Music - Missing Features, Bugs, Issues & Troubleshooting

[ErikGrim]

Re classical music. Seems this will be rectified properly soon:

Apple Acquires Classical Music Service Primephonic, Will Launch Dedicated Classical Music App

Apple today announced that it has acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic, and will be folding it into Apple Music. Primephonic...

www.macrumors.com

 

[srbNYC]

Monterey update, and choosing Airplay still silences Music output entirely.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Monterey update, and choosing Airplay still silences Music output entirely.

Hmm... I had that down to an issue with my Bluesound amp, and not (necessarily) Apple.

What are you trying to Airplay to? (And are you using the Airplay settings in Music or the universal sound control for the whole Mac?)

 

[srbNYC]

For years and years, I've had my old-fashioned stereo system connected to my Airport's Airplay network via an Airport Express plugged into the "Aux" input. That network works for everything else, but when I try to use it via Music on my Mac (by ticking the box for that network in the Airplay drop-down), it mutes everything, including my computer output. It started a few Monterey betas ago, then got better, and has been back the last 3 betas.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

For years and years, I've had my old-fashioned stereo system connected to my Airport's Airplay network via an Airport Express plugged into the "Aux" input. That network works for everything else, but when I try to use it via Music on my Mac (by ticking the box for that network in the Airplay drop-down), it mutes everything, including my computer output. It started a few Monterey betas ago, then got better, and has been back the last 3 betas.

Hmm. That sounds vert much like (some of) the issue(s) I've been having, too.
The only way I get fairly reliable airplay at the moment is to stream to the Bluesound AND an old Yamaha dumb-speaker. If I try the bluesound alone I get nothing (as you described) or - if I'm lucky and it plays, it probably stops after a handful songs... :-(

 

[srbNYC]

This will really crush me if it continues to fail. All the music I own is on my MBA in another room, and this is how I play everything in my home….. ?

 

[zorinlynx]

I just upgraded to Monterey beta and noticed a couple of things:

- "Play Next" is still broken when listening to (non-live) radio stations. WHY?? This has been broken for multiple releases now. It works fine on mobile.
- The UI feels kind of sluggish? Scrolling through a list of songs is slow and the animations are stuttery when I open lyrics or the queue. This machine is no slouch either and everything else in Monterey is quite fast.
- It feels like there's been no improvement navigating around Apple Music. It's still slowish and sluggish compared to mobile.

It feels like Apple is still not giving enough attention to the Music app on MacOS, and I'm disappointed.

 

[tomtad]

I just upgraded to Monterey beta and noticed a couple of things:

- "Play Next" is still broken when listening to (non-live) radio stations. WHY?? This has been broken for multiple releases now. It works fine on mobile.
- The UI feels kind of sluggish? Scrolling through a list of songs is slow and the animations are stuttery when I open lyrics or the queue. This machine is no slouch either and everything else in Monterey is quite fast.
- It feels like there's been no improvement navigating around Apple Music. It's still slowish and sluggish compared to mobile.

It feels like Apple is still not giving enough attention to the Music app on MacOS, and I'm disappointed.

Totally agree, the app is a dogs dinner.

One thing I don't get however is why it's so slow. While iTunes wasn't great it at least seemed to feel native and browsing your library was as snappy as Finder. Since this app is largely the same underneath why the slowness? I can understand it with all the Apple Music web UI stuff but just scrolling through your library is laggy as hell.

I'm genuinely surprised we've still got this app. When Catalina launched I gave Apple a pass, Music was clearly rushed but I assumed the next release we'd see a new app written from the ground up. Big Sur, no, and now Monterey, no.

Do Apple execs use this app and genuinely think 'this is fine'?

 

[matt_and_187_like_this]

One thing I don't get however is why it's so slow. While iTunes wasn't great it at least seemed to feel native and browsing your library was as snappy as Finder. Since this app is largely the same underneath why the slowness? I can understand it with all the Apple Music web UI stuff but just scrolling through your library is laggy as hell.

I don't believe it's the same Code as iTunes. It's more likely a Catalyst app of the iPad version.

 

[Diskutant]

I don't believe it's the same Code as iTunes. It's more likely a Catalyst app of the iPad version just like Podcasts. All these new apps feel sluggish on my Intel Macbook (Music, Podcasts, Books, ...)

The smart playlists logic in Music on Mac and on iPhone are different though (at least on the latest non beta versions).

Try to do a smart playlist with the rule "rating > 3", on iPhone it works fine, on Mac the playlist will include tracks that don't have it's own rating but only an album rating.

