Apple Music on iOS 10: Possible now to remote control and also continue playing on another device?

[rodknocker]

Compared to Spotify Apple Music lacks some very essentials features.

• There is no real remote control. You have to use the very limited Apple Remote app, which also means you have to leave the Apple Music app and switch to another app. In Spotify you can remote control your playing right within the Spotify app.
• If you stop listening your music on the iPhone, you can switch to the Desktop app of Spotify and can continue where you stopped on the iPhone. This doesn't work with Apple Music.

Because of the missing of these 2 essentials features i quitted my Apple Music subscription and switched back to Spotify.

Is there any advantage in iOS 10 (and maybe the new iTunes version?)

 

[lagwagon]

Compared to Spotify Apple Music lacks some very essentials features.

• There is no real remote play. You have to use the very limited Apple Remote app, which also means you have to leave the Apple Music app and switch to another app. In Spotify you can right use remote play in the Spotify app.
• If you stop listening your music on the iPhone, you can switch to the Desktop app of Spotify and can continue where you stopped on the iPhone. This doesn't work with Apple Music.

Bchause of the missing of these 2 essentials features i quitted my Apple Music subscription and switched back to Spotify.

Is there any advantage in iOS 10 (and maybe the new iTunes version?)

Not fully sure what you mean by remote play.

I can pull up Control Centre and select my Apple TV for the output and control my music with that without having to use the Remote app.
[doublepost=1466030788][/doublepost]Here are a couple screenshots.

 

[rodknocker]

Not fully sure what you mean by remote play.

I can pull up Control Centre and select my Apple TV for the output and control my music with that without having to use the Remote app.

Yeah, but the playing is initiated on the iPhone.
While you are doing this with Spotify, you can start a playing for example on the desktop and u can control this playing with the iPhone app (skip, pause, volume, artist cover and so on)

This works as well with Apple Music, but u need a separate app: Apple Remote.
[doublepost=1466033019][/doublepost]

Not fully sure what you mean by remote play.

I can pull up Control Centre and select my Apple TV for the output and control my music with that without having to use the Remote app.
[doublepost=1466030788][/doublepost]Here are a couple screenshots.

Yes, but if your iPhone lost the connection to the Apple TV the playing will stop.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Not fully sure what you mean by remote play.

I can pull up Control Centre and select my Apple TV for the output and control my music with that without having to use the Remote app.
[doublepost=1466030788][/doublepost]Here are a couple screenshots.

One of the main issues with the current process is that you can't send audio to two (or more) separate Airplay devices at the same time on iOS. The Remote app gets around this issue because it can control iTunes running on a computer (which allows multiple Airplay devices). However, it has very limited control over Apple Music (you need to have the song saved in the music library for Remote app to see it). Rdio added the ability to just use the iOS app to remotely control Rdio running on a computer. Spotify has now added it with Spotify Connect. It is strange that Apple is already half way there with the Remote app, but still hasn't given us complete remote control over Apple Music.

My personal preference would be able to simply send Airplay to multiple devices at the same time right from the app, but some would rather send it from a computer because then you just use the iOS device as the remote.

 

[rodknocker]

One of the main issues with the current process is that you can't send audio to two (or more) separate Airplay devices at the same time on iOS. The Remote app gets around this issue because it can control iTunes running on a computer (which allows multiple Airplay devices). However, it has very limited control over Apple Music (you need to have the song saved in the music library for Remote app to see it). Rdio added the ability to just use the iOS app to remotely control Rdio running on a computer. Spotify has now added it with Spotify Connect. It is strange that Apple is already half way there with the Remote app, but still hasn't given us complete remote control over Apple Music.

My personal preference would be able to simply send Airplay to multiple devices at the same time right from the app, but some would rather send it from a computer because then you just use the iOS device as the remote.

Why AirPlay?
I like to have it that independent like with Spotify. If AirPlay lost the connection to the sending device (fe Apple TV), the music will stop to play.

