4 Proven Methods to Play Apple Music on Raspberry Pi

Method 1. Play Apple Music on Raspberry Pi Using the Web Player

The web player is the easiest way to play Apple Music on your Pi if you have a stable internet connection and just want to listen to music online. You don't need to install extra software. Just open a browser like Chromium, sign in with your Apple ID, and start streaming.

1. Make sure your Raspberry Pi is connected to your Wi-Fi network.
2. Open the Chromium browser (or another browser installed on your Pi).
3. Go to music.apple.com.
4. Sign in with your Apple ID.
5. Browse your library, playlists, or the Apple Music catalog.
6. Click Play on a song or playlist.

Method 2. Stream Apple Music on Raspberry Pi with a Linux Client (Cider)

Cider lets you run iOS apps on your Pi, including Apple Music. It takes a little more setup, but once it's ready, you get the full Apple Music experience. You can browse your library, playlists, and even use the App Store - just like on an iPhone or iPad. This method is ideal if you want more features than the web player.

1. Ensure your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet.
2. Open a terminal on your Raspberry Pi.
3. Clone the Cider repository:
   
   git clone https://github.com/HemantSachdeva/Cider.git

   
4. Navigate to the Cider folder:
   
   cd Cider

   
5. Make the installation script executable:
   
   chmod +x install.sh

   
6. Run the installation script with superuser privileges:
   
   sudo ./install.sh

   
7. Reboot your Raspberry Pi after installation.
8. Open Cider in the terminal by typing:
   
   cider

   
9. Access the Apple App Store within Cider.
10. Download and install the Apple Music app.
11. Open Apple Music, sign in with your Apple ID, and browse your library.

Method 3. Stream Apple Music on Raspberry Pi via AirPlay (Shairport Sync)

AirPlay doesn't support Chromecast. However, tools like Shairport Sync or RPiPlay make your Raspberry Pi work like an AirPlay speaker. You can send music from your iPhone or iPad to the Pi over Wi-Fi. You don't need to install Apple Music on the Pi itself - just play music on your device, and it streams directly to your Pi.

Step 1: Set Up Third-Party Options for AirPlay

Option 1: Using Shairport Sync

1. Ensure your Raspberry Pi is connected to your Wi-Fi network.
2. Open a terminal and install Shairport-Sync:
   
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install shairport-sync

   
3. Start the AirPlay server:
   
   sudo service shairport-sync start

   

Option 2: Using RPiPlay

1. Ensure your Raspberry Pi is connected to your Wi-Fi network.
2. Open a terminal and install RPiPlay by running:
   
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install cmake git libavahi-compat-libdnssd-dev libplist-dev libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev
   git clone https://github.com/FD-/RPiPlay.git
   cd RPiPlay
   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake ..
   make
   sudo make install

   
3. Start RPiPlay by running:
   
   rplay

   

Step 2: AirPlay Apple Music to Your Raspberry Pi

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Apple Music app.
2. Start playing a song or playlist.
3. Make sure your Raspberry Pi and iOS device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. Tap the AirPlay icon (a rectangle with an arrow pointing into it).
5. Select your Raspberry Pi from the list of available devices.
6. Your Apple Music will now stream to your Raspberry Pi. You can control playback and volume directly from your iOS device.

Method 4. Download and Play Apple Music on Raspberry Pi with a Music Converter

Normally, you can't just open Apple Music on any device like Pi because its DRM protection keeps it locked to Apple platforms. Most of the time, users will need a DRM-removal tool like ViWizard Apple Music Converter to get Apple Music anywhere.

ViWizard is designed carefully for Apple Music. It converts DRM-protected tracks into common formats your Pi can actually read, like FLAC. The conversion process is surprisingly fast - up to 30 times faster than traditional methods - and it keeps all the ID3 tags intact. That means your music stays organized, with correct song titles, artists, and album info.

I set it up on my computer, picked a few playlists, and let ViWizard do its job. Soon, my songs were ready to transfer to the Pi. Everything played smoothly, no internet needed, and I could control playback just like normal music files. Here's how:

Key Features of ViWizard Apple Music Converter

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• Convert Apple Music songs, albums, playlists, and artists into MP3 for easy access
• Preserve lossless audio, high-resolution lossless, and Dolby Atmos quality
• Strip DRM from Apple Music for unrestricted offline listening
• Save converted audio files while retaining full ID3 tag details

1. Download and install ViWizard Apple Music Converter on your computer.
2. Open ViWizard and sign in to your Apple Music account.



3. Select the playlists, albums, or songs you want to convert.
4. Choose MP3 as the output format.



5. Start the conversion process and wait for it to finish.



6. Locate the converted MP3 files on your computer.
7. If using a USB drive, insert it into your computer.
8. Copy the converted MP3 files and paste them into the USB drive.
9. Safely eject the USB drive from your computer and plug it into your Raspberry Pi.
10. Copy the music files from the USB drive into a folder on your Raspberry Pi (e.g., /home/pi/Music).
11. If using a network connection, open your preferred file transfer client (e.g., WinSCP, Cyberduck, FileZilla).
12. Connect to your Raspberry Pi using its IP address or hostname.
13. Navigate to the folder where you want to store your music (e.g., /home/pi/Music).
14. Copy the converted MP3 files from your computer and paste them into the folder on your Raspberry Pi.
15. Open your audio player on the Raspberry Pi.
16. Navigate to the folder containing your converted music. Your Apple Music is now ready to play offline on your Raspberry Pi.

FAQs About Playing Apple Music on Raspberry Pi

Verdict

To draw a conclusion from the above passage, obviously play Apple Music on Raspberry Pi via AirPlay is a lot more cumbersome and time-consuming than Method 4. On top of that, Method 4 enables you not only to stream Apple Music to Raspberry Pi but to back up your favorite Apple Music songs and listen to them on any other devices offline. To be honest, Method 2 can help you accomplish many things in one time, without hassle. So don't miss ViWizard Audio Converter. Click the link below to listen to Apple Music playlists on any devices.