Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you come home, craving a moment to relax and listen to your favorite artists, only to discover that Apple Music refuses to play any songs? Frustrating, right? But fret not; we’ve all experienced such situations ourselves, which is why we have compiled a list of solutions that will help you when Apple Music is not working on your iPhone or Android phone.
Table of Contents
1. Basic Troubleshoot
Before we proceed with technical steps, we want to ensure that you have already gone through some basic solutions first, such as:
- Check Internet Connections: Many of you may have already checked your internet connection. However, if you haven’t, please ensure that you have an active internet connection on your cellular or Wi-Fi network for Apple Music to work smoothly. You can even try toggling the Airplane mode off/on to re-establish the connection. Additionally, it’s important to check your monthly cellular data usage to ensure you haven’t exceeded your limit.
- Check the Apple Music Servers: If the internet connection is not the issue, you should consider checking the status of Apple Music servers. You can try visiting the official Apple System Status page or go to the DownDetector.
- Restart Your Device: There might be some bug or temporary glitch in the operating system that might be causing your Apple Music to behave strangely. Therefore, try restarting your iPhone or Android to see if this fixes the Apple Music not playing song issue. Here’s why restarting phones works if you are curious.
- Check Your Apple Music Subscription: Ensure that your Apple Music subscription hasn’t expired. It is possible that due to some technical issues, your Apple Music subscription might have failed to renew during the payment process. To check the status of your Apple Music subscription on your iPhone, tap your Profile Picture and then go to Manage Subscription. For Android, tap Kebab Menu (3-dotted icon) and then navigate to Account > Manage Subscription.
2. Remove All Languages
If the basic solutions didn’t fix the problem, this one will probably do the trick. During our research, we came across multiple reports where many users were able to resolve playback issues on their Apple Music simply by offloading all languages from the iPhone and keeping only their primary language. If this solution worked for them, we are confident it might work for you as well.
1. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region.
2. Next, tap on Edit.
3. On this screen, tap the Red Icon with Minus Sign to remove all languages except the primary one, then select the Delete button.
4. After the process is complete, tap Done, and then restart your iPhone to apply the settings by tapping Continue.
Tip: Learn all the new features added to Apple Music on iOS 17.
3. Force Quit Apple Music App (Android)
If Apple Music freezes, simply closing the app may not suffice, as some parts of the application could still run in the background. Try to force quit the Apple Music app, allowing all processes to restart. This might help resolve any issues, and who knows, your Apple Music may start functioning properly again. Here’s how to force quit an app on Android:
1. Navigate to Android Settings > Apps > Apple Music.
2. Next, tap on Force stop button and then select OK when prompted.
4. Unroll From the iOS Beta Update
While the beta version provides early access to features, it often comes with downsides such as a buggy operating system. If you’re currently on the beta version of iOS, we recommend reverting to the stable version of iOS to resolve any bugs that may be causing your Apple Music to stop working or crash repeatedly.
To roll back to the stable version, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update.
Next, select the Beta Updates option and then hit the Off option.
Now simply wait for the next official Apple update, and your iPhone will be restored to the latest stable version.
This is also the case with Android. However, each OEM has its own process for rolling back from the beta version, so a quick Google search will help you find the specific instructions.
5. Sign Out of Apple Music
There might be an issue with your Apple ID that is causing Apple Music to not play songs. You can try logging out of your Apple ID on your iPhone or Android phone to see if this resolves the Apple Music playback issue. This will force the Apple Music app to refresh its settings and connection to the Apple Music servers.
For iPhone Users:
1. Navigate to Settings > Your Profile and then tap on Media & Purchases.
2. Select the Sign Out option and then again tap on Sign Out to confirm your decision.
For Android Users:
1. Launch the Apple Music app on your phone, then tap on the Kebab Menu (3-dotted icon) and go to Account.
2. Next, tap on the Sign Out option and when the confirmation prompt appears, tap Sign Out again.
6. Update Your Apple Music App
While we’ve discussed some solutions, there’s one simple thing we haven’t tried yet. Have you tried updating your Apple Music app? Sometimes, due to a new iOS update, compatibility issues may arise, which could be the reason why your Apple Music is not working or playing songs.
Update Apple Music: iPhone | Android
7. Clear Apple Music Cache (Android)
At times, an outdated or corrupted cache can lead to Apple Music to function abnormally. Thankfully, on Android, you can easily clear the app’s cache files, which can help restore the normal operation of Apple Music. Sadly, iPhone users don’t have a built-in cache-clearing option.
Anyway, to clear the Apple Music cache, simply follow the instructions below:
1. Launch the Android Settings and navigate to Apps > Apple Music.
2. Next, tap on Storage and clear both the Cache and Data.
3. Confirm your decision by tapping on Delete.
Hopefully, this solution should fix the Apple Music not working issue on your Android phone.
8. Reinstall Apple Music
If your iPhone doesn’t have an option to clear the app’s cache, there’s no need to worry. By simply reinstalling the Apple Music app, the corrupted data and settings will get flushed out of your phone and your Apple Music will start working as it’s supposed to.
Here’s how to reinstall Apple Music on iPhone:
1. Touch and hold the Apple Music app until a pop-up menu appears.
2. Next, tap on the Remove App option and then hit the Delete App option.
3. Confirm your decision by tapping Delete.
4. After that, go to the App Store and search for Apple Music. Once found, tap on it and then hit the Download button.
Here’s how to reinstall Apple Music on Android:
1. Just like on iPhone, tap and hold the Apple Music app to bring up a menu.
2. After that, tap on the Uninstall icon and then select OK.
3. Now go to the Play Store and search for the Apple Music app. Once you find it, tap the Install button.
9. Modify Dolby Atmos Settings
If you’re in a situation where Apple Music is working just fine, but songs randomly stop playing or some songs refuse to play, you can try making some adjustments to the Dolby Atmos settings.
Here’s how:
1. Open the iPhone Settings app, then tap on Music and select the Dolby Atmos option.
2. From there, opt for the Automatic setting, or you can choose Off if you’re not interested Dolby Atmos feature.
Tip: Don’t keep the Dolby Atmos setting on ‘Always On’. This will force Apple Music to play songs in Dolby Atmos, even if your phone and headphones do not support it.
Note: On the Android version of Apple Music, you won’t find the Dolby Atmos settings.
10. Ensure No Bluetooth Headphones Are Connected
While this tip may seem obvious to many, please double-check that no Bluetooth headphones or AirPods are connected when playing a song from Apple Music. You might think you’re listening on your phone’s speaker when the music is actually playing through your headphones. This could lead to the misunderstanding that Apple Music is not working.
11. Reset iPhone
Apple Music is part of the Apple ecosystem, and they are tightly integrated in many ways. If none of the above solutions work for you, then you have limited options left, such as resetting the iPhone, contacting Apple support, or switching to another music streaming service, such as Spotify.
Revive Your Apple Music
It can be frustrating when your Apple Music completely stops working, especially when you are paying for a yearly subscription. We hope this guide will help you fix Apple Music not playing songs issue on your phone, allowing you to continue enjoying music from your favorite artists. Additionally, once your Apple Music starts working properly, make sure to download a few of your favorite songs from Apple Music for offline playback in case there is an internet connectivity issue.
Before you leave, if you’re new to this Apple Music world, you can learn the meaning and use cases of each symbol and icon on Apple Music.
