Playing shared music.

Question

Playing shared music.

How do I add/play music/video from my Windows PC, which is in shared folders across multiple drives, to my iPad? I can see no way to directly add the shared folders to the Music App and if I browse to them and play them they do not play in Music App, just in some other App, I have no idea what it is...I do not understand why this is so difficult.

I have looked around but most of the guidance is about sharing between Apple products and the stuff for Wndows always includes iTunes, really, I do not want iTunes if I can get away without it, I have no need for it, I already have my stuff organised quite nicely.

I just want to access my music, on network folders, and play it in the music app.

Any advice most welcome and very much appreciated.

iPad Air, iOS 13

Posted on Dec 23, 2019 3:15 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

QuickPost

Level 10

103,323 points

Dec 23, 2019 4:19 PM in response to NeilBrooks_UK

iPad’s Music application does not support importing music files. I you would like to populate the Music application then you will have to import these music files into iTunes on your WIndows PC and synchronize your iPad with iTunes. Since it sounds like you do not wish to do this then you will have to use a 3rd party application. I suggest nPlayer.

You are welcome to share your feedback with Apple using the following link.

Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 2

QuickPost

Level 10

103,323 points

Dec 23, 2019 4:03 PM in response to NeilBrooks_UK

Hello,

If you do not wish to use iTunes then you cannot use the Music application directly on your iPad to play music stored on your Windows PC. You could try setting up a Windows network share point and using an application from the iPad’s App Store to remotely access your PC via the Samba (SMB) protocol. It is quite crude but it can work. It may just be easier to use Home Sharing in iTunes.

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Answer 3

Dec 23, 2019 4:16 PM in response to QuickPost

Hi zmclearan, thank you for the reply, I already have the shared folders, all my Win PC's, even my Chromebook, my LG TV and my Android phones can browse to these shares, see them as music and play them in the appropiate apps and even add them to their own libraries.

I can see the folders in the new iPadOS file/folder browser, I have added the 'server' and I can browse the folders and files, but the do not play in the Music App and there is no way to tell the App to add these folders as part of the library.

This is just one of the frustrations I am experiencing with my new Apple product and I am almost on the verge of wishing I had never gotten it, the walled garden thing just feels more like a digital prison to me, this is after all quite a simple thing, that poses no issues on other modern OSes so why is this such a problem here.

iTunes, is horrible, I hate it and I would rather send my iPad back to Amazon than have to install iTunes on my PC again, its just such a mess, it is completetly pointless application that has always been trash. iTunes was one of the reasons I dropped iPhone and previous iPads, and I was hoping with the new iPadOS things may be a bit less restrictive but it would seem there are still some glaring ommissions.

Thanks again for your input though, I do appreciate it.

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Answer 4

QuickPost

Level 10

103,323 points

Dec 23, 2019 4:24 PM in response to NeilBrooks_UK

You are welcome. I am quite fond of nPlayer. It supports most of the industry standard network file share protocols. It also supports background multitasking and Picture-in-Picture video on compatible iPad models. It is a pretty robust application.

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Answer 5

Dec 23, 2019 4:35 PM in response to QuickPost

Yeah it looks ok, I just tried the Lite version, found my shared folders without issue...but of course you get spammed with ads...so have to pay for the ad-free version, which is fair enough I suppose...

I feel like this is wrong though, I spent quite a lot of cash on device that cripples me from doing such basic things as adding my own music to the app without some long winded nonsense or paying more cash.

Not really very happy about it.

Again, thanks zmclearan...

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Answer 6

Dec 23, 2019 4:21 PM in response to QuickPost

Thanks buddy, I will check it out.

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Answer 7

Dec 23, 2019 8:19 PM in response to NeilBrooks_UK

I just installed iTunes from the Windows Store, I decided I had done enough arsing about. I will take another look at it all later in the week...

Thanks for your input buddy.

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Playing shared music.

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