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Remote app not working with Catalina. When will this be fixed. Massive problem for me

Remote app not working with Catalina. I have c 600GB of music on my iMac hard drive which is streamed upstairs to my study. This has been controlled by the remote app on my iPhone/iPad.


This is beyond annoying. When will this be fixed. This should have been sorted out before launch of catalina. I use this facility all the time and without it I cannot access my music.


An early reply would be appreciated

iPhone SE

Posted on Oct 10, 2019 6:49 AM

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Posted on Oct 12, 2019 9:25 PM

So we have an iMac with Catalina running that we are streaming music from. All 1800 CD:s are ripped there in Apple Lossless so we at least could stream in the same quality that the music was bought in.


Before when using Remote application on any of the family's iOS devices we had the benefit of not handling the actual files (significant larger than compressed formats, e.g. 10 times) only telling "iTunes" on the iMac, where to play and at what volume for each Airplay speaker.


If using iOS "Music" and home sharing feature, we either need to stream the actual file from iMac through the device and stress network and sluggish response as a result of large files and library. Second possibility is the stream compressed copies from the "cloud" and stream to speaker.


Neither of these choices are acceptable - We need an update of Remote for iTunes so it works with new Music application running on Catalina or just to add decent remote function through iOS Music!


As Apple claims to "Love music" and sees themselves as an innovative company with focus on making things nice and simple to use - I feel they missed out here. Maybe need to look at other solutions like Sonos, Roon...


While we are at it - Apple could (or should) also add the possibility to control Music running on one computer from another one e.g. iMac as server and MacBook Pro as client (not using "Shared screen") ;-)

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155 replies

Dec 10, 2019 7:44 PM in response to Widget74

Yes, very happy this is fixed, finally. Only downside is that it used to be possible to stream other media (movies) as well to Apple TV, but now video is separated out into the TV application, so iTunes Remote will no longer stream it. But of you’re watching Apple TV you can stream items from your library by using the “Computers” application in TVoS.

Dec 11, 2019 4:51 AM in response to Stormydog42

iTunes Remote is now "working" after upgrade to macOS 10.15.2. Although iTunes Remote doesn't seem to connect through Home Sharing the way it is supposed to, I was able to connect by turning off Home Sharing on my IOS Devices, then connecting each device manually by entering the generated codes. Not ideal, but certainly great to have it back again!

Dec 11, 2019 10:19 AM in response to Stormydog42

Annnnnnddd....... it's still not working after the upgrade to Catalina 10.15.2.


I don't care that "iTunes has changed". This was a useful capability. And this is just the start of problems with this ****** upgrade. You think I'm complaining? You should hear the teenagers in the house, with one commenting that he's starting to look for alternative media apps for the library.


After twenty years as an Apple user and with the whole house on Apple devices, he's not the only one thinking of shifting.


Without doubt this really has been the biggest fuckup by Apple I can recall in years - and all so that they can join the world of Netflix, Disney+ and so forth, as well as forcing us into the Cloud and further into Apple World. Au contraire: you're forcing long-time users like me OUT.


Dec 11, 2019 10:47 AM in response to LucyTomChicago

Ok - tracking back through the latest replies I was able to get it working by downloading the Remote app and then connecting manually: BTW - it's not a "remote button" on the top left of the Music app on the computer - the new app shows under "Devices" using tyour iPhone name. Click on that and you can enter the four digit code showing on the phone app.


But I stand by the rest of what I've said. Be grateful you don't have to hear my teenage kids.

Dec 13, 2019 1:48 PM in response to Stormydog42

It's not quite right yet, but try adding your library manually instead of using home sharing. In the iTunes Remote app on your IOS device, go to settings & turn off home sharing. Then choose Add an iTunes Library. It will give you a 4 digit code. Then in the Music App on your Mac, look down the left hand side, and you should see your IOS Device listed about half way down. Just click on that icon, then put in the 4 digit code. It should connect. I did the same thing for multiple IOS devices, and now all of them control my Mac Music App.

Dec 18, 2019 2:53 PM in response to Meffi29A

The remote really is fixed. Completely. I had the same problem as you. There were a couple steps I took to make it work. Made sure Catalina was updated. Made sure iOS 13.x was updated. Then I deleted Remote from the iPhone8. After that I re-downloaded the Remote app from the iOS iTunes store and up the library again. During the set up I chose the manual process (a button you select at the beginning of the Library set up). Then I went to the MacOS Music app. In the MacOS Music App I selected the iPhone icon in the left panel. When I selected the iPhone icon a window displayed where I entered the code generated by the iPhone Remote App. Hope that helps. Good luck.

Jan 5, 2020 4:23 AM in response to Vladimir74

It is very difficult to describe, but i have very huge problems, too. (Catalina10.15.2)


The Remote-App (Blue Icon) can only skip and pause and control Volume. But no Track-Selektion ore change Album. And wen i hide the Watch-App and reenter, i can do NOTHING! it is dead...

The Now-Running-App (white Icon) don't see my mac (I tried to linkt them with the 4-digit-code in iTunes)

The Musik-App even do not know anything about my Mac


Dear Developer who read this quietly, and think "Seems to be a problem an other should solve": I don't like you very much!


Remote app not working with Catalina. When will this be fixed. Massive problem for me

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