iTunes and iOS have a feature called Home Sharing, which lets you, for example, share an iTunes library to an Apple TV, or to another computer running iTunes on your local network. Prior to iOS 8.4, it also allowed you to share your iTunes library directly to your iOS device; when it worked.
This Home Sharing to iOS devices was notoriously fickle (as in, it hardly every worked). When I wrote this article, part 12 of my Fixing iTunes series, I did an informal poll, and found that it was rare indeed when it was able to load a music library. And the only cases where it worked was when the library was quite small.
This feature is not part of iOS 8.4; at least not for music. It’s still there for videos, in the Videos app, and, as I write this article, I’m attempting to load my video library on my iPhone. My iTunes library has about 200 movies, and some 350 TV episodes. Yet loading even that library is very long, and …
Since the library still hadn’t finished loading when I was writing the above sentence, I went to do something else. For about ten minutes. And then I could finally see my movies and TV shows.
This feature has always been unreliable. I won’t miss it for music, since it never worked for me.
Ugh. I disagree – we used it every few months to make sure that my wife’s music library and mine were in sync. (same AppleID for store.) While it was slow, it worked, and “show music not in my library” feature was key – you could just pick this, then import.
I wonder if this kills music playback via AppleTV –> browse computer’s iTunes Home Shared library.
On computers, it worked fine. But on iOS devices, it is horrendous. It still works as before in iTunes.
I honestly had no idea this was even possible on iOS! I do use it on Apple TV.
Ugh. I disagree – we used it every few months to make sure that my wife’s music library and mine were in sync. (same AppleID for store.) While it was slow, it worked, and “show music not in my library” feature was key – you could just pick this, then import.
I wonder if this kills music playback via AppleTV –> browse computer’s iTunes Home Shared library.
On computers, it worked fine. But on iOS devices, it is horrendous. It still works as before in iTunes.
I honestly had no idea this was even possible on iOS! I do use it on Apple TV.
The word on the street is that the record labels wanted it killed off. They may be going after AirPlay next, and insist it is only used to transmit audio with DRM.
I don’t think so. Since AirPlay is hardwired into so many devices, that would require upgrading those devices, which is no mean feat.
Originally posted by Novron:
If what MS had to do to get Xbox Music in operation is any indication, yea, Airplay is on the target list. Microsoft had to stop recognizing DLNA devices that didn’t support DRM streams. Airplay bypasses DRM completely.
The word on the street is that the record labels wanted it killed off. They may be going after AirPlay next, and insist it is only used to transmit audio with DRM.
I don’t think so. Since AirPlay is hardwired into so many devices, that would require upgrading those devices, which is no mean feat.
Originally posted by Novron:
If what MS had to do to get Xbox Music in operation is any indication, yea, Airplay is on the target list. Microsoft had to stop recognizing DLNA devices that didn’t support DRM streams. Airplay bypasses DRM completely.
Hi again. Are you talking here about Apple’s Remote app on iOS and connecting to a Macs iTunes library? If you are then I have to say that mine’s working fine after the iOS and OS X updates. Again, as I’ve given feedback on this before, I’m not now, and never had problems with this feature. Can’t say why, I’m afraid.
What I have noted, with some annoyance after the iTunes and iOS updates, is that sync by wire with my computer led to all the album art for songs/albums on my iPhone being re-synced. iTunes 12.2 has larger album art, so I assume that’s why this happened. Either way, I’ve still got my art work as it was, not messed up as you and some others have, just larger.
I also noticed that, when opening my freshly synced iPhone music app I had to tap Albums to get out of the Artist list, then go to settings>Music and change it from Artist to Title, so as to get the ‘logical’ sorting back for my albums, as I have my library tagged by Composer first, not artist. Annoying all this, no reasons given for these adjustments, and no guide as to how this can be fixed, just intuition and years dealing with Apple devices.