Therefore the Spotify remote control way is much better.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Why AirPlay?
I like to have it that independent like with Spotify. If AirPlay lost the connection to the sending device (fe Apple TV), the music will stop to play.

Therefore the Spotify remote control way is much better.

I don't have issues with losing my connection. It is rock solid from iOS to Airplay device already.

The issue is that there is no way to get audio directly from Apple Music on iOS to multiple Airplay devices without putting a computer between the iOS device and Airplay device. There are third party apps like WHAALE on iOS, but it is very limited compared to the services that Airplay supports.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to also be able to control the app running on a computer from the iOS app running on iOS. However, that would be a secondary concern since it requires a computer (or another iOS device) to be on and ready to play.

I would love both options, but the ability to play to multiple Airplay devices from iOS would require almost no work on Apple's part. iOS can already stream to multiple Airplay devices with WHAALE. They just have to implement it.

Spotify took forever to implement remote control of Spotify running on a computer (they announced it was coming a long, long time before it ever made it to the platform), so I get the feeling that it would require more work on Apple's end to get to that point.

 

[GreyOS]

Spotify Connect (the feature whereby you can control all other Spotify apps from other instances of it on other devices) is incredible and I'm really surprised Apple haven't copied this under the Continuity features.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Spotify Connect (the feature whereby you can control all other Spotify apps from other instances of it on other devices) is incredible and I'm really surprised Apple haven't copied this under the Continuity features.

It is the thing I miss about Spotify (and Rdio - who had it first) most.

 

[rodknocker]

I don't have issues with losing my connection. It is rock solid from iOS to Airplay device already.

I didn't say that you have issues with AirPlay or if there are issues, i only said if the device which is sending the music lost the connection, the music will stop. This is the truth

With Spotify Connect it's completely different. If you lose the connection to the sending device, it doesn't matter. The music will continue to play.

 

[Uofmtiger]

I didn't say that you have issues with AirPlay or if there are issues, i only said if the device which is sending the music lost the connection, the music will stop. This is the truth

With Spotify Connect it's completely different. If you lose the connection to the sending device, it doesn't matter. The music will continue to play.

My point is that my iPad doesn't lose a connection any more than my computer.

The iOS device isn't the sending device with Spotify Connect. It simply becomes a wifi remote when you are actually streaming from the Internet to the computer. If your computer loses a connection, you will stop getting a stream.

The main difference is the lack of multi room abilities on iOS compared with the computer. It is the only reason I miss this feature from Rdio.

 

[rodknocker]

My point is that my iPad doesn't lose a connection any more than my computer.

The iOS device isn't the sending device with Spotify Connect. It simply becomes a wifi remote when you are actually streaming from the Internet to the computer. If your computer loses a connection, you will stop getting a stream.

The main difference is the lack of multi room abilities on iOS compared with the computer. It is the only reason I miss this feature from Rdio.

I said "if", means it is theoretically possible

And as i said "compared to Apple Remote". I know that the iOS devices isn't the sending device.
What i meant is IF the connection is lost btw. the iOS device and fe the Fire TV, Spotify will still continue to play.

And Apple Music will stop if there is a connection lost btw. the iOS device and Apple TV. I don't like to mention the Apple Remote app, because it isn't a rich remote control. So would be better if Apple adds the remote control right into the Music.app

I only compare the feature "remote control" btw. Apple Music and Spotify

 

[Tanax]

Funny how priorities are so different

For me, the ability to upload your local songs to the cloud (without having to "sync" to a phone) and then be able to play it on any computer you're signed into (let's say; at work and at home), was the main thing that drove me away from Spotify.

They also don't have any way of controlling your listening (e.g. changing playlist) on your iPhone via your Apple Watch, something Apple Music had from day 1.

 

[oftheheavens]

Compared to Spotify Apple Music lacks some very essentials features.

• There is no real remote control. You have to use the very limited Apple Remote app, which also means you have to leave the Apple Music app and switch to another app. In Spotify you can remote control your playing right within the Spotify app.
• If you stop listening your music on the iPhone, you can switch to the Desktop app of Spotify and can continue where you stopped on the iPhone. This doesn't work with Apple Music.

