iTunes purchased videos and all DRM movies will not play on iOS 8 devices when streamed from an external drive (or streamed from other wireless devices). Any solution in sight?

To clarify original post

Video streaming of DRM movies, purchased from iTunes and other vendors. to any iOS device is not working: iTunes purchased videos and all DRM movies will not play on iOS 8 devices when streamed from any external hard drive with wireless capabilities (or streamed from other wireless devices). These movies are digitally protected and are normally send from the external drive and the corresponding app to the Safari browser to play (which works for all prior iOS versions). However, in iOS 8, Safari will no longer allow DRM movies to play. These movies will play when the video is transferred to the iPhone/iPad and played in the Apple's Video App or the corresponding App from the vendor.

You might ask, why do I even need this ability? We spend a lot of times "off the grid", the entire family owns Apple devices. iPad, iPod, iPhone 5 and 6, iMac and on and on. With that comes a boatload of data that not a single Apple device can hold but the iMac. Needless to say, that I am to taking the iMac "off the grid" but certainly would like to take my content with me.I do understand that Apple is trying to push iCloud, but again: This is "off the grid", there is no iCloud. Neither is that iCloud on those long international flights. With iOS 8, Apple has effectively taken my content away from me and I have not seen any comment or remark from anyone inside Apple that this will change.

Any comments, any knowledge out there that would be helpful not to trash a boatload of Apple devices and iTunes? Please, no workarounds like jailbreaking the devices, removing the DRM code, changing the file format and such. I only would like to play any of my content at any time of any of my Apple devices without having to prepare for hours for it. Apple was known for form and function, function is just about out of the window. Pun intended

I have spend now numerous hours with Apple Support, Apple Store and iTunes, to get answers to this issue. The interesting thing is that neither department seems fully aware of the implication with the change in iOS8.x. This is particular strange since the Apple Store still advertises the SanDisk Connect 64GB Wireless Media Drive with exactly those specification that do not work any longer. At this point my request is supposedly bumped up to "our engineering team" with this iOS8 issue and the iTunes Store Support member promised to reply to me if she hears anything back from them but warns not to have any expectations in regards to a timeframe.

Western Digital, or at least the Community Manager there, seems to have given up on this one and takes a stance that those DRM protected movies should have never played to begin with with iOS6 and ..7 and iOS8 is actually a fix to this bug. I dare to differ for the one reason that an external wireless storage device only stores content and cannot play it. The ownership of that DRM protected content lies within the code of the content and should be readable by any authorized iOS device to be watched as legally purchased content.

If Apple tries to crack down on copyright piracy they certainly should not do that on the backs of their own customers since we are not forced to buy the content as a dlc through iTunes but can buy hardcopies, dvd's anywhere we please. With that, importing movies into iTunes, being such a pain with Handbrake and things, Apple is only hurting their own iTunes store.

@Limnos, the main question here is the restriction Apple imposed on their own customers in regards to their legally purchased content and the validity of their reasoning to impose those restrictions in the usage of this content. I am glad that you apparently have no issues with that. I do have certainly an issue with you telling me how to spend my vacation, what I should own and how I should use it. In other terms, if you rent a car the renting agency can prohibit you from taking that car into Mexico or Canada. The dealership you bought your car from can not prohibit you of doing exactly that because you own it. You own the movies, you are playing them on authorized iOS devices, the only thing prohibiting this is that external wireless storage device that cannot even play those movies but simply stores it. You probably understand by now how disqualified your comment is for those exact reasons.

Let me recap the issue for you:

With the introduction of iOS.8x DRM protected movies, as all movies purchased through iTunes, will not play anymore on any iOS8.x device, through an external, wireless storage device. Those iOS8.x devices are synced with the iTunes account the movies were purchased through. With that the ownership question should not be an issue and movies should be playing through external storage devices. Those same movies do play on iOS8.x devices if stored on them.

1. Why has Apple with iOS8.x has taken away the ability for purchased iTunes content to “handshake” or “being authorized” to a synced iOS8.x device over an external, wireless storage device?

2. Does Apple have plans to introduce a wireless, external storage device, as the below described devices? One of the biggest issue with a lot of iOS devices is the limited storage capacity of them. This is an issue with ever better cameras, and bigger size photos, HD movies with devices that provide an ever clearer picture but do not have the ability to store libraries of bigger sizes.

3. What are authorized devices to view a DRM protected movie, in comparison to external storage devices that do not allow you to watch a movie but simply stores it?

We all know that Apple will not give official statements to its policies, developments and plans as well as in regards to 3rd party applications and hardware. If those 3rd party apps or hardware don't work anymore, you are out of luck. Apple probably has burned more bridges with 3rd party manufacturers of any size that we can imagine. Just in my little bubble I can come up with probably a good dozen of good size companies.

This case is slightly different since it involves iTunes purchased content, not just those 3rd party external storage devices. Even though, Apple sells the SanDisk right here in its Online store with exactly those claims that in can do things which it can't anymore after iOS8. But besides that, there is no warning, information anywhere in the iTunes Store that purchasing content with and for iOS devices may result in not being able to watch this content if purchased with devices that do not have enough storage capacity which applies to a lot of even brandnew iOS devices.

This creates possible issues with every single purchase through the iTunes Store after the iOS8 release and even with Apple sitting on a large stack of cash, I don't think that this is the way they plan on burning down the house, i.e. the iTunes Store. And if they do, than anyone with an iTunes library has bigger issues than that.

