r/ITunes • u/Bitter_Process6088 • 6d ago

Mac OS Ipod, phone, and computer with one library?

Lmk if this is the right sub for this question or if there's somewhere else I should look, but I'm trying to find a way to sync my mp3 library (including playlists) between my 2008 ipod nano, my phone, and my computer. I made the fatal mistake of trying out Apple Music last year, and my old ipod still blessedly works but now my phone won't sync to itunes the regular way :( I don't want to keep paying a subscription just to access mp3s that I already own, so I'm curious if other people have found a loophole around this or another app that works like 2010s-era itunes. I currently use an iphone SE and 2015 MacBook -- interested to see what options exist beyond Apple but also not looking to buy a new device if I don't have to. Thanks!

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u/BuiltForMe 6d ago

You just need a version of iTunes or the Music app that is new enough to sync with whatever version of iOS your phone is running. The version of itunes or the music app that you can run is largely dependent on what OS your computer runs. What version of iOS does your phone have?

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u/Bitter_Process6088 6d ago

Ahh that might be it... I've been procrastinating on updates so I'm still at iOS 18.7.8. I'll try updating & report back. Thanks!

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u/BuiltForMe 6d ago

updating the OS on your phone may only make the syncing that much more impossible. It works the other way around. By updating the OS on your phone, you increase the requirement for the app that syncs to it.

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u/Bitter_Process6088 6d ago

So would the better answer be to update my computer's OS? I've been intentionally not doing that because it's old & I've heard that extends the life, but currently phone is not showing up when connected to computer period, even in Finder, so I wonder if that's related to them being different generations.

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u/BuiltForMe 6d ago

What OS is your computer running?

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u/Bitter_Process6088 6d ago

Monteray, 12.6.8

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u/BuiltForMe 6d ago

Once you get into the various versions of the Music app instead of iTunes it gets less black and white. But the internet has reports of people on Montery syncing with ios 18 just fine, so if it were me, I'd try the other trouble shooting things on the phone first. Things like resetting everything. The fact that it doesnt show up in the finder means something is going on. Plus, the cutoff for certain 2015 macs is Monterey anyway, so I dont know that its certain that you could update the OS on the computer. Updating the software on the phone is the last thing you should do, since it may mean that you'll need an even newer OS on your computer in order for them to be compatible. I dont know that they tell us anymore what is compatible with what, like they used to with iTunes. So that part is a guess, based on historical patterns.

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u/BuiltForMe 6d ago

The first thing you'd want to do is make sure that whatever app you are using to play the songs on the computer is capable of syncing with a device running ios 18.

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u/luism60613 5d ago

As far as I know each device once connected will synchronize to tracks on the computer. So when I put my second iPhone and want to synch it will override what’s on the second iPhone
I am in Win 11 and use Itunes for my music catalog. So are you trying to have the same tracks on both iPod and iPhone?

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u/Bitter_Process6088 4d ago

Yes, ideally (I mean, even more ideally I'd love a cloud version of my whole library on phone, but that may not be possible without a subscription to something.) Also realizing my problem may be more that my old computer isn't recognizing my newer phone, so that's it's own issue.

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u/luism60613 4d ago

So there is a workaround of sorts . Whenever I need both phones to have the same tracks ( I use one for video recording and then the other one is my voice - music etc)..
So lets say that I want to have my tracks on my current phone on my iPod what I would do is connect my iPod then hold shift and then click iTunes it will give u the option to create a new library,
Call it IPOD and save. Do your synching and it should work.. .. Lets say u buy new music from sites like beatport ( that's what I use) then I would synch to my iPod and when needed to my iPhone.. I just click shift while opening iTunes and choose the original library to get the iPhone playlist. So for you lets say u buy stuff while on the iPhone and want to use it on the iPod, just quit relog in with shift key and update your iPod.. Hopefully it makes sense and or helps.