Because of the missing of these 2 essentials features i quitted my Apple Music subscription and switched back to Spotify.

Is there any advantage in iOS 10 (and maybe the new iTunes version?)

I have read them all but want to just reply to your first post. I agree 100% and I actually try to adapt and use everything apple releases just because it is easier since everything I own is apple (well I don't have an apple couch....yet? hehe). As far as apple music goes, I think it is garbage. Aside for the reasons you listed above one more thing that I can't stand about it is that unless you play just the specific album of an artist the radio feature (like spotify has) it doesn't play all songs from an album on a radio station you create. Spotify will cycle through all songs of an album from a specific artist through the radio playlist. I hope this makes sense, if not maybe I can try to explain it better.

 

[boston04and07]

I'm not really familiar with Spotify at all, but I've always wanted there to be some way to have like, a universal Now Playing option across devices. So if I start playing music to AirPlay speakers or Bluetooth speakers from my iPad, I can then see what's playing and where it's playing from my other devices, and then pause/skip/like/whatever from my iPhone or Mac. And for playback for things like Apple Music to be handled by the cloud so it doesn't drain the battery of the original sending device. From what I've read here it sounds like Spotify has this, or something like it. If that's true then I can't imagine Apple would hold back on adding this for very long, I mean Spotify is their main competitor and that's a pretty major feature that they have and Apple doesn't.

Didn't one of the execs say, after the recent iTunes "redesign" that even bigger changes would come to iTunes next year or something? I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that. Hopefully if they are, this is in the pipeline...

 

[GreyOS]

I'm not really familiar with Spotify at all, but I've always wanted there to be some way to have like, a universal Now Playing option across devices. So if I start playing music to AirPlay speakers or Bluetooth speakers from my iPad, I can then see what's playing and where it's playing from my other devices, and then pause/skip/like/whatever from my iPhone or Mac. And for playback for things like Apple Music to be handled by the cloud so it doesn't drain the battery of the original sending device. From what I've read here it sounds like Spotify has this, or something like it. If that's true then I can't imagine Apple would hold back on adding this for very long, I mean Spotify is their main competitor and that's a pretty major feature that they have and Apple doesn't.

Didn't one of the execs say, after the recent iTunes "redesign" that even bigger changes would come to iTunes next year or something? I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that. Hopefully if they are, this is in the pipeline...

Yep just to confirm, that's what Spotify has. It will see the other computers/devices on your network that have Spotify with you signed in, and you can pick one to play on. But you can still control the playback from the other devices not actually playing the music- skip, pause etc. When you open spotify on one device/computer while it's playing already on another, it'll ask if you want to start playing on your current device or continue on the other device , etc. If you switch to your current device it picks up exactly where it was at on the other device.

Also Spotify supports Chromecast Audio- a device you can plug into 'dumb' hifis to turn them into smart Sonos like devices. So you can choose to stream to a Chromecast audio from mobile devices (not desktop atm, but once initiated from mobile appyou can control from desktop just as you can with regular Spotify Connect) and playback will be taken over by the chromecast audio. It Supports multi room so I've turned my house into a sonos like system with 3 existing hifis pretty cheaply.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Funny how priorities are so different

For me, the ability to upload your local songs to the cloud (without having to "sync" to a phone) and then be able to play it on any computer you're signed into (let's say; at work and at home), was the main thing that drove me away from Spotify.

They also don't have any way of controlling your listening (e.g. changing playlist) on your iPhone via your Apple Watch, something Apple Music had from day 1.

My main issue is not being able to use Siri with Spotify on iOS. It is a feature I use around the house, in the car, and at work. The other issue is Spotify is the only service I have tried that doesn't work properly with Bluetooth Audio and the Nav screen in my car. I have tried almost every service and Spotify is the only one that can't get it right. Apple Music actually has more features on my Nav screen than any other service, so it wins in the car.

