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iPod Classic sync with macOS Catalina???

Side bar is recognizing my iPod classic but the second its connected it says its syncing but nothing is happening, just spinning. Left on even over night and still the same. I even selected some playlists to add and the apply button still is grey'd out. I have to force quit it to eject the iPod. Any help???

Posted on Oct 8, 2019 9:21 AM

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185 replies

Feb 27, 2020 3:27 PM in response to whalecanes

Restored the iPod on my MacBook, which also runs Catalina and no problem recognising the iPod in the finder sidebar, and hit restore. Then plugged it into my iMac and it appeared in the finder. Took me a few hours to put all the songs back though. Waste of time but, but it solved the problem. C'mon Apple fix this problem!

Feb 29, 2020 10:03 AM in response to prd2002

I, too, noticed that using the Apple 30-pin to USB cord makes all the difference on a separate use: I plug my iPod Classic into my car's dashboard to play the music through my car's speakers. But using a different manufacturer's cord wouldn't allow connection no matter how many times I tried. The Apple cord did the trick there.


But with my iPod Nano sixth generation, the Apple cord makes no difference. I can connect with either cord.

Feb 29, 2020 10:36 AM in response to danielfrombolingbrook

That’s weird about the 30 pin connector. I’m not denying anyone’s experience, I’m just not sure why that would be the case. For the **** of it, I took apart an Apple 30 pin, and an insignia 30 pin, and there’s no visible difference at the connector. That doesn’t mean it’s not wired differently, but even then, the pin outs for the 30 pin don’t suggest that this would occur.


Furthermore, there’s no chip in the 30 pin connector like there is in the lightning connector.

Mar 2, 2020 5:16 PM in response to MatthewDGreene

This is nothing new. I started working in IT in 1978, and have seen this over the years with various peripherals using various cables (parallel, USB and SCSI). I've seen it with my SanDisk mp3 player most recently. There are charging cables and syncing cables (which are more expensive). Best to verify that the cable has ALL needed pins connected to wires in the cable (some only have the most frequently used pins connected). Back in the day, some of the connectors had 30-50 or more pins, but some applications would require maybe 4-12 pins be wired. Some manufacturers save money by using less wires within the cable. There were also applications where certain pins had to be wired to different pins at the other end of the cable (called a cross-over cable); the other type is called straight-thru.

iPod Classic sync with macOS Catalina???

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