‘Spotify Connect destroys Apple Music on this specific thing’: Apple Music fans still can’t believe the platform is behind on continuity features – but that’s not the only thing getting under the skin

Apple Music users are asking for better playback continuity tools like Spotify Connect
Currently, Apple Music doesn’t let you pick up where you left off when switching between devices
Subscribers are hoping that some improvements will be announced at WWDC 2026, but the chances are slim

For hardcore Apple Music subscribers, the platform has everything they could need from a music streaming service, but it lacks a feature integrated into virtually all of its rivals – and its continuity across devices.

While Apple Music has it all, from Dolby Atmos-supported albums, a clean interface and lossless audio at no extra cost, users have asked 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. Although 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 the way Spotify Connect does.

Users long for the ‘one killer feature’

Apple Music Voice

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)

There is no doubt that those who love Apple Music love Apple Music – Spotify is nowhere near an option for them. That said, the Reddit thread turned up something I never thought I’d see — Apple Music subscribers across the board are praising Spotify.

Despite Spotify’s poorer sound quality and clunky interface, which both Apple Music subscribers still criticize, Spotify Connect is “the one killer feature missing from Apple,” as one user puts it.

Another Apple Music user notes that even though they left Spotify for Apple Music, it’s the tool they miss the most; “This is the worst thing about Apple Music. On the green disco all app I can download 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. Although 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 may be the case that Apple is happy 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 features that Apple needs to improve, such as the search bar.

For many, and I include myself in this, Apple Music’s search function does not work as smoothly as Spotify. A user says what we are all thinking; with Spotify you can type less than half a word and it will give you exactly what you are looking for. However, with Apple Music, the search results are not as fast or thorough, so it requires a little more elbow grease.

However, there are only a few weeks until Apple’s WWDC 2026 event kicks off on June 8, where we expect to see a handful of iOS 27 upgrades, leaving a perfect gap for the company to fix a handful of issues — but users still think it’s a long shot.

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