Pocketfuzz

Q: Will Syncing 3G iPod Nano Delete Games?

Hey all, I've got a 3rd generation ipod nano. I haven't touched it in years (found it in my cousin's car), so it has only recently been synced with my new itunes account. It has five click wheel games on it, two of which are downloads from the app store back when it supported the click wheel games. Obviously that page is long gone, so my question is: I have synced music with the ipod and the library is updated. However, my copy of the Phase game says that it requires me to sync it to itunes to add new music from the Phase playlist. That is, sync my games in addition to my music. I want to add my new music to the game, but will syncing delete the game because it was downloaded from a different itunes account? I'm curious, but I also like the game and want to keep it.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Pocketfuzz

iPod nano, Windows 10

Posted on Oct 2, 2016 8:41 PM

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Q: Will Syncing 3G iPod Nano Delete Games?

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  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Oct 2, 2016 10:11 PM in response to Pocketfuzz
    Level 8 (39,338 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 2, 2016 10:11 PM in response to Pocketfuzz

    Tough question...  Here's what I think.

     

    What's more important for an iPod (that's not iPod touch) is the iTunes library, not an "account."  What's in the library of the computer running iTunes (and syncing iPod) is what gets synced to iPod.  Those old iPod click-wheel games appear in current iTunes on the iPod's settings screen for Games.  I only have one, and it looks like this

    Screen Shot 2016-10-02 at 9.27.32 PM.png

    They are stored locally in your iTunes folder; in my case for the game shown above, it's at

     

    .../[user home folder]/Music/iTunes/iPod Games/Spore Origins.ipg

     

    If you set up syncing for Games (checkmark Sync Games and Apply), and the games are not listed, the games get erased from iPod.  When you set up syncing for an iTunes media type, what's on the iPod must exist in the computer's iTunes library.  iTunes is keeping iPod "in sync" based on how you set up these screens.

     

    There is a command to transfer iTunes Store purchases from iPod to computer.  I'm not sure it applies to iPod click-wheel games, but you can try it.  Select iPod in iTunes (click its device button) so that you're on iPod's Summary settings screen in iTunes.  Then, from the menu bar

     

    File -> Devices -> Transfer Purchases from "[name of iPod]"

     

    NOTE:  You may be prompted to authorize your computer with the Apple ID used to make the purchases, if it's not already.  If that Apple ID is different from the one you use currently, one computer can be authorized with multiple Apple IDs at the same time.

     

    If transfers are made, see if your two purchased games now appear on the screen shown above, with files located in your iTunes folder.  If they do, it should be safe to enable Sync Games, because the game files are now stored on your computer.  Otherwise, you probably should not.