Do This to Make Siri Use Deezer for Music & Podcasts Instead of Apple's Apps

With its emphasis on well-rounded audible entertainment, Deezer gives all music and podcast fans the best of both worlds. As great as the app is, it's inconvenient to constantly tell Siri to play your music and podcasts through Deezer so that it doesn't default to Apple Music or Apple Podcasts instead. But as of iOS 14.5, you can set Deezer as your iPhone's "default" music player for Siri.

Before I go any further, know that when I say "default," I don't mean it's just one setting you change that applies forever as with your default web browser and email client in iOS 14. It's more of a pseudo-default, a temporary selection as Siri learns your routine, i.e., which apps you use for what and when. Apple said it's not a permanent change and that Siri may use or ask you to pick different apps at any time while it learns your habits, so "preferred" may be the best descriptor.

Pretty much every audio player you have applies here, so you could pick from other apps such a Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube Music. Deezer isn't alone in the podcast genre, either, as Apple lets you select podcasts and audiobook apps as well. Talk about a well-rounded feature.

• Don't Miss: New Features & Changes in iOS 14.5 for iPhone You Need to Know

Another important note: this new feature only changes the default player used with Siri, so if you play a song in the Files app or on another cloud service app, its bare-bones player will pop up. Also, links on the web are always for a specific service, so you can't tap on an Apple Music song link and expect it to open up Deezer.

Getting Siri to Remember Deezer as Your Music Player

Just ask Siri to play a song, artist, or album without specifying that you want it through Deezer. The first time you do this after updating to iOS 14.5, you should encounter a full list of apps that you could play the song through. Tap "Deezer," and iOS will not only begin playing your selection, but it will also set Deezer as your preferred app until it needs to ask again.

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If you haven't turned on the "Use with Ask Siri" toggle in Deezer's "Siri & Search" settings yet, you'll encounter a pop-up that says, "I'll need to access your Spotify data to do this. Is that OK?" Tap "Yes" to continue.

This list appears when telling Siri to play something for the first time after updating to iOS 14.5, but you will see it appear afterward whenever Siri needs to learn your habits. Siri could show it to you at any time, and it could also choose any other audio player to use if it thinks that's what you want at that time of day. Just select "Deezer" if that's what you want.

Making Deezer the preferred player (left) vs. iOS treating Deezer as preferred (right).

Making Deezer the preferred player (left) vs. iOS treating Deezer as preferred (right).

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You could also try asking Siri to play what you want from Deezer, which should skip the list step. You see, the first time you ask Siri to play music from Deezer after installing 14.5, the digital assistant will set Deezer as your preferred choice at that moment. So, the next time you make a general request to play music, there's a good chance it will go through Deezer.

And to be extra, extra clear: you will still see the list appear afterward whenever Siri needs to learn your habits, and you don't specify the app in your command. Siri could show you that list at any time, and it could also choose any other audio player to use if it thinks that's what you want at that time of day. In those cases, you'll want to say "on Deezer" in your command to retrain it.

Important: Free Deezer Is Limited

You might know this if you're a long-term Deezer user, but free users are limited. You won't be able to request specific songs or albums through Deezer from Siri unless you pay for a premium subscription. Siri will even say as much, which is pretty interesting.

There's no option in Deezer's or Music's pages in the Settings app to change the default music player like when changing your default email client or web browser. And if you think that Apple may do something similar for Siri's default audio players, don't hold your breath. This feature is meant to be used with Siri intelligence, so you probably won't ever see an actual "default" setting any time soon.

Cover photo, screenshot, and GIFs by Jake Peterson/Gadget Hacks