I am not sure if you really understand the issue at hand. Possibly that you are just scanning, not reading the whole text, or simply that you just want to close a thread with your last words or derail it for whatever strange reason. So far you have been more destructive than helpful, but again this could be ignorance at best.

If you would have had the decency to read the entire thread you would have come to the conclusion that every manufacturer, I came across, has posted FAQ's to this issue but Apple. Find a short excerpt below:

SeaGate http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/006135en?language=en_US <http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/006135en?language=en_US> Playing DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected movies in Seagate Media App Information regarding remote streaming of DRM protected movies. Most forms of DRM (Digital Rights Management) will prevent playing movies on unauthorized devices or from remote storage hosted on wireless drives or NAS drives(Seagate Wireless, Seagate Wireless Plus, Seagate Central or Seagate Personal Cloud). Movies purchased from iTunes can be streamed to iOS 6 and iOS 7 devices which were authorized from remote storage (the video could be selected in Seagate Media App and would be played in a Safari browser), however in iOS 8 this has stopped working. A bug has been filed with Apple, however this functionality has not been restored. Therefore, DRM protected movies purchased on iTunes can no longer be played on devices running iOS 8.

SanDisk http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16668/kw/itunes <http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16668/kw/itunes> Videos purchased or rented from iTunes will not play in iOS 8 The SanDisk Wireless Media Drive and Wireless Flash Drive support streaming of DRM protected iTunes purchased movie content to authorized devices in iOS 6 and iOS 7 ONLY. The DRM protected content is opened in Safari where the DRM is decrypted and the video is played. iOS 8 issue In iOS 8 Apple device has NOT enabled Safari based DRM decryption. Therefore DRM protected content, i.e. purchased movies or TV shows from iTunes, CANNOT be streamed from the Media Drive/WFD in iOS 8. This issue has been reported to Apple. We do not have any estimated date when Safari will support DRM decryption of iTunes purchased content.

in contrast: here is the excerpt from the Apple Store http://store.apple.com/us/product/HFSQ2VC/A/sandisk-connect-64gb-wireless-media- drive?fnode=12ea113d2dba9883d5561c573d91…

Overview

With the SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive and its companion app, you're free to share and stream high-definition content between your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Mac devices without a cable connection. Simply connect wirelessly from your iOS device to the media drive and instantly stream your HD movies, browse photos and listen to music from around the house or on the go, while avoiding the common hassles of cables, attachment limits or Internet availability

AirStash http://support.airstash.com/entries/55924774-Known-Issues-with-iOS-8-and-or-iPho ne-6-6- <http://support.airstash.com/entries/55924774-Known-Issues-with-iOS-8-and-or-iPho ne-6-6-> (Excerpt) Known Issues with iOS 8 and/or iPhone 6/6+ Apple recently released iOS 8 and the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+. Here are the remaining issues that we are aware of in the iOS 8 general release: • Video streaming of DRM movies (purchased from iTunes and other vendors): iTunes purchased videos and all DRM movies will not play on iOS 8 devices when streamed from AirStash (or streamed from other wireless devices). These movies are digitally protected and the AirStash app sends them to the Safari browser to play (which works for all prior iOS versions). However, in iOS 8, Safari will no longer allow DRM movies to play. These movies will play when the video is transferred to the iPhone/iPad and played in the Apple's Video App or the corresponding App from the vendor.

WD - A Western Digital company http://community.wd.com/t5/My-Passport-Wireless/Streaming-itunes-DRM-movies-to-s afari-on-iPad-not-working-IOS-8/m-p/820913#M387 <http://community.wd.com/t5/My-Passport-Wireless/Streaming-itunes-DRM-movies-to-s afari-on-iPad-not-working-IOS-8/m-p/820913#M387> No official comment here in regards to the issue but a interesting comment by Bill_S, WD Community Manager, who is basically saying that iOS8.x was actually a fix to an issue that DRM protected movies were playing prior to iOS8.x. If this is the case and Apple will not address this issue or fix it since Apple believes that movies should be protected this way, you need to let the community know that movies are restricted this way. Re: Streaming itunes DRM movies to safari on iPad not working - IOS 8 issue? [ Edited ] Options 11-06-2014 03:19 PM - edited 11-06-2014 03:22 PM Actually, this is not something we can NOT fix. It appears that Apple finally fixed an issue they had with their movie DRMs. The files should have never played in the first place. [Edit] If you have an issue with this, you will need to take it up with Apple. Click the Kudos star to say thank you for helpful posts. And be sure to come back to click the 'Accept as Solution' button for the post that solved your issue. This may help someone else.

Dpar909, I didn't think it would happen on an Apple Forum but we are dealing in Limnos with a troll who has only one claim to fame in his eyesight, which is level/point count. I don't think that he is in any way capable or made the attempt to understand this issue. But never mind that.

In my latest conversations with Apple support staff, it becomes clear that at this point, neither Apple Store support nor iTunes support , including their engineering staff, dealing with iOS8 issues, is aware of this issue. This forum is not monitored, which allows trolls like Limnos to run havoc here, or issues posted here to reach anyone at any level at Apple. They might have some automated system trying to weed out serious 'hack" suggestions, but nothing good enough to make Apple aware of issues.

You can go through feedback, which probably ends in the same bottomless pool as forum posts, but here is the link anyway.

http://www.apple.com/feedback

There is a phone# for customer relations a support agent suggested, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. 1-800-275-2273

And I forgot to mention. Yes, it would be easy to remove the DRM code embedded, but this is illegal in my eyes. This is just a simple handshake/authorization of content from a legal iTunes account, legally purchased content to authorized devices that needs to be done. So why would I have to "hack" my own content?