- Apple Music users are asking for better playback continuity tools like Spotify Connect
- At the moment, Apple Music doesn’t let you pick up where you left off when you switch between devices
- Subscribers are hoping for some improvements to be announced at WWDC 2026, but chances are slim
For hardcore Apple Music subscribers, the platform has everything they could possibly need from a music streaming service, but there’s one feature missing that is integral to pretty much all of its rivals — and its cross-device continuity.
While Apple Music has it all, from Dolby Atmos-supported albums, a clean-cut interface, and lossless audio at no extra cost, users have been asking for the company to upgrade its device-switching feature that allows you to hand off music to other devices and pick up where you left off in your listening sessions.
This has been a common annoyance for users for years, and a recent Reddit post (see below) reveals that this frustration is only growing. Though AirPlay allows you to cast videos, music, and other media from your iPhone to supported devices such as Apple TV 4K, if you want to switch from your iPhone to a smart speaker to play Apple Music, for example, it doesn’t resume your listening session in the way that Spotify Connect does.
The one Continuity feature Apple still refuses to add to Music in 2026 from r/AppleMusic
The author of the Reddit post expressed their disappointment with this, using the iPhone-to-Mac switching as an example. Basically, if you’re streaming Apple Music from your iPhone and want to hand it over to your Mac to continue listening, you’ll have to start from scratch and even rebuild your music queue, as this won’t transfer over either. I’ve also tried controlling Apple Music on my Echo smart speaker from my iPhone, and it’s the same case.
It’s pretty common for major streaming platforms to offer their own versions of this tool. Spotify Connect is arguably the leading playback continuity feature, which seamlessly resumes your listening session and music queues across smart speakers, Bluetooth speakers, and its desktop and car apps. Even services such as Tidal and Qobuz (which aren’t as popular as Apple Music) have their own continuity tools.
But why hasn’t Apple Music jumped on this bandwagon when users are actively begging for the upgrade? The short answer is, we don’t know, and it’s a lot more frustrating being left in the dark than it is knowing the truth — and it turns out that it’s irritating more subscribers than you think.
Users are longing for the ‘one killer feature’
There’s no doubt that those who love Apple Music love Apple Music — Spotify is nowhere near an option for them. That said, the Reddit thread has garnered something I never thought I’d see — Apple Music subscribers across the board are praising Spotify.
Despite Spotify’s poorer audio quality and clunky interface, both of which Apple Music subscribers still criticize, Spotify Connect “is the one killer feature that’s missing from Apple,” as one user puts it.
Another Apple Music user notes that although they quit Spotify for Apple Music, it’s the one tool they miss the most; “This is the single worst thing about Apple Music. On the green disco all app, I can pick up from any player and or control any player”.
In between the glowing Spotify comments, a handful of users have questioned whether it’s a matter of a patent getting in the way. Though one user mentioned that Spotify apparently has a patent on its Connect tool, others were quick to point out that this doesn’t mean companies won’t be able to develop similar features of their own. It’s a matter of simply building around it, as we’ve seen with Tidal, so it could be a case that Apple is satisfied enough with the current version of AirPlay — even if it gets a bad rep.
Aside from playback continuity, users in the same Reddit thread have taken the opportunity to shed light on other functions Apple needs to improve, like the search bar.
For many, and I include myself in this, Apple Music’s search feature doesn’t perform as smoothly as the likes of Spotify. One user says what we’re all thinking; with Spotify, you can type in less than half a word, and it gives you exactly what you’re after. With Apple Music however, search results aren’t as quick or thorough, so it requires a bit more elbow grease.
However, there’s only a few weeks until Apple’s WWDC 2026 event kicks off on June 8 where we’re expecting to see a handful of iOS 27 upgrades, so that leaves a perfect gap for the company to solve a handful of issues — but users still think it’s a long shot.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.