What can I do to stop the Play / Pause button from opening iTunes?

Question

In Snow Leopard the Play / Pause media button (on the F8 key) opens up iTunes. How can I disable that? Preferably keeping the old Leopard behaviour, so I can use it to control other media applications (e.g. Spotify).

Solution 1

a better temporary fix is to start quicktime and just have it running(not playing a movie) in the background. It uses less ram/cpu than iTunes.

Solution 2

Update: There is a GUI available that performs the below steps, at the official website.

Fixing this is very simple. While the installation process does involve using Mac Terminal, you do not need any knowledge of it. I have included images to make it easier! Just follow 6 simple instructions below and you are done!

1. Download this zip file

2. Unzip the file

3. Run the Patch.command file (Double Click It)

4. It will open mac terminal. It will most likely prompt you to enter your password. Type your password and press enter. It should look similar to the image below:

   

5. At the bottom it will say "Everything is ready. Would you like to create a backup and apply the patch (y/N)". Type y, then press Enter. It should look similar to the image below:

   

6. You are done! It should output some text and say [Process Complete] at the bottom. You can then close the mac terminal window. The process completing successfully should look similar to the image below:

   

Uninstall

If you want to remove this patch, simply run the Patch.command script again.

Here is the github repository Thanks to thebitguru for this script.

Solution 3

The real solution: Open Terminal, paste in the following line, and hit enter. You're done. To undo, change unload to load in the same line.

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist

Solution 4

For controlling Spotify, use Shift + Option + Play button. iTunes does not react to this combination, but Spotify does.

Solution 5

andrew px and dmonner wrote an excellent workaround here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2122639&start=30&tstart=0

It uses a python script and some renaming to prevent iTunes from opening when applications of your choice are already open:

Open a Terminal and type the following

cd /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS
sudo mv iTunes iTunesX 
sudo curl http://www.cs.umd.edu/~dmonner/iTunes -O
sudo chmod uog+x iTunes 

From http://www.cs.umd.edu/~dmonner/iTunes

#!/usr/bin/env python

import sys, os, subprocess

launch = True
blocker = ""

apps = ["Spotify", "Songbird"]

ps = subprocess.Popen("/bin/ps -x", shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)

for line in ps.stdout.read().split("\n"):
    for app in apps:
        if app in line:
            launch = False
            blocker = app

ps.stdout.close()

if launch :
    os.spawnvp(os.P_WAIT, '/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesX', sys.argv)
else :
    print "Not launching iTunes while %s is running." % blocker

Add whatever application you need to the list apps = ["Spotify", "Songbird", "your app here"]

View more solutions

Comments

[Admin]

Apple forum thread about the issue: discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10075555 — no solution though. (Even if the page strangely claims "This question is answered")

[Admin]

Another unclosed thread on this: forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=757430

[Admin]

This one is loaded with good solutions: discussions.apple.com/…

[Admin]

This is FIXED in Lion.

[Admin]

@AugustLilleaas It is not fixed in Lion!

[Admin]

Ugh, I can't add an answer due to lack of rep -- but I found a great patch for the rcd (Remote Control Daemon) that fixes this completely -- thebitguru.com/projects/iTunesPatch -- code on github here: github.com/thebitguru/play-button-itunes-patch

[Admin]

This is fixed in Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

[Admin]

@Dag Høidahl This is NOT fixed in mountain lion & mavericks. The media keys are bound to the last active media application. Ie. you are using spotify with the keys and it works fine. You pause spotify, play a video in VLC, then close VLC. Now the media keys are still bound to VLC because it's the last active app. However, you have closed VLC so the binding is lost. Pressing the play key now opens itunes again instead of controlling spotify.

[Admin]

@Maurice I hadn't noticed that behaviour when closing apps, just that I can control e.g. Spotify without iTunes opening. I'd say the problem is still a little broken, but mostly fixed.

[Admin]

@olly – Please consider marking superuser.com/a/827710/491679 the best answer. It was posted much later, but it's seems to be exactly what most users reading this will need.

[Admin]

El Captain cd /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS; sudo mv iTunes iTunesX; sudo chmod uog+x iTunesX

[Admin]

It's mind boggling how this is still a problem 8 WHOLE YEARS LATER!! This is proof that Apple doesn't actually listen to users. They just force their stuff onto you, like it or not. And each OS update just breaks again all tricks to disable effing iTunes!

[Admin]

(I don't have enough rep to write an answer) An easy solution - If you don't use iTunes at all like me, simply right click, disable all permissions for "everyone".

[Admin]

Dear visitors from the future: launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist

[Admin]

I'd hope there was some solution also for those of us who use iTunes (too), and don't want to delete it...

[Admin]

Out of all options presented so far, your option 1 seems like an ok work-around; +1 for that

[Assaf Levy]

Indeed, this is a slightly better work-around

[Assaf Levy]

As with superuser.com/questions/31925/…, a very limited number of people can take this advice. Many of us want to use iTunes (too), or need it for e.g. iPhone syncing.

[Admin]

It works but it seems to damage the iTunes Code Signing Certificate which is ok but everytime you open up iTunes (on a Mac) you'll be asked if the application is allowed to make outgoing connections.

[Olly]

I've accepted this answer as it is the easiest and least problematic of the solutions.

