iPod nano, iPod shuffle won't sync offline Apple Music tracks
Even with Apple Music advertised prominently in the iPod section of Apple's online store, neither the iPod nano nor the iPod shuffle can sync Apple Music tracks cached offline, according to a report.
When users try to sync cached songs to one of the devices via iTunes, the software responds with an error message stating that "Apple Music songs cannot be copied to an iPod," iMore noted. Only tracks bought or imported through iTunes can be synced with the media players.
Apple hasn't explained the reasoning for the barrier, but it's presumably a form of copy protection, since in theory a person could sync music with a Nano or Shuffle, cancel Apple Music, and keep the tracks forever, so long as they don't sync with their iTunes library. Once an Apple Music subscription is canceled, DRM allows Apple to delete any cached tracks from iTunes or iOS.
The inability to sync cached files means that the Nano and Shuffle lack any kind of Apple Music support, since they have no way of getting online. Despite being classified as an iPod, the newly-refreshed iPod touch, which has Wi-Fi, supports all Apple Music features.
DRM has been a source of problems with Apple Music on other devices as well. Initially, people subscribed to both iTunes Match and Apple Music found that if they tried to re-download a matched track to iTunes, they would get a restricted Apple Music version, rather than the DRM-free copy Match entitled them to. The problem was fixed in iTunes 12.2.1.
When users try to sync cached songs to one of the devices via iTunes, the software responds with an error message stating that "Apple Music songs cannot be copied to an iPod," iMore noted. Only tracks bought or imported through iTunes can be synced with the media players.
Apple hasn't explained the reasoning for the barrier, but it's presumably a form of copy protection, since in theory a person could sync music with a Nano or Shuffle, cancel Apple Music, and keep the tracks forever, so long as they don't sync with their iTunes library. Once an Apple Music subscription is canceled, DRM allows Apple to delete any cached tracks from iTunes or iOS.
The inability to sync cached files means that the Nano and Shuffle lack any kind of Apple Music support, since they have no way of getting online. Despite being classified as an iPod, the newly-refreshed iPod touch, which has Wi-Fi, supports all Apple Music features.
DRM has been a source of problems with Apple Music on other devices as well. Initially, people subscribed to both iTunes Match and Apple Music found that if they tried to re-download a matched track to iTunes, they would get a restricted Apple Music version, rather than the DRM-free copy Match entitled them to. The problem was fixed in iTunes 12.2.1.
Comments
Weird.
Not really surprised at all. That's not the intent of these devices. They are not designed to be always connected so therefore the subscription/streaming stuff doesn't make sense for them.
From Serenity Caldwell: In theory, you could sync an iPod shuffle or nano up with Apple Music tracks, then cancel your Apple Music subscription and continue rocking out to those “copied” tracks forever. http://www.imore.com/ipod-nano-and-shuffle-wont-sync-apple-music-songs-putting-another-nail-new-ipod-coffin
Kirk McElhern: Since the DRM on the files links to a time-limited account, you can’t copy them to a device that can’t check if your subscription is still active. http://www.mcelhearn.com/apple-music-files-cannot-be-copied-to-ipods/
Solution; code a limited amount of plays without a sync.
And apparently Apple doesn't even maintain an iPod software team now, so that's why the Nano retains the iOS 6 look.
Have you used it yet?
In all reality this isn't that big of a deal but I'm waiting for the tech press to make it into one because Apple....
I haven't tried Apple Music yet as I'm going to wait a bit after iOS9 drops to upgrade but I'm curious as to people's thoughts on it.
Have you used it yet?
I did. It isn't for me. And I didn't like the feeling of having my library blended with tracks I own and tracks I didn't. But for me, it really wasn't worth it anyway; I've had an iPod since 2005 and was buying CD's long before that, so I have a good sized library already.
I haven't tried Apple Music yet as I'm going to wait a bit after iOS9 drops to upgrade but I'm curious as to people's thoughts on it.
Have you used it yet?
I've been pretty happy with it so far.
The audio quality is very good.
Two complaints:
1) I have made Apple Music tracks available offline on my Mac - I put them in a playlist in iTunes. I can sync the playlist to my phone, but it will not sync the Apple Music tracks unless they are already available offline on my phone.
2) The meta scrambling if you use the new iCloud Music Library is annoying but hopefully will be fixed soon (example: Gnarls Barkley Crazy shows the cover of a CSI Milano soundtrack with that track on it rather than the original album.)
OBVIOUSLY you can't sync cached music to a non-Internet enabled device- that's by design, it's not some kind of issue. How does it authenticate the device under your account? You people want all the benefits of streaming, while retaining all the previous conventions and advantages of purchased tracks? Seriously, try to understand why things work the way they do.
A great many users are not as technically astute as you may be and simply expect Apple products to work the way they want them to. If they are able to listen to the music off-line on their computers, they might reasonably expect to be able to take the music to the gym on their iPods. OBVIOUSLY nobody could think of a way to synch cached music to a non-internet enabled device by requiring the device to synch to an internet connected device,etc. Or at least you can't. Ever consider that things don't have to work the way they do?
Apple Music tracks are rented music, so the device or computer must 'phone home' in order to play the tracks. The Nano and Shuffle do not require an Apple ID and they cannot 'phone home'. The new DRM in Apple Music is much more restrictive than the previous DRM with purchased tracks. You have to pay to play and not many people like that model of music consumption.
It is highly unlikely that Apple would try to automatically delete downloaded Apple Music tracks from a person's library when they discontinue the Music service. That would be disastrous considering how Apple totally screwed the pooch on the rollout of Apple Music in which libraries were completely corrupted in the process. What would likely occur would be similar to a Mac being de-authorized from the iTunes Store and the old-style DRM purchased tracks refused to play. I would imagine when someone cancels their Apple Music subscription and tries to play a downloaded Apple Music file, it would refuse to play, and the user could delete those tracks on their own.
Of course if someone wanted to save those files forever, all they have to do is connect two Macs or an iOS device to a Mac through the sound out to sound in and use a sound editing program to play from iTunes and record the track in realtime, old style. Then reconvert the track to AAC. It won't be an exact digital copy and you would be degrading the track again with a reconversion to AAC, but it could be done. Buying the CD used on Amazon for a few bucks is a better way to do it.
The one benefit I seem to have gotten from the iCML mess is that the art for Songs of Innocence changed back to the original white album look, not the weird newer version. All the other albums reverted to the correct ones when I disabled it.
I did. It isn't for me. And I didn't like the feeling of having my library blended with tracks I own and tracks I didn't. But for me, it really wasn't worth it anyway; I've had an iPod since 2005 and was buying CD's long before that, so I have a good sized library already.
And your good sized music library does not require an internet connection or a cloud to listen to it, nor does it require you to pay $10 per month forever to keep listening to it. Not for me either.
My 128GB iPod Touch arrives today...yep, ordered it yesterday and it is arriving today...free one day shipping for me! It will replace my aging iPod classic, which has been buggy in my new car. iOS devices are better supported, and faster with flash memory. The new 128GB iPod touch is a great replacement for the classic, and slimmer and lighter too.
This all in one place, seemless experience gets a real setback here. But Ipods are sold fewer and fewer, so maybe thats just the compromise of a fading category. On iphone 4 which i own, i cant sync it offline either. That really sucks.
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