Stop the Apple Music app from launching
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Music Decoy prevents Apple's Music app from launching when you press the play key or use Bluetooth headsets.
Music Decoy is a macOS utility that intercepts media key events to block the automatic launch of Apple Music. The app works by configuring which application receives play commands instead of Music. Since v1.1, users can specify an alternative app (e.g., Spotify) via Terminal command: `defaults write com.lowtechguys.MusicDecoy mediaAppPath /Applications/Spotify.app`. Music launches itself when the play key is pressed with no audio playing, when a Bluetooth headset connects and sends a play command, or when a call ends and the headset switches to music mode. This occurs because the Remote Control Daemon (rcd) checks if audio is currently playing and launches Music as the default fallback. The app runs without a Dock or menu bar icon; users quit it via Activity Monitor or `killall 'Music Decoy'`. An alternative tool, noTunes, kills Music immediately after launch but uses minimal background CPU.
What commenters are saying
Most commenters report Music Decoy or noTunes solving a long-standing frustration: Music launching unexpectedly when pressing play on AirPods, accidentally triggering media keys, or switching Bluetooth headsets between devices. Users note Apple bundles Music as an undeletable system app, and pressing play on Bluetooth headsets often triggers unwanted launches. Several mention noTunes as a proven alternative requiring minimal CPU overhead. One commenter challenged claims of inconvenience as overblown; another countered that the behavior should be opt-in rather than forcing users to install workarounds. A secondary complaint surfaced: Music auto-imports audio files into the library, requiring users to manually delete or set different default apps per file type.