 

[tomtad]

I don't believe it's the same Code as iTunes. It's more likely a Catalyst app of the iPad version.

It is, Podcasts and TV are Catalyst apps with Music effectively a reskinned iTunes. You can tell when you go into stuff like Get Info and Smart Playlist rules, all the same stuff, even the original visualisers from the 90s are in there!

 

[mikzn]

Re classical music. Seems this will be rectified properly soon:

Apple Acquires Classical Music Service Primephonic, Will Launch Dedicated Classical Music App

Apple today announced that it has acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic, and will be folding it into Apple Music. Primephonic...

www.macrumors.com

I don't think that will rectify anything - in-fact it will probably make things worse for existing classical libraries and purchased classical music

 

[ErikGrim]

I don't think that will rectify anything - in-fact it will probably make things worse for existing classical libraries and purchased classical music

I hope they do NOT release it as a separate app, but use its UX and library management for Music.

 

[mikzn]

I hope they do NOT release it as a separate app, but use its UX and library management for Music.

that would make sense to me - but I have a feeling it is going to be a separate app - or at least more of a "streaming side" of the music apps for both iOS and Apple Music Subscriptions

the Primephonic subscribers must be disappointed - the service goes off line September 7 and will be next year before apple offers the new version

 

[srbNYC]

So far I think my Monterey Airplay issue is sort of resolved. It's still glitchy--the volume jumps around when I toggle on Airplay--but at least music is coming thru my network.

 

[ErikGrim]

Controlling volume while AirPlaying using your iPhone or the controls on HomePods is futile. It's like the computer is holding the volume hostage. Coincidentally, trying to AirPlay to the Mac from your phone or HomePods doesn't work either.

EDIT: I needed to change the AirPlay receiver settings to allow anyone on the same network for AirPlay to the Mac to work. I can't recall that setting being there when I first set it up in the first beta. Also it failing silently is just poor UX.

 

[Diskutant]

Controlling volume while AirPlaying using your iPhone or the controls on HomePods is futile. It's like the computer is holding the volume hostage. Coincidentally, trying to AirPlay to the Mac from your phone or HomePods doesn't work either.

Interesting. When I play music using the iPhone, normally I can control the volume using the Apple Watch crown. But now that doesn't work either. (using iOS 15.0.1 and watchOS 8)

 

[Mr Todhunter]

Interesting. When I play music using the iPhone, normally I can control the volume using the Apple Watch crown. But now that doesn't work either. (using iOS 15.0.1 and watchOS 8)

This is a very important function for me. Thanks for the warning. I will stay with 14.8 and watchOS 7.

 

[Diskutant]

This is a very important function for me. Thanks for the warning. I will stay with 14.8 and watchOS 7.

I restarted the Watch now, and now I'm able to control the volume using the crown again.

 

[infernoguy]

When changing display settings, the WindowServer crashes which causes me to be logged out. I can log in without issue but as soon as I change the scaling, it crashes. Sent Feedback to Apple but just FYI.

2019 MacBook Pro 16" Base Model

 

[ErikGrim]

When changing display settings, the WindowServer crashes which causes me to be logged out. I can log in without issue but as soon as I change the scaling, it crashes. Sent Feedback to Apple but just FYI.

Not related to Music?

 

[infernoguy]

Not related to Music?

Yeah I thought this was posted to the MacOS Monterey forum. My apologies!

 

[Sorig]

I’m on Windows so I still have iTunes and no issues with organizing my offline music library. However I am considering getting Mac. I don’t care for subscribing to music streaming and will never do it.

I am aware that now you have to use Finder to sync on macOS. But I don’t want unorganized songs being synced to my iPhone.

The way I do it with iTunes on my PC (and did with a MBA on High Sierra before I got rid of it):

I would drag and drop my music files into iTunes then use Get Info to organize everything and add album artwork. Then sync only checked items.

This method gives me 1:1 music organization between iTunes and iPhone.

Is that still possible on the latest macOS? How?

 

[ErikGrim]

I’m on Windows so I still have iTunes and no issues with organizing my offline music library. However I am considering getting Mac. I don’t care for subscribing to music streaming and will never do it.

I am aware that now you have to use Finder to sync on macOS. But I don’t want unorganized songs being synced to my iPhone.

Is that still possible on the latest macOS? How?

Finder sync is exactly the same as iTunes sync. It uses your Music database, it's just in a different app.

 

[ErikGrim]

They literally didn't bother doing any work on Music for beta 10.