iTunes Remote app and Catalina Music

Hi

I had that problem too. Here's a solution, which takes you back to where you were: Remote works again: hurrah!

Here's what worked for me- others may be able to take out a step, and make it more economical...

1. download the latest Catalina version (15.2). (This is meant to make Remote work again. And I thought it would, but it doesn't at first).
2. Delete the Remote App from your device. (I'm not sure if this is necessary, but it seemed a good idea and didn't take time).
3. Re-install the Remote App.
4. Set up HomeSharing. (Be sure your Mac and your device are on the same WiFi network).
5. DO NOT choose to set up Homesharing 'automatically' by logging onto the same Apple ID. (At least this didn't work for me- I was just back where I was with everyone else, able to see my Music library, but unable to control it). Instead...
6. Choose to set up HomeSharing manually.
7. Your device will give you a 4 digit code, and tell you to enter it within iTunes. (Come on Apple: keep up now...)
8. Go to Music on your Mac, and half way down on the left, you'll see an icon representing your device, click it, and enter the code.
9. You're done.

I hope that works for others.....

John

Hi

I had that problem too. Here's a solution, which takes you back to where you were: Remote works again: hurrah!

Here's what worked for me- others may be able to take out a step, and make it more economical...

1. download the latest Catalina version (15.2). (This is meant to make Remote work again. And I thought it would, but it doesn't at first).
2. Delete the Remote App from your device. (I'm not sure if this is necessary, but it seemed a good idea and didn't take time).
3. Re-install the Remote App.
4. Set up HomeSharing. (Be sure your Mac and your device are on the same WiFi network).
5. DO NOT choose to set up Homesharing 'automatically' by logging onto the same Apple ID. (At least this didn't work for me- I was just back where I was with everyone else, able to see my Music library, but unable to control it). Instead...
6. Choose to set up HomeSharing manually.
7. Your device will give you a 4 digit code, and tell you to enter it within iTunes. (Come on Apple: keep up now...)
8. Go to Music on your Mac, and half way down on the left, you'll see an icon representing your device, click it, and enter the code.
9. You're done.

I hope that works for others.....

John

Hi, Maybe this will help on top of all that John did.

Open Music in Catalina.

Open the Remote on your iPhone/iPad.

You should see a blank screen.

Click on Settings in the upper right corner.

Turn off Home Sharing; turn on Home Sharing and then set up manually the screen changes. (maybe you have click on add an iTunes library)

In Music on your Mac, click on the device. Enter those 4 numbers. That should do it.

The weird thing is that this procedure turn off Home Sharing on the device.

But it works.

Kind of not Apple in execution but it does work.

The library will be the name of your old iTunes library but that is updated by anything you do in Music. Well it does on mine.

Hope that made sense.

Bill

Ah, OK. As I read through the rest of the thread I saw Mr. Hakes' method and it eventually worked for me, although I found his directions slightly confusing. I've annotated them below:

Open Music in Catalina.

Open the Remote on your iPhone/iPad.

You should see a blank screen. [He means on the Remote app. I didn't; I saw my music libraries.

Click on Settings in the upper right corner. [Of the Remote app.]

Turn off Home Sharing; turn on Home Sharing and then set up manually the screen changes. (maybe you have click on add an iTunes library) [Again, on the Remote app. On one iDevice I did have to click add a library. On another device it would only let me do this after I deleted the existing library.]

In Music on your Mac, click on the device. [On the left-hand side of the Music window you will see Devices listed. You will only get the opportunity to enter the four digits if the icon has changed from a picture of a device to the "Remote" icon. If you don't have this, go back to your Remote app and try to add a library again.] Enter those 4 numbers. That should do it.

The weird thing is that this procedure turn off Home Sharing on the device.

But it works.

Kind of not Apple in execution but it does work.

The library will be the name of your old iTunes library but that is updated by anything you do in Music. Well it does on mine.

Hope that made sense.

I’m not sure if this is a solution to the problem you’re experiencing. I suspect not as it was pretty straightforward fix for me and I’m not very smart when it comes to these things.

However....my remote app on my phone wasn’t detecting my MacBook iTunes anymore since the OS update, just my Apple TV.

On my MacBook i selected Apple icon top left corner> system preferences> sharing > and ticked media sharing. My remote app now picks up my MacBook iTunes and I can control it just like before.

Check your Home Sharing preferences for the library. See Use Home Sharing to share media from a computer to other devices - Apple Support. Perhaps turn Home Sharing off and then on again for music.

tt2

Capité Ruber ‘s right.

In the app be sure to turn HomeSharing off.

Then turn it on again and DON’T take the option of logging on with an Apple ID.

I hope that works for you

jp

Apple has released an updated iTunes Remote app... All is as it was... :-)

You're not alone. Use Product Feedback - Apple to let Apple know you would like this fixed.

tt2

When you first launch the app, after reinstall, you have two options. One is connect automatically with home home sharing, the second is connect manually. Choose "manually"... available medi libraries will then show up on the next screen..

There is a very poor work around. You can access your iTunes library in the iOS apple music apple. Just turn on Home Sharing. However this is horrible because every time you connect this way, which is every time you want to change something, the app syncs again and that can take a long time. It is unworkable. The apple Remote app never had this delay. Apple needs to fix it. The problem I see is that all of this works great on an AppleTV which fits into Apple's TV investment. But, you have to sit in front of your TV to choose your music and who want to do this? I wish I hadn't updated to Catalina. I did because I am planning to buy a new Mac which will come with Catalina. I am now thinking really hard about not getting a new Mac when I can suffer on my old one and save all of that money..

Even worse, this appears to be a universal problem. Search for something like 'iOS remote replacement' and you will find in these forums that this seems to be the only work around. Everyone seems to be waiting for Apple to fix the remote app. Maybe... Oh well. You can still use your Mac to set the stream. Yikes!!

With latest IOS updates, remote can now control Catalina music.