As you mentioned, the Apple Watch is best with Apple Music. Not just for Siri, either. It has tons of choices right on the watch and has AirPlay controls built into the interface with a hard tap. I use this all the time at work and home, so AM wins at those locations, too. As you mentioned, having my own iTunes collection available anywhere is awesome. Yes, there are some mismatches, but it gets it right often enough to make it a bonus feature over Spotify.

As mentioned above, Spotify has some great features and one is the way it is compatible many devices including the Chromecast and the Echo. However, it loses on the new AppleTV. The Apple Music app on the Appletv is more full featured than any music app I have tried on my Roku.

The approach from Apple and AirPlay is that it streams to your iOS device or computer and that device sends the signal out to AirPlay devices. Casting simply tells the service to stream directly to the Casting device. The upside to AirPlay is that it works with nearly every audio stream, so you don't need third party support for it. Casting is great for those with old routers, but it is limited to third parties that support it. That means I can't use a lot of streaming sources with it. For most people on iOS, AirPlay would still be the best option.

 

[rodknocker]

I'm not really familiar with Spotify at all, but I've always wanted there to be some way to have like, a universal Now Playing option across devices. So if I start playing music to AirPlay speakers or Bluetooth speakers from my iPad, I can then see what's playing and where it's playing from my other devices, and then pause/skip/like/whatever from my iPhone or Mac. And for playback for things like Apple Music to be handled by the cloud so it doesn't drain the battery of the original sending device. From what I've read here it sounds like Spotify has this, or something like it. If that's true then I can't imagine Apple would hold back on adding this for very long, I mean Spotify is their main competitor and that's a pretty major feature that they have and Apple doesn't.

Didn't one of the execs say, after the recent iTunes "redesign" that even bigger changes would come to iTunes next year or something? I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that. Hopefully if they are, this is in the pipeline...

GreyOS already answered, but it's really like that. There isn't a global playing across all devices. I also don't understand why Apple doesn't implement this fundamental feature.
[doublepost=1466274479][/doublepost]

Funny how priorities are so different

For me, the ability to upload your local songs to the cloud (without having to "sync" to a phone) and then be able to play it on any computer you're signed into (let's say; at work and at home), was the main thing that drove me away from Spotify.

They also don't have any way of controlling your listening (e.g. changing playlist) on your iPhone via your Apple Watch, something Apple Music had from day 1.

You mean this "no way of controlling your listening" on the Apple Watch?

 

[rodknocker]

I'm not really familiar with Spotify at all, but I've always wanted there to be some way to have like, a universal Now Playing option across devices. So if I start playing music to AirPlay speakers or Bluetooth speakers from my iPad, I can then see what's playing and where it's playing from my other devices, and then pause/skip/like/whatever from my iPhone or Mac. And for playback for things like Apple Music to be handled by the cloud so it doesn't drain the battery of the original sending device. From what I've read here it sounds like Spotify has this, or something like it. If that's true then I can't imagine Apple would hold back on adding this for very long, I mean Spotify is their main competitor and that's a pretty major feature that they have and Apple doesn't.

Didn't one of the execs say, after the recent iTunes "redesign" that even bigger changes would come to iTunes next year or something? I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that. Hopefully if they are, this is in the pipeline...

Here is an example. I started the playing on my MacBook Pro. Then i opened the iOS app. The iOS app noticed that there is a playing on another device and ask me if i like to continue the playing on the MacBook Pro or to continue the playing on the iOS app.
If you say you like to continue the playing on the MacBook Pro, the iOS app will start to work as a remote control.

You can see as well which device is currently playing.

You also are able to change the playing to another device, like the Fire TV (or any Spotify Connect enabled device), to AirPlay+Bluetooth devices or to the iPhone itself.

This whole feature is one of the main reasons which makes it absolutely impossible for me to switch (again) to Apple Music. I recently gave Apple Music again a try, but i really missed this feature. It also sounds that the recently Apple Music redesign won't bring any improvements regarding to this topic.

