post Re: iOS: How do I stop from starting music automatically? in iOS

iOS: Stop music from playing at launch

Listener001 — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:35:21 GMT

How do you disable this for the iPad / iPhone app?

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

AdamPandora — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 14:16:49 GMT

@Listener001 If you'd like to have more control over initiating playback when opening the Pandora app, Plus and Premium subscribers can manage their Auto-Start settings by using the following steps:

Open Pandora.
Tap Profile.
Next select the Settings gear in the upper right corner.
Then tap Advanced.
Scroll down and toggle the switch next to Enable Auto-Start Off.

If you'd like to upgrade so that you can have access to this feature, you can do so here.

Hope this helps. Thanks for listening!

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

Listener001 — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 14:19:32 GMT

Awesome. That’s a great way to get me to stop using Pandora entirely. I’ll just go ahead and delete my account in favor of one of the several other apps that don’t auto play. Thanks!

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

jon20036 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:18:03 GMT

This setting no longer exists. Every time I try to use my phone via bluetooth headset or simply get in my car and car play turns on, Pandora starts playing music.

I can see why some people would want this feature, but forcing it upon everyone is dumb.

The other thing I cannot get rid of is album art on my lock screen.

It's sad because I really love Pandora but spending hours upon hours over two trivial settings is insanity.

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

AdamPandora — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:18:04 GMT

@jon20036 Nice to see you around the Community.

Pandora plays when you turn your car on:

If Pandora was the last music source that was playing before you exited your vehicle, it will automatically resume when you re-enter the car.* In a way, this provides the same functionality of FM radio: if FM radio was the playing when you turned off your car, it would start playing again when you turned it back on.

If you prefer, you can disable this functionality using the following steps:

Open Pandora.
Tap Profile.
Next select the Settings gear in the upper right corner.
Tap Advanced.
Under Bluetooth for devices uncheck the box next to Launch from car.

Then shut down all apps on your phone and restart your car.

*Use your mobile device only when conditions allow and as permitted by applicable law.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Album art on lock screen:

You do have the option to minimize the album art that displays on your lock screen.

To do this, tap on the large album art and it goes back to the small widget.

Check out the accepted solution to this thread for more information: iOS: Pandora widget on lockscreen

Hope this helps.

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

jon20036 — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:59:49 GMT

Thanks for the reply. I have the auto play setting disabled. That didn't work for a while, but eventually, and I'm guessing it was Car Play glitch all along, it did start working. Now it's not working again. Since this is only happening in my car, and Car Play has always been a mess, I'll chalk it up as a Car Play issue.

The album art (small widget and I want no widget) forced upon the lock screen issue is happening with all music apps on the latest version of iOS, so it's certainly not a Pandora issue. This issue appears to be an annoying iOS thing. I guess many people complained they couldn't control their music through the lock screen that Apple made it mandatory.

Re: iOS: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

MichelanJell-O — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 18:48:50 GMT

This also works on Android. Thanks, Adam!

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

bsm007 — Tue, 28 May 2024 23:32:28 GMT

Me too! Forcing music to play and not providing this basic feature is a big turn-off. We will just turn off Pandora entirely.

Re: How do I stop from starting music automatically?

jcs987789 — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:19:03 GMT

pandora, for the record this should be OFF by default. Why? For three months now I have run out of data.....I only use my phone w/data sparingly so I only pay for 3GB....and after a few days each month I am tapped out.......just saw this and now a new month and I should be set becase unknown to me, and that is the point, the phone has been playing in the background. This should NEVER happen.

Re: iOS: Stop music from playing at launch

Doc_holliday50 — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 05:19:01 GMT

Not being able to disable the auto play feature is very annoying. I’m likely going to delete the app