HomePod Now Counts Toward Apple Music Device Streaming Limits for Single Memberships, Apple Encouraging Family Upgrades

[MacRumors]

When it launched, Apple's HomePod smart speaker did not count toward an Apple Music subscription's device streaming limit. This meant that single-user Apple Music subscribers could stream one song on an iOS device and another on HomePod simultaneously, without one stream ending the other. Recently, this ability has disappeared for many Apple Music users, who are now unable to stream music on both HomePod and an iOS device at the same time.

While single memberships transition to this method of HomePod streaming, Apple Music family memberships will be able to continue to stream multiple songs on both iOS devices and HomePod without any of the streams getting interrupted. Moreover, when HomePod interrupts music streaming on an iPhone, a new pop-up box on iOS displays an option for single membership subscribers to upgrade to an Apple Music family plan. The box explains that up to 5 other people can stream their music at once using the family plan.

According to a tipster, posts on Reddit, and a few accounts on the MacRumors forums dating back to last summer, the timeline for this change is murky. As far back as August 2018, MacRumors user cczhu mentioned not being able to play music on both HomePod and Apple TV simultaneously. Similar experiences were shared later in the year, with HomePod counting towards an account's device streaming limit when playing Apple Music on other Apple products, and now it appears that this tweak has hit many more users.

Over the weekend, a few users on r/HomePod posted similar stories. According to Reddit user veteran_t, on Saturday they noticed music playing on their iPhone paused a playlist on their HomePod. Deciding to speak with Apple Support, a senior specialist told the user that any claims about HomePod not counting toward an Apple Music subscription's device streaming limit are third party quotes. The specialist continued by saying Apple never advertised this feature and that veteran_t's HomePod is now working in the originally intended way.

(Thanks, Jason!)

Article Link: HomePod Now Counts Toward Apple Music Device Streaming Limits for Single Memberships, Apple Encouraging Family Upgrades

 

[Rob_2811]

HomePod owners are not going to be happy about this. Commiserations to them both.

 

[RyanXM]

So Apple released something that "didn't" work as intended and suddenly we, the consumer who have paid for devices and services, are now suppose to be ok with this?

Dear User, we eff'ed up so now you need to pay another $60 a year for being able to stream on multiple devices. Sincerely, Apple.

This sounds like a response to the poor performance of the newest releases of the iPhone not performing to where Apple thought they would. This is just poor execution by Apple, for at least the 10th time under Tim "Bottom Line" Cook.

 

[TwoBytes]

With the high price of the Homepod and limited functionality of Siri and now the now even more limiting restriction to use this beautiful and great sounding device for music, it seems like Apple keeps drilling nails into coffins.

What's happening to Apple these days? They are not listening to the public on price (recent news of decline of sales, poor china growth) and they are super slow to advance their technology (Siri vs the rest). Tim Cook apparently wakes up and reads the Apple customer news every morning. I hope he's reading this thread.

Apple: great products yes but nobody can afford them vs the cheaper and vastly more expansive options of other companies. Now technology is catching up, what Apple is holding onto (quality) is slowly not becoming relevant anymore.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Need to increase service revenue.

 

[Grey Area]

Apple Encouraging Family Upgrades

Or: Apple Discouraging HomePod Purchases

 

[dominiongamma]

HomePod is a failure and too many limitations with Siri

 

[Mcsnee]

This sounds like yet another EXCELLENT reason not to invest in a HomePod.

 

[RyanXM]

Need to increase service revenue.

Or: Apple Discouraging HomePod Purchases

They are attempting to do both. I have a HomePod and use it strictly as a speaker. Siri is utterly worthless and so in HomeKit. Apple just really missed it on multiple fronts. Now they are trying to make up for it, but more than likely, it will just cause people to move away from Apple Music/HomePod and go to Sonos, etc.

 

[kemal]

Apple avarice against ascending assets.

 

[djeeyore25]

In fairness to Apple, Spotify works the same way. I can't stream on multiple devices simultaneously.

 

[now i see it]

Get em addicted, then raise the prices.

iPhone
iPad
HomePod
?

 

[RyanXM]

In fairness to Apple, Spotify works the same way. I can't stream on multiple devices simultaneously.

Stream yes, offline mode no. Playlists in "forced" offline mode can be played while another is streamed.

 

[ersan191]

I'm sure this will get blown up, but every streaming service works the same way. Everyone except Amazon and Apple won't even let you stream more than one song per account on a family plan. I doubt the contracts with the record companies allow this sort of thing on an individual account.

I HIGHLY doubt this is a ploy to increase revenue - the amount of people that own HomePods on individual AM plans and regularly stream different songs to different devices simultaneously (enough to the point that they would pay an extra $60-$80/yr for the privilege) is probably nearly nonexistant. I think it's a lot more likely that a record company noticed and asked them to fix it, or Apple wanted to get ahead of it before they pissed off their partners.

I prefer to think of it as a nice benefit for the time it was there.

 

[nburwell]

This makes complete (and common) sense. If you want two or more simultaneous streams, upgrade to a family plan.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Apple is panicking due to slowing iPhone sales and decreasing stock prices. They don’t have a strategy in place, so they are resorting to simple price increases as a bandaids solution to revenue loss. Expect an increase in price of Apple Music and iCloud storage soon. More specifically, an increase in price for international customers so that Apple can blame differences in international currencies rather than the true reason for the increase.

 

[dominiongamma]

This makes complete (and common) sense. If you want two or more simultaneous streams, upgrade to a family plan.

Single users should be able to stream more then one devices like up to two devices without doing a family plan

 

[Thomas beau]

In fairness to Apple, Spotify works the same way. I can't stream on multiple devices simultaneously.

My SiriusXM subscription also works the same way. If you are streaming online it will give you the option to allow the other stream or knock them off. If you allow the other connection you're kicked off.

 

[newyorksole]

This is sooooo lame.

I have 2 HomePods though and can listen to 2 different songs on them from the same single user membership. That’s not changing right?

 

[ersan191]

This is sooooo lame.

I have 2 HomePods though and can listen to 2 different songs on them from the same single user membership. That’s not changing right?

I have heard that you can play them on multiple HomePods but not on HomePod/iOS simultaneously. I feel like this is probably a bug as well though, if it still works.

 

[Braderunner]

I'm sooo tired of Apple Music pausing on my Apple TV, saying "looks like you're listening on more than 1 device".
I am not. I WAS listening on my phone, earlier. NOW, later, I'm listening on the ATV.

 

[HiVolt]

Apple just keeps shooting itself in the foot with such petty things like this.

 

[ersan191]

Single users should be able to stream more then one devices like up to two devices without doing a family plan

Why? Do individual users often listen to two songs simultaneously?

 

[craigmak]

If it’s an individual membership then why/how can you really listen to two things at once. Seems like people are bitching about something for the sole reason to complain about it. Get over yourself if you don’t like it/think it’s worth the price then don’t buy it and move on.

 

[AlumaMac]

Apple's 2019 Comeback Plan: "We encourage you to pay us more."