[Assaf Levy]

Just tried this on my Macbook (OS X 10.6.3) with Spotify & iTunes. iTunes did keep opening despite pressing alt/option along with the media keys. :/

[Assaf Levy]

But if you add shift it works that way! See superuser.com/questions/31925/…

[Assaf Levy]

Indeed, you are right, +1. However, this is starting to get a bit unwieldy as I like to have the "standard function keys" option on, i.e. I need to press 4 keys: Fn + Shift + Option + Play :P

[user16315]

I've done this in the past, but Apple Update likes to overwrite it. This last time I tried making the file system and userimmutable, we'll see if Apple Update respects that flag. I cant really test it until a new update is available, but if anyone else wants to try it: sudo chflags uchg /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes sudo chflags schg /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes If you want to disable that (e.g to actually update): sudo chflags nuchg /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes sudo chflags noschg /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes

[August Lilleaas]

Upvote this, zomg!

[garrow]

I just updated to 10.2.1 and the issue still occurs.

[Asheesh Yadav]

Works perfectly in snow leopard. Thanks for the tip!

[Jari Keinänen]

And runs great on Lion too!

[Paul Lefebvre]

This tip also works for controlling Rdio.

[Admin]

Creating a new empty playlist works as well. Just make sure this playlist is selected.

[Pavel Alexeev]

Binary moved here: nomitsu.com/contents/MMFix.dmg Works great on 10.7.3 Lion!

[Garen Checkley]

++ Nice simple workaround. Too bad it isn't more intuitive.

[MrDaniel]

This does not appear to work on Lion, iTunes still opens for me, regardless of if Quicktime is open or not.

[andyface]

kinda annoying having to use modifier keys, but hey, if it means i don't have to open something else up or keep closing itunes then I'm happy

[Dag Høidahl]

In Mountain Lion (at least version 10.8.3), this behaviour seems to be fixed. When Spotify is open, iTunes does not open anymore.

[Admin]

Can't remove the iTunes.app out of Applications... it says "“iTunes” can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by Mac OS X."

[Fred K]

This seems to not work on Mavericks

[Dag Høidahl]

I haven't needed to use this trick since Mountain Lion. The Play/Pause button does not open iTunes anymore if Spotify is open.

[fgb]

Still works in Mavericks!

[Tango]

Is it known if this works on Mavericks or Yosemite?

[Peter Ehrlich]

Would love a way to now bind this to launch Spotify

[noetix]

Works on Yosemite

[harpermd]

I've noticed that I've had to uninstall and re-install it after some updates or when the OS updates, but this script has been a real trooper. Big fan.

[Paul Wenzel]

This worked for well for me with iTunes 12 and Yosemite.

[Automatico]

It is now updated, so you actually open the package folder, and run the Play Button iTunes Patch.app, press patch and type your password twice. It even takes a backup which you can restore from. Great stuff!

[Thilak Rao]

Excellent! Looks like the devs are maintaining the script. I had to go to the Github page and download. Works just fine on Yosemite.

[Clint Eastwood]

in Yosemite, iTunes is still being opened. Didn't work for me.

[bschlueter]

There's a new version of this with a gui, and it works on OS X 10.10. Just download and run the dmg at thebitguru.com/projects/iTunesPatch.

[Ivangrx]

This works on El Capitan, but it doesn't forward the play button event to the actively playing application

[Ivangrx]

This stopped working for El Capitan.

[Jeroen]

This is the best solution and works on El Capitan!

[Tom Harrison Jr]

See answer from @bernk from 17-Oct-2014 that has a simple fix that survives new versions of the operating system and is simple and correct.

[Magne]

This will completely disable the remote control device (rcd), if I am not mistaken. Which will not allow you to use your mac remote control, if you have that.

[Jake]

This is fantastic.

[inspector g]

@w00t I haven't found that to be the case on my machine. Works with OS X 10.11.3, iTunes 12.3.2.

[ccpizza]

@w00t: On El Capitan you need to disable SIP before applying the patch: thebitguru.com/projects/iTunesPatch

[NitroG42]

It doesn't work anymore on MacOs Sierra... Too bad I liked having a simple command to do that.

[Deepend]

I use MacOs Sierra 10.12.1 and it works. Perhaps you need to be root?

[Ray]

Did not work in Sierra. Got following error: /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist: Could not find specified service

[Ray]

@NitroG42 Just realized the unload just removes it from starting on boot time. If you don't want to restart, you can kill it the running rcd process with launchctl stop com.apple.rcd or a direct kill -9 <rcd pid>

[NitroG42]

Well it worked now because app like Spotify were updated to comply with the new media key system, but at the time I wrote, nothing was working, and you killing the rc daemon wouldn't change anything. If you are interested in how it works to catch those events in app, look here : github.com/jguice/mac-bt-headset-fix/tree/sierra

[cregox]

is this so different from the second most voted answer here so you had to add an answer rather than simply putting a comment there?

[cregox]

here's a similar fix, if you happen to use google chrome and have it always opened: install google music app. or any chrome extension that will "hijack" the media keys, such as sway or streamkey. only thing is they might bring some problems of their own. now I'm wondering how to fix this once and for all.

[Fish Monitor]

Can this duplicated answer be hidden and closed?

[Navin]

This is just sad :(

[Navin]

Works perfectly, even on Sierra :)

[Cai]

On Sierra this requires SIP to be disabled.

[James Douglas]

It works for me on Sierra. Thank you! This is an awesome answer...

[Peter Jenkins]

On El Capitan this doesn't work: foo:MacOS root# pwd /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS foo:MacOS root# mv iTunes iTunes_ mv: rename iTunes to iTunes_: Operation not permitted

[James Douglas]

This no longer works for me since i upgraded to Mojave.

[Gordon]

This was working for me up until Mojave (I skipped High Sierra). Now even when I have quicktime and amazon music open, iTunes still opens every time.

[iceburger]

Stop Music.app from opening on 10.15.4. However, I still cannot control Amazon Music instead, except when it is in focus, which defeats the purpose.

[Alex]

This is a great answer - worked as a charm on Catalina. Thanks!