. That's a lot workaround to not let people select what service they want to use.

 

[checker2010]

I’m very tempted to try the 14.5 beta. I’d love to test the mask unlock.

 

[Suckfest 9001]

This should be an option in the UI. Classic apple though introducing “power user” (for them) features in a super hokey way

 

[7thson]

Apple is strong arming us into relying on Siri when a toggle/default would serve the purpose just fine. I have little faith in Siri understanding queries as it is and they want me to give it more responsibility?

 

[JohnApples]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

Have you tried deleting the Music app off your phone? That may prevent CC or your car from defaulting to it.

 

[sub150]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

It's really hard when you have a conflict of interest with your hardware being tied to in-house services. I have the same issue with my car...just want to it to play Spotify when I start it which is what was playing the last time I shut off my car 4 hours ago.

 

[RedTheReader]

I do think there's merit to this. Users should be able to seamlessly integrate other music apps like Spotify as well as Apple does with their app. I'm currently getting a free Pandora premium account and it sucks on the Apple Watch and on HomePod you have to finish every request with "... on pandora".

I read this post not 30 minutes ago and then this article drops. I guess it's true what they say…

 

[Appleman3546]

Instead of giving users an option, there is "nuance." Apple couldn't just add a simple toggle. Seems like Apple is compromising only a little bit in light of the competitive pressure of EU's anti-trust investigation based on spotify.

 

[Total Respray]

Not impressed Apple. You gain good PR for finally opening up, but then put obstacles in the way when you could easily make it seamless.

 

[ececlv]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

Cant a shortcut automation do this already? I think You can set triggers based on Bluetooth connections

 

[Jamalien]

Cover themselves with the Spotify lawsuit whilst ensuring that Siri will in most cases stay defaulted to Apple Music, unless of course you make a conceited and endured effort to specify "with Spotify" after every song request lol. (Which a lot of people won't bother to do)

 

[fat jez]

this is mostly good given I just switched back from Android to iPhone and use my phone with Carplay. Google Assistant used to be triggered from a button on my steering wheel so I could get it to control Spotify. The same button works with Siri, but I don't have Apple Music.

 

[bwayne]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

I guess it depends on your vehicle. In my car (BMW) you select Spotify as the music source from your connected iPhone (on the vehicle’s touch display), and it remains that way. When I get in the vehicle, it starts playing automatically. The screen shows Artist and Track , and the song’s artwork.

Actually it’s annoying sometimes...

 

[Alan-in-CO]

I live in a remote area where cell reception is spotty, so I wish Apple would have "My Library only" option. It's gets old to keep telling Siri to play everything 'from my library'.

 

[WiseAJ]

I'm sure full default music app selection will becoming in a future major iOS release like 15 or 16 for you weirdos that like spotify.

It surely takes time to untangle every default to Music hook that is in iOS and replace it with directions to check for which app is set as default.

 

[adbe]

I live in a remote area where cell reception is spotty, so I wish Apple would have "My Library only" option. It's gets old to keep telling Siri to play everything 'from my library'.

My guess is this (contra to the whining up thread) is why Apple have chosen this approach. With various music services, podcast services, news services, and local libraries, that could easily balloon to a whole lot of toggles. This way, in theory, the implementation could be smart enough to know that when you ask for say NPR, one thing happens, but when you ask for music something else happens.

 

[Rochy Bay]

iOS 14.5 includes a feature that lets users select a specific music service to use with Siri, with the options including third-party services like Spotify in addition to Apple Music.

Several reports have referred to this as a feature that allows a user to select a default streaming music service, including our own, but Apple today told TechCrunch that the option is a bit more nuanced than a simple default music toggle.

There is no option to choose a music service that will be selected every time, with Apple instead using Siri intelligence. Siri will learn from your listening habits and the music selection process will improve over time. If you always ask Siri to select Spotify, for example, Spotify will be the default, but you can also change it in the future.

To be clear, when asking Siri to play a song in Spotify in iOS 14.5, it is not setting it as the "default," with Apple clarifying because the company does not want users to be confused if Siri asks again for your preferences in the future.

Siri will learn your preferences for all types of audio content rather than just music. It will let you open podcasts in Apple Podcasts or a third-party podcasts app, and let you choose a specific audiobook app if you listen to audiobooks.

Siri offers up a list of audio apps that you have installed whenever you make a content request, and that choice will dictate Siri's behavior going forward, but Siri may ask again in the future and even when a preferred audio option has been selected, it can be changed by asking for a different app. If you've selected Spotify, for example, but want to swap to Apple Music, you can say "Hey Siri, play [song] in Apple Music."

Apple has been improving the Siri audio request feature throughout the beta, and the third beta refines the dialogs for app selection. App developers are able to choose participate in the Siri app selection feature by making their apps available as an option.

The Siri app selection feature will be available to everyone when iOS 14.5 launches this spring.

Article Link: Apple Clarifies How Siri Music Service Settings Work in iOS 14.5

Yes, give more of your data and personal life so Apple can learn from you and analyze you. uhhmm no thanks.

 

[Shirasaki]

Ok, so it’s a Siri-exclusive feature that hates offline music playback. Got it.

I hate Siri with a passion. Guess I have to accept that this “switch default music app” feature does not exist at all. Shame.

On top of Apple Watch unlock iPhone feature not working, I don’t feel iOS 14.5 brings anything new.

 

[martyjmclean]

I don’t use Apple Music, I never have - I’ve never ever opened the app, it’s filed in the folder I set up holding all the other junk I never use.

i just want some magic method to use Spotify as my audio every single time. So, when I get into the car and my iPhone connects via Bluetooth, it automatically starts playing Spotify (and whatever I was listening to) rather than trying to connect to Apple Music and showing „Unknown Artist, Unknown Track“ because there is nothing there to play and my iPhone defaults to Apple Music every. single. time.

Same for swiping down the Control Centre and trying to press play; it often (unless I’ve been using Spotify very recently) tries to play something from Apple Music, which of course, does nothing as there’s no content there.

How hard can it be?

All you need to do is delete Apple Music. When I get in my car it either plays Spotify or Apple Podcasts, whichever I was last playing.

 

[ktecac]

Is there a reason why we can't just choose to have a default OR the 'smart' select apple proposes here? This seems kinda like they are just trolling Spotify lol.