If you want to stream different tracks on different devices from Apple Music, you’ll need two subscriptions. It was previously possible to listen to one track on your iPhone while enjoying another on HomePod in a different room, but not anymore.
Apple says this was a bug — not a feature — and it has finally been fixed.
The fix was first noticed by users who suddenly found they were no longer able to stream different Apple Music tracks on two devices.
“When I tried to listen to different music on my iPhone, while my wife was listening on the HomePod in the living room, the music on the HomePod stopped,” writes one on Reddit. “If I start music on my HomePod my iPhone stops.”
Others encountered the same “problem,” but after resetting their HomePods and trying other fixes, nothing changed.
Apple puts a stop to parallel streaming on HomePod
That’s because Apple has put a stop to parallel streaming.
“I called Apple and the employee told me that parallel streaming would have been a bug which has been fixed,” explains the same user. “From now on parallel streaming on the HomePod and a second device over the same Apple ID is not possible.”
Another user on Reddit got the same response from Apple.
Apple doesn’t make it particularly clear on its HomePod page that users will require a family subscription, priced at $14.99 a month, if they wish to stream different music on their speaker in another room.
However, Apple does state in its Apple Music terms and conditions that an individual subscription, priced at $9.99 a month, “allows you to stream on a single device at a time.”
Confusion for HomePod owners
The fact that this “bug” was present for so long will create confusion for many HomePod users, who are now used to streaming different tracks using an individual subscription.
Those who weren’t aware it was a bug (most of them) will just assume their device isn’t working properly anymore.
Did you use this bug to stream different music on a HomePod in another room? And if so, will you consider upgrading to a family plan to continue using this feature?
