Using Apple Music with a different app: what third-party players can do

The short version

• Yes, it works and it's allowed: through Apple's MusicKit interface, other apps use your Apple Music subscription. You still need the subscription.
• Third-party players only replace the interface: your own home screen, more overview, audio dramas with a remembered position, new releases, everything in one player.
• Limits: downloads only work in the Music app, an equalizer is barely possible, and Spotify offers no comparable interface.
• Which player suits you depends on whether you listen to music, audio dramas or everything together. What zentr adds.

Is that even possible, and is it allowed?

Yes. With MusicKit, Apple gives developers an official interface that lets an app access Apple Music with your permission: search the catalog, read your library, play songs. The music still comes from Apple, billing runs through your existing subscription, and artists are paid exactly as they are in the Music app.

So you always need an active Apple Music subscription. The alternative app replaces the interface; the service behind it stays the same. On first launch, iOS asks whether the app may access Apple Music and your library – you can revoke that any time under Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music.

What third-party players can do better

• Your own home screen: instead of recommendations, what matters to you – recently played, favorite albums, new releases.
• More overview in your library: filters, sorting and views the Music app doesn't offer.
• Special cases: audio dramas with a remembered position, or whole albums instead of single songs.
• Reliable new-music alerts: their own notifications for new albums from your artists.
• Everything in one player: Apple Music alongside podcasts, videos or your own files.

Where the limits are

Third-party apps don't get free rein. Some things only Apple can do:

• Downloads: you download offline tracks in the Music app. Other players can usually play downloaded tracks, but can't download from Apple Music themselves.
• No sound processing: equalizers or effects that dig deep into the audio are hardly possible with Apple Music tracks, because playback runs through Apple's player.
• Dependent on Apple: when Apple changes the interface, every third-party app has to catch up. It's rare, but it happens.
• No Spotify equivalent: Spotify offers no comparable interface for full-featured third-party players. That's why this variety practically only exists for Apple Music.

Which player suits whom?

Kinds of Apple Music players and who they're for

Type	Good for	Examples
Customizable music clients	Anyone who wants to build their own home screen and library	Marvis Pro, Soor
Album players	People who listen to whole albums and browse by cover art	Longplay, zentr
New-release trackers	People who just want to know when something new is out	MusicHarbor, zentr
Audio drama apps	Hörspiel fans who need position and episode numbers	Hörspielzentrale, Hörspieler, zentr
A player for everything	Anyone who wants music, audio dramas, podcasts and videos in one queue	zentr

For audio dramas we've written a dedicated guide: Listening to Hörspiele on Apple Music.

What to look for when choosing

1. Privacy: Does the app need its own account? Are your listening habits sent to a server? The privacy labels on the App Store are worth a look.
2. Lock screen and CarPlay: Do controls work outside the app, in the car and with AirPods?
3. Background playback: Does music keep playing reliably when you switch apps?
4. Maintenance: When was the last update? A player that hasn't been updated in years may break with the next iOS version.
5. Pricing: One-off purchase or subscription – on top of Apple Music.

zentr as an Apple Music player

zentr connects natively to Apple Music. Music and audio dramas play through Apple's player, so the lock screen, AirPods and CarPlay work as usual, and what you play also shows up in the Music app. What zentr adds:

• Favorites → Inbox → Queue: new albums from your artists land in a chronological inbox, no algorithm. More in Never miss a new album.
• One queue for everything: album, then podcast, then audio drama, then a YouTube video – sorted by drag and drop.
• Share from the Music app: share an album or song in Apple Music, pick “zentr”, and it's in your inbox. Playlists can be imported.
• Filters instead of app switching: filter the inbox and queue by section (music, audio dramas, podcasts, YouTube) and format, and search everything you've ever added.
• Your own files: MP3, FLAC and co. live in the same library.
• No account, no ad tracking: your library stays on your device and in your iCloud.

zentr deliberately doesn't try to replace everything the Music app does: downloads, Apple's mixes and radio stations stay there. The two apps work side by side without trouble.