Remove Lock Screen media player

This helps with the “isn’t it supposed to be locked” issue while not removing the lock screen media player which I still find useful.

There are two settings that can help prevent accidental screen taps for pocket dialing and media mayhem. The first method alone is enough to solve the problem for me.

You can access both of these quickly by searching for “wake” at the top of settings.

1. Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Tap or Swipe to Wake

Turning this off will prevent your phone from waking up due to taps and swipes. This makes the media controls mostly unresponsive, especially when put into your pocket upside down. You can press the side button to wake. You can also still raise your phone to wake. If that’s still an issue, continue with method #2.

2. Settings > Display & Brightness > Raise to Wake

Turning this off will prevent your phone from waking when raised. Along with turning off ‘tap or swipe to wake’, this makes the media controls completely unresponsive until you press the side button to wake.

Hope this helps!

Force Quit the app. Slowly swipe from the bottom of the screen, as if you’re going home, but don’t let go. Release your finger on the bottom half of the screen to bring it up the App Switcher. Swipe up on the app that you want to Force Quit.

To remove the media player from the lock screen on your iPhone, simply close the Music or Video app. By doing so, you'll effectively dismiss the playback controls and visual representation of the currently playing media. This action not only provides a more streamlined lock screen experience but also ensures that the media player's presence is no longer visible, allowing for a cleaner and less cluttered display. So, by closing the Music or Video app, you'll enjoy a more polished and distraction-free lock screen on your iPhone.

That’s not a solution at all. I want to walk with my phone locked listening to my podcast with the phone in my pocket.

I do this and often it will skip or pause while in my pocket. So stupid you can’t remove it.

I have the same problems stated above and even with the apps all closed out I will still get music or whatever my last audio played was, will just start playing if my phone is in my pocket or bag. And when I'm listening to books and my phone is locked and if it's in my pocket whole entire chapters will get skipped if I accidentally hit the screen. Is there no way to prevent that issue at all? If I take the media player off the control panel will it take it off the lock screen when I am listening to something? I'd rather not have any media player showing up on my lock screen than trying to find where I was in a book every time I get my phone out of my pocket.

PS - I tried your suggestion to close the apps that were used to play audio to the media player from the control panel but it's still there. So that doesn't fix anything at all.

Given the usual high degree of control that Apple gives their users over their phones, it's incomprehensible to me that this glaring wart -- which has been there for a LONG time -- has never been fixed. Endlessly frustrating for those of us who listen to a lot of audio on our phones. And how have TPTB at Apple not noticed this themselves?

boliger wrote:

Given the usual high degree of control that Apple gives their users over their phones,

You must have a very different iPhone than the rest of us. Apple has along and storied history of not giving options. That's changed some but, by and large, you do things Apple's way.

it's incomprehensible to me that this glaring wart -- which has been there for a LONG time -- has never been fixed. Endlessly frustrating for those of us who listen to a lot of audio on our phones. And how have TPTB at Apple not noticed this themselves?

This is a user-to-user technical support forum. Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Thank you, I'm well aware of that. Just venting. Have a great day.

So helpful SheldonKW! Thanks 🙏

I have the identical problem, and it's annoying