iTunes Remote iOS app won't show Windows iTunes home sharing library

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Level 1

8 points

iTunes Remote iOS app won't show Windows iTunes home sharing library

I have a Windows PC running iTunes and I have Home Sharing enabled. I also have an Apple TV in another room connected to my HiFi to allow my to stream MP3s to my hifi via the Apple TV. I have Home Sharing enabled on the Apple TV. Within iTunes on my PC I can click on the Airplay logo and choose the Apple TV and sound will go via the Apple TV as I want. I can also select the computer and its music from the Apple TV.

However, I want to use the iTunes Remote app on my iPhone to select music to play on iTunes from my PC which will then stream via the Apple TV. I have enabled Home Sharing in the iPhone iTunes Remote app. However, the Remote app on my iPhone only shows the Apple TV and not the PC iTunes library.

Very occasionally if I disconnect the iPhone from the wifi and reconnect a few times and sign out from Home Sharing from within the Remote app on my iPhone and then sign back in again repeatedly, all of a sudden my PC iTunes library will appear in the iPhone iTunes Remote app. I can then use it to play a song and while that song is still playing if I try to change the song I find that the PC iTunes library has disappeared again from the app and now I cannot even pause the song that is playing without going back into the other room and pausing it directly on the PC. Does anyone have any idea what is happening?

I have repeatedly tried all of the reboots and resets of every device and router, etc., but:

I know my PC iTunes is Home Sharing ok because it can see and stream to the Apple TV;
I know the Apple TV is Home Sharing ok because it can see the PC iTunes library;
I know the iPhone iTunes Remote app is Home Sharing ok because it can see and control the Apple TV...

So why can't the iTunes Remote app see the PC iTunes library?

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Posted on Jun 8, 2020 4:05 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

i_rina

Community Specialist

Jun 11, 2020 6:00 AM in response to sjlemon

sjlemon,

Are you able to see it appear when you disable Home Sharing? It looks like another Apple Support Communities user was able to resolve the issue by ensuring their iPhone was connected to the PC first: Itunes 12 remote button missing - Apple Community

Which version of iTunes are you using? What is the operating system on your PC? You might check for software updates to see if that helps as well.

Update to the latest version of iTunes - Apple Support

Hopefully one of these will help.

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Answer 2

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Jun 10, 2020 6:22 AM in response to sjlemon

sjlemon,

I'm glad you decided to reach out on the Apple Support Communities. If I understand correctly you’re attempting to use the iTunes Remote app on your iPhone to access both the media library on your Apple TV and the media library in iTunes on your PC. It sounds like Home Sharing is working in all aspects except that you aren’t always able to see the media library for iTunes on the app.

If I have this right, are you able to open the Remote app and add the media library from iTunes as outlined in the “Pair iTunes Remote with your media library” section here?

Set up the iTunes Remote app for iTunes on PC - Apple Support

All my best.

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Answer 3

sjlemon Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 11, 2020 4:46 PM in response to i_rina

That is brilliant. Thank you. I switched off home networking altogether, (not sure if that was necessary, but didn't need it), physically connected my iPhone to the PC in iTunes, and used the connect manually option in the remote app. It only worked while the phone was connected, and the remote icon didn't appear, but when I clicked on the phone device icon I could the option to switch to the remote app as if it was a separate device, and then I could enter the four digit code. And bingo. It worked. Convoluted, but hopefully worth it. Thanks for your help.

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Answer 4

sjlemon Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 10, 2020 8:32 PM in response to Joseph_S.

Thanks. No, and this may be the heart of the issue, because I cannot and have never been able to get the 'remote' icon to appear in my Windows iTunes.

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iTunes Remote iOS app won't show Windows iTunes home sharing library

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