Why is iTunes so complicated?

ITunes is for all its lovers and haters a convoluted annoying piece of software, it is excessively resource hungry for what is after all not much more than a file manager with a media player added to it.

New versions seem to move stuff around which can make for a very frustrating experience.

Personally I don't want "features" I want to be able to update match when I add stuff and that is about it, but the app on my PC grinds to a halt when trying to do something with iTunes, (Intel Core i7-5960X 16Gb Ram 2xSSD)

It has become a bloated monster which imo opinion needs to be rebuilt from the ground up to return it to being useable.

Yeah itunes is a piece of ****. icloud just will not work with my 4s! I've changed my password 3 times and I'm still locked out! My phone just will not update for some reason no matter what I do! Also itunes won't use my credit card

It has nothing to do with whether you are tech-savvy or not. iTunes is simply a badly written program that must be experimented with and studied to use effectively. This simply shows how much Apple is willing to put into a working platform for their products, which is the bare minimum. And as for "that's what the forums are for" well, it's not the general public's job to pick up Apple's slack. It's a cop out, plain and simple.

iTunes is complicated because Apple wants to put in a lot of features into it. The only problem is that once an app gets 100+ features, it starts getting complicated 😉.

"iTunes is complicated because Apple wants to put in a lot of features into it. The only problem is that once an app gets 100+ features, it starts getting complicated"

Exactly - re-reading this thread its clear that the less people want to do with iTunes the more complex it appears to be, and I suspect that there is a significant number of iTunes users who are familiar with the "app" paradigm (simple piece of software to do one thing) rather than large, multi-functional applications. Given that iTunes is:

• a content management system for multiple media types
• a device management system for two different ranges of devices (iOS and "traditional" iPod)
• a media player
• the front-end to a retail store
• a configuration manager for a number of cloud services

then its not surprising that it is (and appears to be) complex. Comparing iTunes to something like Windows Media Player is really not valid, given that the latter offers far, far fewer capabilities.

It't true. This is a terrible piece of software, complicated, annoying, I just want it to work. I am in one hour worth of downloads now on some bizarre "upgrade" which just crashed my i Pad. this STUFF IS CRAP. i NEVER GO THROUGH THIS WITH WINDOWS. i JUST WANTED A FEW SONGS ON MY IPAD AND THIS IS THE CRAP I HAVE TO GO THROUGH., WILL WASTE 3 HOURS OF MY LIKE ON THIS GARBAGE. KEEP IT SIMPLE FOR GODS SAKE STOP THE CRAP.

hhgttg27 wrote:

... I suspect that there is a significant number of iTunes users who are familiar with the "app" paradigm (simple piece of software to do one thing) rather than large, multi-functional applications.

I think you have a good point. Quite what the answer is, I'm not sure.

I suspect it's not 42 though...

😉

Theycallmeshine, I am agreeing with you. Have Android for everything, going on a trip and got this ipad air 2 for my kid. I went to set up Netlfix. It says I need the app. So I am thinking this should pretty simple. I can read and push buttons so I didn't think it would be that complicated. I was wrong. I have to set this and that up before I can go to itunes. They want your date of birth, credit card information, your address, your first born child and so on. With Google playstore I select what I want, if I want to buy it I do, if it's free I need not give anything but begin installing and the app is ready to go. The Netflix app is free, why do I have to draw blood to get it.

I am regretting my choice. For those attacking the OP, get over yourselves. This is a forum and we have a right to voice frustration, and this individual has an issue like many of us and it should be addressed. I notice apple folk get very defensive about this brand. Frankly, it isn't that stellar when they can't simplify usage. I shouldn't have to give away a kidney to get this free app supplied by Netflix. I like to learn new things and I don't mind a challenge but this has been frustrating. It all started when I set the IPad up, upon completion I FINALLY get to the main screen and my emails are open. They don't have an option to log out of your email so no one else can access it. I went into settings, I searched for a logout in the email but nothing. I had to delete the account in order to clear it. Why did it have to be that complicated. With my Android I log in or log out at my discretion. Set up with the Android is simple. Turn it on and you are about ready to go. Apple needs to take note of what people are saying.

jdjohns88 wrote:

This is a forum and we have a right to voice frustration,...

Actually, it's not. Read the Terms and Conditions if you doubt this.

