I can't manually manage my iPod Touch 7th Gen on Catalina or Big Sur

Question

Level 1

4 points

I can't manually manage my iPod Touch 7th Gen on Catalina or Big Sur

OK all, I figured this solution out, for those who have problems with manually managing iPods with Catalina & Music or iTunes. It works SOLID for me, no issues what-so-ever.

I know this isn't a question, but all the topics are locked and I haven't found an appropriate solution, everyone was settling with ridiculous capitulations in Apple Music...

So I had to figure it out myself. Well here's what worked for me.

1: DO NOT EVER USE APPLE MUSIC. Delete it if you can. If not, be EXTRA CAREFUL NEVER TO OPEN IT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR IPOD IS CONNECTED.

2: Download & install Retroactive. https://github.com/cormiertyshawn895/Retroactive

—> If your iPod doesn't mount in iTunes after installing retroactive, GO TO STEP 3:

—> If your iPod mounts in iTunes after installing Retroactive, You're done.

3: Turn off ALL things iCloud Music Library & Auto Sync in your iPod & iTunes prefs.

4: Unmount your iPod in your sidebar (it always mounts like a hard disk in Catalina & Big Sur.

Be sure to ALWAYS unmount it from the sidebar when reconnecting it, before starting iTunes.

For some odd reason, when keeping it mounted, it kills iTunes ability to recognize it.

SO AGAIN, NEVER KEEP IT MOUNTED IN THE SIDEBAR and NEVER OPEN APPLE MUSIC WITH IT CONNECTED.

5: Start iTunes again, your iPod should mount in iTunes in the top left of the iTunes window.

If your iPod still doesn't mount...

6: Wipe and reset your iPod. I know, I have a HUGE library and this sucked having to do this, but I HAD to do it because I was NOT going to the utterly RIDICULOUS work-around through Apple Music. UGH! What a disgusting interface.

7: Set up your playlists again in iTunes THEN do the same process on your iPod.

8: VOILA... you should be good to go, and after THAT beating, you'll need some beer or bourbon.

Enjoy it while listening to your new, always iTunes recognizable & manually manageable iPod.

Posted on Dec 29, 2020 11:54 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Feb 4, 2021 8:19 AM in response to SHADYZZ

Sorry for upsetting you Shadyzz.

I stand by what I said about Apple deliberately and unnecessarily crippling support for devices that still work, and that their customers rely on every day. Apple should not have done that, and it certainly isn't "advancing" anything.

Using Retroactive to install older iTunes versions is clearly a massive hack, and so any advice to do that should come with a BIG warning that it might (for example) break your Music library, or might (who knows) even brick your old device.

BUT -- it's a pretty good hack and Retroactive is an impressive thing. So maybe there's a slightly different version of Shadyzz's solution which would work in the more general case.

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NOT FULLY TESTED THIS PROCEDURE MYSELF! Read it all the way through before doing any of the steps! Use your own judgement before erasing or resetting anything!

IF AND ONLY IF you are happy to accept the risks of doing so, install Retroactive and iTunes.
As Shadyzzz says, Turn off ALL things iCloud Music Library & Auto Sync in your iPod & iTunes prefs.
Quit iTunes and make sure the Music app is also not running.
Plug in your old iPod.
Go to the Finder, and in the left sidebar 'eject' (unmount) your iPod.
Make sure the Music app is still not running, then launch iTunes again.
Use iTunes to look at the music and playlists on your iPod. If necessary, manually reconstruct your playlists in your music library in iTunes, based on the ones on your iPod. Later, you will sync these new playlists back to your iPod.
When you are happy that you have all your wanted information (music and playlists) in your iTunes library, use iTunes to 'eject' your iPod.
Quit iTunes again and disconnect your iPod.
Plug in your iPod again.
Now launch the Music app and check that your new (reconstructed) playlists are in there, and are correct.
If it all looks good, go to the Finder and click on your iPod in the left sidebar.
Click the Music tab, check the 'Sync music...' checkbox, and choose the 'Selected artists...' option.
Click the Playlists tab, and select the playlists that you want on your iPod (probably the ones you reconstructed earlier).
Click the Sync button. Finder should warn you about replacing all the contents of your iPod. IF AND ONLY IF you are sure, go ahead. (The sync will take ages - be patient).

Thanks and regards to Shadyzz, and to Shawn Comierty for Retroactive. Good luck.

Reply

Answer 2

Feb 4, 2021 5:30 AM in response to SHADYZZ

This a dreadful "solution" and hope other users are not trying it.

Firstly let me be clear that Apple should not have removed the ability to properly manage music and playlists on iPods. All the problems people are having managing iPods after upgrading to Catalina or Big Sur are Apple's fault. And Apple don't seem to care. That's disgraceful.

However, there are some major problems with SHADYZZ's suggestion.

Point 5: "Start iTunes again". There is no iTunes on these OS versions.

Point 6: "Wipe and reset your iPod" -- DON'T DO THIS unless you have somehow recovered your playlists and music already (in which case you don't need this solution anyway), or you are happy to lose all that data (in which case you also don't need this solution).

Point 7: "Set up your playlists again in iTunes THEN do the same process on your iPod" -- how?? Didn't we just wipe and reset our iPods? Are we supposed to magically remember exactly what was in all our playlists and in what order? Bear in mind that on many iPods (all iPod Shuffles) there is no way at all to view or setup a playlist on the device, and Catalina/BigSur won't show you the existing playlists. So this part of the process is impossible.

SHADYZZ, I am happy that you found a solution that worked for you.

Other users, I strongly recommend that you do not try this.

Reply

Answer 3

SHADYZZ Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 4, 2021 7:32 AM in response to Richard Emerson

I know that you’re going to be upset with me for this response, but it’s 100% the truth, so deal with it.

First, quit getting so down on Apple for advancing. Technology requires it humans at least stay within 10 years of its advancement, and the more the technology advances, it advances in complexity and thus the closer in time it requires humans to adhere to its updates.

that doesn’t take into account that devices can’t necessarily support more modern coding structures and technology. at some point, in other words, you have to update if you want to use technology!

You are asking Apple to win a metaphorical technological running race while at the same time having the expectation that they must wait up for you in your lazy-boy chair at the start line to decide that you even want to participate in the race aside from having purchased shorts, no other effort on your part.

The aforementioned isn’t even tough to figure out for children!

next, regarding your statement that there is no longer iTunes on these devices, if you’ve taken any time to read through any of the threads or have any technological capability whatsoever, you do realize that there’s an application called “Retroactive”, and this app allows you to install iTunes, iMovie, and Lightroom onto your brand new Mac which is running Catalina or Big Sur.

so, rethink what you wrote, or just go back and read your way through the entire thread and you’ll see a myriad of responses mentioning this.

I knew of retroactive right when it was released, I thought that it having been mentioned more than 20 times and links provided in a forum thread, that everyone would at least be up-to-date with regard to this.

Clearly, even something as simple as that was too much of a lofty expectation for some people on my part.

Go install it, you’d have taken control of your iPod back long before having to complain on here in paragraph after paragraph.

Just sayin’.

Reply

I can't manually manage my iPod Touch 7th Gen on Catalina or Big Sur

Similar questions