It's because your headphones were sending a Bluetooth "Play" command on connect (my Honda Odyssey does this as well). For anyone else with this problem, you can override this silly default in macOS using Privacy & Security > Bluetooth, adding Music, then turning off Bluetooth access for Music.

That is maybe questionable behaviour from the headphones. But the worse problem is that there is no way to change what media player is used. I don't use Apple Music, have no songs in it and no subscription. But it opens that rather than the player I do use.

I'm pretty sure I have also launched Apple Music accidentally with some keyboard button or touchbar action. For a "premium" device having to close Apple Music (effectively an ad) a few times a week is not acceptable.

Microsoft changing default programs with an update is a violation of privacy but at least it's easy to change.

Music isn't in the list of apps and I don't see any way to add it. I would love to fix this in my car radio.

There should be a "+" button you can click and select any app. The Music app is located in the /Applications folder.

Oh I misread. My problem is on iOS.

Same. Extremely irritating.

Just did this, pressing play on my headphones still launches Apple Music.

> you can override this silly default

But Apple sure won't, seeing as Music.app conveniently displays a modal advertisement for Apple Music when it launches.

Silly defaults. At what point does it stop being silly and start being a dark pattern?

Your headphones were probably sending an AVRCP 'play' command every time they connect. This was a common problem with older car radios too.

Not only every time they connect, but every time they are paused or stopped too. My car has this problem. It was not possible to pause the music, it would always immediately restart play.

just in case anyone else is running in to this problem, there is a solution

https://github.com/tombonez/noTunes

this will prevent itunes/apple music from opening

Should have called it byeTunes.