How do I stop my Android from automatically playing music?

Many Android users have experienced the issue of music or audio suddenly playing automatically when opening certain apps, even when the music player was previously closed or paused. This can happen with music streaming apps like Spotify or Apple Music, but also other apps like social media or news apps that autoplay videos. It can be jarring and disruptive, especially if you’re opening an app for a quick task and suddenly audio starts blasting.

The problem seems to stem from apps that have autoplay features enabled by default. So when the app opens, it automatically starts playing audio or video content without waiting for user input. This happens in the background even if you previously closed the app.

According to user reports, this issue seems to particularly affect certain Android models from Samsung, though users of other Android devices have reported it too. It’s unclear what percentage of users are affected, but forums show many complaints about random autoplay from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and more.

The autoplay can come out of nowhere while doing tasks on your phone. It’s disruptive and annoying if you just want to quickly check something in an app without interrupting your music or workflow. Thankfully, there are ways to disable autoplay and prevent this from happening.

Determine the Source App

To stop autoplaying music, you first need to identify which app is the culprit. The most common apps that autoplay music on Android devices include:

• Streaming apps like Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, etc.
• Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
• Media apps like gallery, file manager, etc.
• Web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, etc. when opening media-heavy sites.

Pay attention to which app opens or which tab is active right before the unwanted music starts playing. Check your recent apps list if you’re unsure. Narrowing down the source app is an important first step before taking action to disable autoplay.

Disable Autoplay in the App

The most obvious solution is to disable autoplay directly in the app that is causing music to automatically play. Here are instructions for some common offender apps:

YouTube – Open the app, tap your profile photo, select “Settings”, then “General” and turn off “Autoplay”. (source)

Spotify – Open the app, tap the “Settings” icon, toggle off “Autoplay” to disable

Other media apps like Pandora and SoundCloud may also have an “Autoplay” setting that can be disabled

Disabling autoplay in the main offender app causing music playback issues is often an effective place to start. However if you still experience automatic music after doing this, additional steps may be needed as outlined in the sections below.

Restrict Background Activity

One way to prevent apps from automatically playing music in the background is to restrict their ability to run background processes. In Android’s battery optimization settings, you can limit apps from excessive background activity that may drain your battery or use resources unnecessarily.

As noted, most Android devices allow you to access Background Data restriction settings by holding down on the app icon from your home screen and selecting “Battery optimization.” From there, you can choose to disable background processes or enable optimizations.

Restricting background activity ensures the app won’t be able to start playing music, stream audio, download files, or perform other tasks without you actively using the app. This forces the app to pause any media playback when you switch to another app.

Clear App Data and Cache

One way to stop auto-playing music on your Android device is to clear the app’s data and cache. Persistent audio apps that start playing music automatically often continue that behavior because they have stored data and cache files.

To clear an app’s data and cache on Android:

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Select the app that’s auto-playing music.
3. Tap Storage.
4. Select Clear Cache to clear the app’s cache files, then Clear Data to delete app data.

Clearing the cache and data will reset the app entirely, wiping any stored information or settings that could be causing it to auto-play audio against your wishes. This should stop the pesky music playback unless the behavior is built into the app natively.

Just be aware – clearing an app’s data means you’ll wipe any custom settings or login details you’ve saved as well. But you can always log back in or reconfigure the app after testing if this stopped the unwanted auto-playback.

Disable Media Volume

One way to stop Android from automatically playing music is to mute the media volume when you are not actively listening. This prevents any apps from playing audio out loud when you don’t want them to.

To mute the media volume:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Go to Sound & vibration > Volume.
3. Drag the “Media” volume slider all the way to the left to mute it.

Now, no apps will be able to play media out loud unless you manually raise the volume again. This essentially disables automatic music playback.

You can also quickly mute the media volume from the notification shade by pulling it down with two fingers. Tap the volume icon and drag the “Media” slider to mute.

The downside is you’ll have to remember to unmute when you want to actively listen to music again. But this ensures no surprise autoplay from any apps.

Enable Do Not Disturb

One way to stop music and other media from automatically playing on your Android device is to enable Do Not Disturb mode. This feature pauses all notifications, including incoming calls, app alerts, and media playback from apps like Spotify or YouTube. With Do Not Disturb enabled, you won’t hear any disruptive sounds until you manually disable it again.

To turn on Do Not Disturb on Android 10 and newer:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Sound or Notifications.
3. Toggle on the “Do Not Disturb” switch.

You can customize Do Not Disturb to allow exceptions for certain contacts or apps. You can also set a schedule so Do Not Disturb turns on automatically at certain times, like at night when you sleep. Overall, enabling Do Not Disturb is an easy way to mute all media and get a break from disruptions caused by your Android’s autoplay features.

As this guide notes, Do Not Disturb has become an essential tool for controlling notifications on Android devices.

Get a Third-Party App

If your Android’s default media apps don’t give you enough control over music autoplay, you may want to try a third-party app like Wired Headphone Tracker. This app lets you automatically pause music playback when you unplug your wired headphones.

Another option is AutoAudio, which stops audio playback when you disconnect from Bluetooth devices like speakers or your car stereo. You can configure a range of triggers like Bluetooth, headset, and charging to automatically control music and video playback.

These third-party apps give you customizable options to automatically pause music so you don’t have to manually stop songs each time you disconnect your headphones or Bluetooth devices.

Try Automation Apps

You can use automation apps like IFTTT or Tasker to automatically pause or mute music playback when certain conditions are met. For example, you can create an IFTTT applet that will mute your device’s media volume when you arrive at home or at night when you go to sleep.

With IFTTT, you can connect your Android device location to muting triggers. One useful applet is “Automatically unmute your Android when you get back home.” This will unmute your phone when you return home after having it muted while out. You can customize it to mute instead when arriving home if preferred.

Tasker allows creating automated tasks and workflows on your Android device without needing an external service. You can set contexts like time of day or location that will trigger muting media volume. This prevents apps from automatically playing music in the background when not desired.

Factory Reset

As a last resort, you can factory reset your Android device to stop apps from automatically playing media (Pocket-lint). This will erase all data and settings on the device and restore it to factory default settings. This means no apps, media, accounts, or customizations will remain after the reset.

Before factory resetting, be sure to back up any data you want to keep, as everything will be erased. You can back up contacts, photos, videos, and other files to the cloud or an external hard drive.

To factory reset, open your device’s Settings app and navigate to either System > Reset options > Erase all data (reset factory settings) or General management > Reset > Factory data reset. Tap through the prompts to confirm the reset. Your device will restart into factory default mode with no apps or services running.

With all apps and data wiped from your device, no media should automatically play going forward. You’ll have to redownload apps and set up the device from scratch. Only use a factory reset if you have no other way to stop automatic media playback.