How to set your favorite music app as the default player on your iPhone, so you can ask Siri to play
Redeem now - You can set a "default" music player on your iPhone so Siri can use it when asked to play a song.
- First, make sure you've updated your iPhone to iOS 15 and that Siri is all set up.
- If you want Siri to play music from a different app, you can specify that when giving the command.
Just asking Siri to "play music" used to always pull up Apple Music — annoying if you didn't have a subscription. But with iOS 14.5 comes the ability to set a default music app of your own.
Now if you ask Siri to "play music" or play a specific song, podcast, or book, your phone will pull up a list of apps that you can select from. Whether it's Spotify, Audible, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, or another audio app, you can select which you'd like to use.
You can use this menu to select a default music player. Just note that it's not as easy as opening the Settings app — you'll need to go through Siri.
What happens when you set a default music player on iPhone
Setting a default music player doesn't give that app any special privileges or access to your data. All it means is that when you ask Siri to play music without specifying what app you want it from, Siri will use your default.
Additionally, TechCrunch reports that even after setting the new app, it doesn't become your "default" in the traditional sense. Instead, Siri will need to learn your habits over time, and eventually adjust to your preferences. That means it can recognize that you prefer to listen to music on Spotify, but prefer to listen to podcasts on Apple Podcasts, for example.
Quick tip: To avoid any complications, you can simply tell Siri which app you want to play music from with a command. For example, when asking for a podcast, say "Hey Siri, play [name of podcast] on Apple Podcasts."
If you still want to help Siri know your music app preference, here's how to set the default music player on your iPhone.
How to set your default music app on iPhone and iPad
Before you begin, make sure you've updated your iPhone to iOS 15 (or your iPad to iPadOS 15) if you haven't already, and double-check that Siri is set up.
1. Now call up Siri with your side button or by saying "Hey Siri" and ask to "Play music" or "Play [the name of a song, podcast, book, etc.]."
2. The first time you do this, provided you've updated your iPhone, you'll see a list of available audio options, including Spotify, YouTube, and Tidal, if you have them installed. Tap the one you'd like to use.
3. If Siri asks for permission to access your music app data, approve it by saying "Yes" or tapping Yes on the prompt.
4. Siri will begin playing your song request, or if you just asked for "music," the last thing you were listening to.
Quick tip: if you want to change the default music app again, just say "Hey Siri, play music on [name of music app]." Keep in mind that this feature won't work on some music apps that haven't added support for Siri yet, such as SoundCloud and Bandcamp.
Sophie Putka Sophie Putka is a freelance writer and reporter for Insider's Tech Reference team. Her work frequently focuses on the health and wellness, science, tech, and food beats. She writes how-tos, lists, and reported features, including pieces on how to use tech to dine safely during the pandemic and the impacts of blue light on your sleep. Sophie has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Inverse, Discover Magazine, Cannabis Wire, Atlas Obscura, Edible New Mexico, and more. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnpJqwqXvHqK5mrJ9iwKbAjJ2cn5mlocFuudSsoJxloKGuurHRZqanZZmltbC6xA%3D%3D