• This forum is here (and provided by Apple) in order for one user to help another. Posts from people who don't want help, despite claiming that they do, don't help anyone. Most of the time, they don't even help Apple.
• Posts from people who go on about how much better Android is seem to forget that we might well have Android devices of our own. I have - and I can spot flim-flam when I see it.
• If you think that those of us who (in your words) "defend Apple" have no issues at all with Apple products, you're wrong. We simply find workable solutions where we can. Far too many people though, aren't interested in "workable solutions", because what they want is a solution to suit only themselves.

jdjohns88 wrote:

... this individual has an issue like many of us and it should be addressed.

If you are referring to yourself, can I suggest that you create your own thread because after three years of this one, it has achieved nothing.

jdjohns88 wrote:

This is a forum and we have a right to voice frustration,

No you don't, you have a responsibility to obey the rules you agreed to when you signed up.

iTunes is a **** program period.

There are two parts.

1. the iTunes account. Here everything you bought and got for free should be collected. Here should also be iTunes store.

2. the devices. Here all connected devices should be selectable and displayed.

Say I wanna remove a song from my phone. I connect the phone, go to iTunes and choose my device/music. Right click on the song; delete!

If I wanna buy a song I'll go to My apple id/store, find it and buy it!

If I wanna add a song from my PC to my iPhone I'd go to my device/music right click add song, find the song on my computer and boom, added!

If I wanna add a song I've bought from iTunes store I go to.. iTunes store, find the song and add to device!

This is what people expect the program to do and when it doesn't people think it's crap (and it doesn't and yes, iTunes is crap).

A good rule in business is "give people what they want". If you don't you're going downhill.

I don't see much different from what you describe and how iTunes actually works:

• Library management - you can add media from multiple sources (including the iTunes Store, if you choose to use it), create and maintain playlists, etc.
• Device management - you can create and maintain playlists that you then associate with your iDevices. When you want to update one of the latter, connect - sync - disconnect.

What's so difficult? Obviously things are a little different if you choose to use iTunes Match/Apple Music/iCloud in conjunction with iOS devices, where the content of the latter is controlled through the cloud rather than syncing over a cable or Wi-Fi. Different, but not complex.

JohnfromSweden wrote:

Say I wanna remove a song from my phone. I connect the phone, go to iTunes and choose my device/music. Right click on the song; delete!

If I wanna buy a song I'll go to My apple id/store, find it and buy it!

If I wanna add a song from my PC to my iPhone I'd go to my device/music right click add song, find the song on my computer and boom, added!

If I wanna add a song I've bought from iTunes store I go to.. iTunes store, find the song and add to device!

The purpose of iTunes has always been to Sync (synchronise) the iPod with iTunes. Synchronise means (in this context) to:

1. agree with something else - (iTunes and the iPod/iPhone)
2. to make the same as something else - (iTunes and the iPod/iPhone)
3. to aline,or line up - (iTunes and the iPod/iPhone)
4. (and specifically in computing), to cause a set of data or files to remain identical in more than one location - (iTunes and the iPod/iPhone)

• To do this, make changes in the iTunes Library and then allow iTunes to Sync with the iPod/iPhone. Simple.
• At the same time, the Sync will transfer changes on the iPod/iPhone (play counts etc.) back to iTunes, so that they are in sync.
• Attempting to make a change through iTunes, directly onto an iDevice, is asking for trouble, the most likely of which will be that those changes will be lost when the device has to be restored due to an unrecoverable issue, or is a.) lost; b.) stolen; c.) replaced for a newer model. This forum is littered with such issues.

For anything more complicated than that, which anyone has trouble with, use this forum to find help (note the word help) from your fellow users. Anything else is simply a waste of your own and everybody else's time.

One useful method of managing a device is to use the Sync only ticked songs and videos option in iTunes. Then, to remove a song form the iPod/iPhone, simply untick it in the iTunes Library. At the next Sync, the song is removed from the device but kept in the Library, should you want to put it back again.

Guys im struggling to work out why some audio files I have I can't transfer to Itunes to sync with my iphone. They aren't music files they are audio files from a language course, but they are mp3 files so I see no reason why they can't be transferred to my iphone. I've tried both 'add files to library' and dragging the files into Itunes but neither works. Can anyone help me with this? Itunes can be annoying at times.

As language course files, perhaps they are marked as Audiobooks. This means that they will not appears in the Music section of your iTunes Library, but under Audiobooks instead.

On the top menu, click on the "three dots" to show the menu and select Audiobooks so that you have the book icon displayed as shown below:

Are the audio files in there?