You might have heard some discussing the state of Apple Music on the iPod nano and shuffle, two products that just got a minor facelift alongside a larger refresh for their bigger brother, the iPod touch. And you might have already guessed that streaming to the devices was a no-go from the lack of Wi-Fi capabilities, but it turns out you won’t even be able to store your offline Apple Music collection on the devices either.
How To Download Songs On Your Ipod Nano
Question: Q: Download songs from iPod Nano to iTunes I have my whole library in my old computer and I don't have access to it right now. I do have my iPod nano with me so I thought that I could easily transfer all the songs to iTunes but I don't manage to without it threatening to delete everything that I have in my iPod, which I don't want.
The reason, according to sources, is simply to prevent piracy…
By not allowing users to sync their offline songs to the iPod nano and shuffle, Apple can guarantee that users aren’t able to keep a collection of songs on their device after cancelling their Apple Music subscription. That’s unlike other iOS devices that have access to the iOS Music app and Wi-Fi that Apple can use to authenticate an active Apple Music subscription.
So, if you try to sync offline Apple Music tracks to your iPod nano or shuffle, you’ll simply get a warning from iTunes that “Apple Music songs cannot be copied to an iPod.”
It seems like Apple could have worked around this problem with new software to accommodate authentication of Apple Music subscriptions through iTunes once a month, at least for users that want to take that step to get their offline tracks into their new iPod nano or shuffle.
But for now, your non-touch iPod will be limited to your purchased iTunes or DRM-free music, and Apple Music won’t be much use if you’re planning on keeping the nano or shuffle alive by picking up one of the refreshed units in new colors launched this week.
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Whether you are transporting audio for an upcoming business meeting or just want something to listen to on the ride to work, the portable iPod Shuffle can come in handy. Songs can be downloaded onto your iPod Shuffle using three different methods in iTunes: automatically, via the Autofill feature and manually. How you download using these three methods varies slightly depending on the generation of iPod Shuffle you are using.
Download Automatically on 3rd and 4th Generation Shuffle
1.Connect your iPod Shuffle to your computer using the USB dock cable that came with the device.
2.Launch iTunes and click your iPod's Shuffle under the Devices heading.
3.Click the radio button next to “Entire music library” or “Selected playlists, artists, albums and genres,' depending on the songs you want to download. If you selected “Selected playlists, artists, albums and genres,” click the checkboxes next to the content you want to download.
4.Click the checkbox next to “Automatically fill free space with songs.”
5.Click the “Apply” button to download your music.
Download Using Autofill
1.Connect your iPod to your computer, launch iTunes and click your device under the Devices heading.
2.Click “Settings” in the main iTunes window if you are using a third or fourth-generation iPod Shuffle. Click “Contents” if you are using a first or second-generation device. Click 'Settings' after clicking “Contents.”
3.Click the checkboxes next to your desired Autofill settings. Options include “Replace all items when Autofilling,” “Choose items randomly” and “Choose higher rated items more often.” Click and drag the slider to set the quantity of space you want to reserve for disk use. Click the “OK” button.
4.Click the “Autofill from” menu in the main iTunes window and click the source of the songs your want to download.
5.Click the “Autofill” button in the main iTunes window to download your selected music onto your iPod Shuffle.
Download Manually
1.Connect your iPod Shuffle to your computer using the USB dock cable that came with the device. Launch the iTunes application and click your iPod Shuffle on the list of devices under the Devices heading.
2.Click the “Summary” tab and click “Manually manage music.”
3.Open your music library or playlist and drag and drop content onto the icon for your iPod Shuffle under the Devices heading.
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About the Author
Andrew Tennyson has been writing about culture, technology, health and a variety of other subjects since 2003. He has been published in The Gazette, DTR and ZCom. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Master of Fine Arts in writing.
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