HomePod Can not play music on HomePod and iPhone Simultaneously

[eagleglen]

Starting just today, I can no longer simultaneously play Apple Music on my HomePod, Apple TV, or iPhone/iPad. I now get an error message saying I must upgrade to a Family plan. When the HomePod was introduced, Apple said it would not count against the device limit on the account, as described in this Macrumors article. The same was true with the Apple TV, it didn’t count against the device limit. I often play different music on my Apple TV and HomePod. Also, if I’m away from home and playing music on my iPhone, no one can play music on the HomePod or AppleTV now. I hope this is just a bug and not a change to Apple’s policy, which would be a shameful money grab that I’m afraid is not beneath them.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Just to clarify, are you saying that you can’t play music directly on your iPhone and directly on your HomePod simultaneously? I.E. you’re not using any form of airplay?

And you’re absolutely right, it isn’t beneath them to try and grab some more money.

Edit: I’ve just tried streaming music on my HomePod and on my iPhone simultaneously and both worked perfectly.

 

[atmuwben]

I also can not play simultaneously HP+iPhone since yesterday.
I've not tried restarting everything to see if that fixes it.

 

[eagleglen]

Just to clarify, are you saying that you can’t play music directly on your iPhone and directly on your HomePod simultaneously? I.E. you’re not using any form of airplay?

And you’re absolutely right, it isn’t beneath them to try and grab some more money.

Edit: I’ve just tried streaming music on my HomePod and on my iPhone simultaneously and both worked perfectly.

Yes, playing simultaneously. Until yesterday I could, but now I can’t. Instead, music stops on the first device that was playing, and if it was the iPhone or Apple TV, a message appears saying to play on both, I need to upgrade to a family plan. If my HomePod was the first device playing, it just stops with no message.

Do you have an individual Apple Music account or a family plan account?

 

[StumpyBloke]

Yes, playing simultaneously. Until yesterday I could, but now I can’t. Instead, music stops on the first device that was playing, and if it was the iPhone or Apple TV, a message appears saying to play on both, I need to upgrade to a family plan. If my HomePod was the first device playing, it just stops with no message.

Do you have an individual Apple Music account or a family plan account?

Mine is just an individual Apple Music account. I’m in the UK with no special set up. Never had this issue. Have you spoken to Apple Support?

 

[eagleglen]

Mine is just an individual Apple Music account. I’m in the UK with no special set up. Never had this issue. Have you spoken to Apple Support?

Yes I have chatted with support. Their response was that only one device can be streamed at a time and implied that has always been the case. It was a frustrating and futile effort. I suspect this is their new interpretation, so no official change has occurred. I’m in the U.S. so perhaps that makes a difference, as of now.

Has anyone else in the U.S. seen a change with streaming to a HomePod or Apple TV, and another device, like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac?

Edit: Well today I am now able to play Apple Music on both my iPhone and HomePod. Perhaps it was just a temporary bug and not a change with how Apple counts streaming devices.

 

[JD2015]

UK Apple Music single user subscriber.

Airplay
Just tried playing Apple Music on my iPhone. If I listen to it on iPhone alone it works fine. When I then look at airplay options It allows me to select my Apple TV (connected to a projector), Sonos and HomePod speakers but will not play it through my iPhone speakers at same time.

Individual use
Played different songs on different devices. One was from Apple Music and one from my Apple library. This worked fine.

However, when wanting to play a different track from Apple Music on two different apple devices I then run into this:-

 

[Bazooka-joe]

UK Apple Music single user subscriber.

Airplay
Just tried playing Apple Music on my iPhone. If I listen to it on iPhone alone it works fine. When I then look at airplay options It allows me to select my Apple TV (connected to a projector), Sonos and HomePod speakers but will not play it through my iPhone speakers at same time.

Individual use
Played different songs on different devices. One was from Apple Music and one from my Apple library. This worked fine.

However, when wanting to play a different track from Apple Music on two different apple devices I then run into this:-

Yeah i have always had this issue. Its because i don't have a family account allowing me to stream different music using different devices which is what a family account offers

 

[imac wannabe]

Here is the explanation:

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/14/homepod-device-streaming-limits/

 

[StumpyBloke]

Here is the explanation:

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/14/homepod-device-streaming-limits/

Thanks. That explains why it still works for me on here but not others. No doubt I will encounter this soon enough.