Anyway, that it from me for now, except, I’m following your tip tomorrow and getting rid of Apple music from my Mac and iOS settings. I’m staying with Spotify. Thanks as ever for your work. Mark.
No, this is about loading a shared library in the Music app on iOS 8.4. Most people don’t even know you can do it. You can still do it in the Videos app.
Okay, I’ve got it. Well, I’m just selfish (and single!) so I don’t ‘share’ my library. I have it on my main MacBook Pro with multiple backups. My 2 nod older MacBook Pro is I’m my office, in an adjacent building, for work emails and web only only. I manually sync what I want to my iPhone and iPad. I share with my Aplle TV’s in the home, and that’s working fine for music, movies, photos. That’s all I need and want to do.
Am I right about the bigger Album art? And the playing with settings since the updates to get my library on iOS looking the way I like it? It seems to have worked for me, anyway.
On films, I think Whiplash, and Love and Mercy, were both good stories, well acted, about music and musical issues. Have you seem them? Did you like them?
On music, Isserlis and Connie Shih were here last week, in Brisbane. The concert was really enjoyable, especially the Faure and Franck Cello sonatas. Recommended, if you get the chance.
Also James Horner’s album ‘Pas de Deux’ with the LPO and Vassily Petrenko (2015) is lovely. His passing is a great loss in so may ways. I’m just grateful we have preserved his music. 🙂
Not sure what you mean about bigger album art.
I saw Whiplash; I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the idea that both people were manipulating each other, and that the abuse of the teacher ended up being justified.
Hi again. Are you talking here about Apple’s Remote app on iOS and connecting to a Macs iTunes library? If you are then I have to say that mine’s working fine after the iOS and OS X updates. Again, as I’ve given feedback on this before, I’m not now, and never had problems with this feature. Can’t say why, I’m afraid.
What I have noted, with some annoyance after the iTunes and iOS updates, is that sync by wire with my computer led to all the album art for songs/albums on my iPhone being re-synced. iTunes 12.2 has larger album art, so I assume that’s why this happened. Either way, I’ve still got my art work as it was, not messed up as you and some others have, just larger.
I also noticed that, when opening my freshly synced iPhone music app I had to tap Albums to get out of the Artist list, then go to settings>Music and change it from Artist to Title, so as to get the ‘logical’ sorting back for my albums, as I have my library tagged by Composer first, not artist. Annoying all this, no reasons given for these adjustments, and no guide as to how this can be fixed, just intuition and years dealing with Apple devices.
Anyway, that it from me for now, except, I’m following your tip tomorrow and getting rid of Apple music from my Mac and iOS settings. I’m staying with Spotify. Thanks as ever for your work. Mark.
No, this is about loading a shared library in the Music app on iOS 8.4. Most people don’t even know you can do it. You can still do it in the Videos app.
Okay, I’ve got it. Well, I’m just selfish (and single!) so I don’t ‘share’ my library. I have it on my main MacBook Pro with multiple backups. My 2 nod older MacBook Pro is I’m my office, in an adjacent building, for work emails and web only only. I manually sync what I want to my iPhone and iPad. I share with my Aplle TV’s in the home, and that’s working fine for music, movies, photos. That’s all I need and want to do.
Am I right about the bigger Album art? And the playing with settings since the updates to get my library on iOS looking the way I like it? It seems to have worked for me, anyway.
On films, I think Whiplash, and Love and Mercy, were both good stories, well acted, about music and musical issues. Have you seem them? Did you like them?
On music, Isserlis and Connie Shih were here last week, in Brisbane. The concert was really enjoyable, especially the Faure and Franck Cello sonatas. Recommended, if you get the chance.
Also James Horner’s album ‘Pas de Deux’ with the LPO and Vassily Petrenko (2015) is lovely. His passing is a great loss in so may ways. I’m just grateful we have preserved his music. 🙂
Not sure what you mean about bigger album art.
I saw Whiplash; I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the idea that both people were manipulating each other, and that the abuse of the teacher ended up being justified.