Apple Music seems to be affected by a bug that causes the app to be installed directly into the Dock when it is downloaded from the App Store, and the app even replaces others in the Dock. First and third-party applications.
On Twitter, users who downloaded “Apple Music” and then replaced it with another app have complained about the problem several times. For example, Kevin Archer found that “Apple Music” replaced Spotify in the Dock.
Archer’s claim that the app simply replaces non-Apple apps doesn’t seem to be true, as TechCrunch tested the bug, “Apple Music” instead of Camera, Twitter, and Safari. There’s also the user’s “Apple Music” that replaces the email and Dropbox apps.
There have also been complaints that Apple Music sets itself as the default music service on download, even though another music app is set as the default, but we can’t replicate this behavior.
Wow this is bold – I just downloaded the Apple Music app and they’ve inserted themselves into *the dock* 🙄 pic.twitter.com/6fkaRA7Vx9
— Maia ✈️ Boston (@maiab) August 27, 2019
iPhone devices running iOS 15.4.1 were affected, and Apple Music was also seen in the iOS 15.5 Beta replacing other apps. Other older versions of iOS 15 seem to have the same problem. There are even complaints from 2019, long before iOS 15.
As TechCrunch points out, this behavior isn’t explicitly interpreted by Apple as a bug but is likely unintentional. Apple has already been accused of favoring its own apps over third-party ones and is facing regulatory scrutiny, so it’s unlikely Apple will blatantly replace third-party apps with its own.
There also doesn’t appear to be a set pattern for the apps Apple Music replaces, Apple’s own apps are replaced, and the problem doesn’t happen all the time. However, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney accused Apple of “manipulating” iOS to replace other apps with “Apple Music.”
Apple said it was aware of the issue and was investigating it.