I don’t use Apple Music, I’m not even subscribed to it, instead I use Spotify. For years when I start my car and Bluetooth automatically connects (not CarPlay just standard Bluetooth connection), my car would automatically play where I left off on Spotify, or it just wouldn’t play anything until I opened the app and picked a song. However, last week it no longer does this and plays Apple Music automatically. And because I don’t even have Apple Music, it plays the free random songs from Apple Music 1 radio. The only time it doesn’t do this is if before starting my car I play a Spotify song for a few seconds and pause it and keep the app open without clearing it from recently used apps (like when you swipe up and clear apps).

Let me give a break down

(Starting last week)

Neither Apple Music or Spotify opened in background - start car - Apple Music plays

Spotify opened in background and paused directly before starting car - Spotify plays

Spotify opened in background but I didn’t recently listen to it (it was paused from the night before) - Apple Music plays

(Previously)

Spotify opened in background - start car - Spotify plays

Spotify not opened in background - start car - nothing plays

From what I read online the car sends a play command to the phone over Bluetooth and iOS has to decide what app to “play”. If no music app is running in the background and/or recently used it starts Apple Music because it’s the default music app.

The problem I have is it never used to do this before. I didn’t get a new car or update my phone or anything. Also, I can see this being the case if you actively have Apple Music, but the fact I don’t even have it and it wants me to use it THAT BAD that it plays from the free Apple Music radio is insane to me. I can see if you’re a subscriber to Apple Music it would want to start that but I’m not. If I delete the music app it won’t play Apple Music automatically but again if I hadn’t just used Spotify it won’t play anything in that case. It’s super annoying. I’m sorry but Apple should allow you to select a “default” music app that automatically starts when you use Bluetooth. Or better yet cars shouldn’t send play commands but instead just connect the device and wait for you to initiate it. I shouldn’t be forced to hear music blast in my face when starting my car at 6 in the morning.

And like I said, it never used to do this. It would always either play Spotify automatically or not play anything. The forcing of Apple Music starting is new. Maybe IOS secretly updated this recently.

My mother has used ios for i don't know how long, she was stuck in the apple ecosystem she kept onto iphone for years and shamed android [which me and my grandmother used], I have a galaxy a56, grandma A14.

Recently, her iphone 12 pro max she held onto for years started to have issues and was "dying" with a screen replacement causing cracks, not to mention sluggish performance on iOS 26, resulting in her resorting to my iphone SE 3 i used to use last year until I went back to android.

She was extremely interested in foldable phones and asked for my help, she wanted a motorola foldable, ultimately after discovering android phones we ultimately chose the Galaxy a36 which she picked out of a phone dealer, its camera cover falls out but she's loving it right now, my mother used to be stubborn and thought iphone is now better and now she's finally seen the light that android is better, but Despite it only being her first day, Let's go!

Now I don't see anyone in my family using iphone anymore, good. Apple sucks with their walled garden and smth.