I'm listen very often music in the morning or in the evening when i finished my work. Then i like to switch the playing to the MacBook Pro when i'm again at home and continue right there where i was on the iPhone.

 

[Uofmtiger]

The only workaround is using your iPhone for everything and simply making your Mac into an AirPlay receiver using an app like Airfoil Speakers. The downside is that music stops if you want to use the phone for a call while listening to music, but at least there is continuity between car and home. It comes in handy for podcasts, though.

 

[Tanax]

You mean this "no way of controlling your listening" on the Apple Watch?

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Funny, that didn't exist when I left Spotify. They still don't have any way of uploading local songs.

 

[rodknocker]

Funny, that didn't exist when I left Spotify. They still don't have any way of uploading local songs.

It is there since watchOS 1.0, because it is using the Music check which reads what the iPhone is currently playing (Apple Music, Spotify and so on). It reads the Control Center information out.

Have to say you aren't right about that you can't upload local songs to Spotify. As you can see i'm able to listen my local files

 

[Macwick]

One of the main issues with the current process is that you can't send audio to two (or more) separate Airplay devices at the same time on iOS. The Remote app gets around this issue because it can control iTunes running on a computer (which allows multiple Airplay devices). However, it has very limited control over Apple Music (you need to have the song saved in the music library for Remote app to see it). Rdio added the ability to just use the iOS app to remotely control Rdio running on a computer. Spotify has now added it with Spotify Connect. It is strange that Apple is already half way there with the Remote app, but still hasn't given us complete remote control over Apple Music.

My personal preference would be able to simply send Airplay to multiple devices at the same time right from the app, but some would rather send it from a computer because then you just use the iOS device as the remote.

And now there's a bigger problem. The new version of the Remote app in iOS 10 doesn't appear to support iTunes libraries at all. So will there be any way to stream music remotely to multiple Airplay targets going forward?

 

[Uofmtiger]

And now there's a bigger problem. The new version of the Remote app in iOS 10 doesn't appear to support iTunes libraries at all. So will there be any way to stream music remotely to multiple Airplay targets going forward?

Airfoil would be the best option if that happens.

 

[Tanax]

It is there since watchOS 1.0, because it is using the Music check which reads what the iPhone is currently playing (Apple Music, Spotify and so on). It reads the Control Center information out.

Have to say you aren't right about that you can't upload local songs to Spotify. As you can see i'm able to listen my local files

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Yes, but you could not switch playlists, only skip tracks (or go back tracks) in the current playlist.

That's not upload, that's syncing. Try "upload" a song to your computer at home, then log in to another computer somewhere else (school, parents, work, etc) and you'll see it won't be there unless you 1. sync your phone to your Spotify while you're at home and then 2. sync your phone to that other computer.

Not quite what I would call "upload"

 

[Jason B]

Compared to Spotify Apple Music lacks some very essentials features.

• There is no real remote control. You have to use the very limited Apple Remote app, which also means you have to leave the Apple Music app and switch to another app. In Spotify you can remote control your playing right within the Spotify app.
• If you stop listening your music on the iPhone, you can switch to the Desktop app of Spotify and can continue where you stopped on the iPhone. This doesn't work with Apple Music.

Because of the missing of these 2 essentials features i quitted my Apple Music subscription and switched back to Spotify.

Is there any advantage in iOS 10 (and maybe the new iTunes version?)

I wanted to know if any of this has been fixed with the latest versions of the Remote app and apple music?

Currently, I have speakers outside that are connected to my computer (speaker wires run from my computer and stereo in my office, under my basement, and outside to the outdoor speakers I have. It works great over wifi from my iphone with the remote app, and I use itunes internet radio, that I can control the stations from on the remote app.

BUT, these stations kinda suck and the sound quality of them isn't the best. I was thinking about BUYING apple music, then I can be more of a DJ and play ANY SONG I WANT, but I think someone told me I can't do this unless the songs are on the actual computer harddrive? I hope that's not true. I'd like to control songs on the fly with apple music and control them still via the remote app, which all plays outside on my speakers. Any advice?