explaingit

tombonez/notunes

★ 5,697SwiftAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A tiny macOS menu bar utility that stops iTunes and Apple Music from automatically launching, with an option to redirect to your preferred music app instead.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((noTunes))
    What it does
      Blocks iTunes
      Blocks Apple Music
      Replacement redirect
    How to use
      Menu bar toggle
      Auto login startup
    Installation
      Homebrew cask
      Direct zip download
    Tech
      Swift
      MIT license
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Stop Apple Music from launching automatically when you connect Bluetooth headphones to your Mac

USE CASE 2

Redirect iTunes or Apple Music launch attempts to Spotify, Vox, or any other music app of your choice

USE CASE 3

Run the blocker at login so it is always active without manual intervention

Tech stack

SwiftmacOS

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

noTunes is a small macOS utility that stops iTunes and Apple Music from opening on your computer. The most common annoyance it solves is the one where connecting a pair of Bluetooth headphones automatically triggers Apple Music to launch, even when you have no intention of using it. Once you run noTunes, it sits in your Mac's menu bar. A single left click on its icon toggles it on and off. When enabled, it blocks iTunes and Apple Music from launching. When disabled, it steps out of the way and lets those apps open normally. You can also set it to launch automatically when you log in, which is the most practical way to use it. An optional feature lets you configure a replacement app. Instead of simply blocking Apple Music, noTunes can redirect the launch attempt to a different music application of your choice, such as Spotify or Vox. You can even point it at a website URL, so attempting to open Apple Music instead opens something like YouTube Music in your browser. The replacement is configured through a Terminal command. Installation is available either by downloading a zip file directly from the releases page or through Homebrew, a package manager for macOS, using brew install --cask notunes. The app is written in Swift and released under the MIT license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I installed noTunes on macOS and want to redirect Apple Music to Spotify. What Terminal command sets the replacement app?
Prompt 2
How do I configure noTunes to launch automatically at login on my Mac?
Prompt 3
noTunes is toggled on but Apple Music still opens sometimes, how do I troubleshoot this?
Prompt 4
Write a shell script that installs noTunes via Homebrew and sets a custom replacement app URL.
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