If you play Apple Music on an Xbox or PlayStation, you already know the problem. You can start a playlist on the console, but you cannot reliably control it from your iPhone the way you can with Spotify. So you end up juggling a controller, a clunky TV interface, and your music. That feels backwards.
Spotify solved this years ago with Spotify Connect. It lets you pick a device in the Spotify app and then use your phone as the remote while music plays elsewhere. Spotify describes it as using one device to control listening on another. That simple idea changes how you listen in real life.
Apple Music, by contrast, still treats many non Apple devices as standalone endpoints. Your console runs the session, and your phone mostly stays out of it.
Spotify Connect gets it right
Spotify Connect works like a handoff and a remote rolled into one. You select the target device, playback moves there, and your phone stays in charge of play, pause, skipping, and volume. Spotify also publishes developer guidance that frames Connect the same way: your phone becomes the controller while audio plays on the connected device.
That matters most when you multitask. You start a game, you want music in the background, and you want quick control without pausing gameplay or digging through console menus. With Spotify, you can do that. With Apple Music, you often cannot.
This gap shows up even more because Apple actively promotes Apple Music on consoles. Sony, for example, markets Apple Music on PS5 and highlights that you can listen during gameplay. The app exists. The use case exists. The remote control layer is what feels missing.
Apple Music feels stuck on consoles
Apple has its own answer for cross device audio: AirPlay. AirPlay works well inside Apple’s ecosystem, but it does not match Spotify Connect on mixed platforms. AirPlay also depends on the target device supporting AirPlay. Most consoles do not act like AirPlay speakers in the way an Apple TV or many smart speakers do.
Then there’s casting. If you use Chromecast and Google TV gear, you run into another limitation: Apple Music on iOS does not support Google Cast the way many Android apps do. Some third party device makers spell this out plainly, telling users that Apple Music does not support Google Cast on iOS and that you should use AirPlay instead. That “use AirPlay” advice does not help if your setup centers on Chromecast or an Xbox.
Apple can still fix this without copying Spotify line for line. But you can see the shape of the issue: Apple built strong controls for Apple hardware first, and the experience degrades once you move to consoles, Chromecasts, and other living room devices.
People keep asking Apple to build
Users want an Apple Music version of Connect. Call it “Apple Music Connect” or “Remote Queue,” the name does not matter. The behavior matters:
- You open Apple Music on your iPhone.
- You choose your Xbox or PlayStation from a device list.
- Music plays on the console.
- Your phone controls playback, queue, and volume, with near zero lag.
Spotify already normalized that workflow, so the absence stands out.
Apple also has a partial foundation. Apple Music already supports features like shared queues in some contexts, and Apple clearly understands multi device listening. The missing piece is a first party remote control protocol that works cleanly across consoles and TVs, not only across Apple gear.
What you can do right now
You do not have a perfect workaround today, but you do have a few practical options depending on your setup.
Use Apple Music on the console, then simplify your controls
- If your console supports quick media controls, map them. Some controllers let you control media playback through system overlays, which reduces menu hopping.
- Keep your music sessions simple. Use playlists you do not need to micromanage.
Route audio through an Apple device that supports AirPlay
- If you own an Apple TV or AirPlay speakers, you can often drive playback from your iPhone and send audio to the AirPlay target. This does not fix console playback, but it does fix the “phone as remote” feeling.
If you rely on Chromecast, set expectations
- On iPhone, Apple Music still does not offer native Google Cast controls in the way many Android apps do. That means you will not get the same cast button behavior you expect from services that support Cast on iOS.
None of these options replaces a real Connect style experience on Xbox and PlayStation. They just reduce friction.
What Apple should do next
Apple should prioritize a phone as remote layer for Apple Music on consoles and major TV platforms. It should ship three things:
- A device picker inside Apple Music on iPhone that can discover consoles running Apple Music on the same network.
- Full remote controls including queue edits, not just play and pause.
- Clear rules for multi device warnings so you do not get spammy notifications when you are not actually streaming in a way that violates licensing.
Spotify already proved that users love this model because it respects how you listen at home. Apple Music does not need to become Spotify. It just needs to stop forcing you to treat your TV and console apps like the main control surface.
If Apple adds this, you will spend less time fighting menus and more time listening.
