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Can I sync my iPod Classic?

Is it possible to continue to synch music on my iPod Classic after upgrading the software on my MacBook Pro? When I connect the iPod, it shows up on the desktop but not in Music and there is no synching.


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 6, 2022 10:40 PM

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Posted on Apr 2, 2022 8:32 PM

We are loyal Apple customers and since Apple does not offer a music device that stores 160g then they should still support the past products that do have this storage, like iPod Classic, i never would have upgraded to Monterey if Iknew the hassle, headache and heart aches as I can no longer use my Classic, shame on Apple!!

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Apr 2, 2022 8:32 PM in response to dgpierce

We are loyal Apple customers and since Apple does not offer a music device that stores 160g then they should still support the past products that do have this storage, like iPod Classic, i never would have upgraded to Monterey if Iknew the hassle, headache and heart aches as I can no longer use my Classic, shame on Apple!!

Feb 14, 2022 8:42 AM in response to turingtest2

This doesn't quite answer the question; I'm having the same issue with the same configuration. The iPod Classic shows up in the Finder window as an external hard drive, and there is no "Sync" button as there is with my iPhone. There is also no way to make it show up in Apple Music.


Last time I synced the iPod was before Christmas. I have 3 household devices that interface with it, and it was handy for Christmas music. There was an error, but the iPod synced anyway. It has done that a few times in 2021, but mostly I use my iPhone for music.


I have read that Apple discontinued support for the iPod Classic in Apple Music, but I have play counts stuck in the iPod, not to mention 3 devices that are no longer useful. There seems to be 3rd party software that fixes this by circumventing DRM, but I have no desire to do that, and it wouldn't seem in Apple's best interests rather than letting my iPod work.

Feb 14, 2022 9:05 AM in response to Bri Guy

Apple have discontinued active technical support for iPod classic, but it should still be supported for syncing locally stored DRM-free media. Content from the Apple Music subscription service cannot be used.


Try rebooting your iPod and then see if Finder will show the device as a sync target. Unless you'd previously synced with Finder with the content that is currently on the device I suspect you'll be unlikely to recover/merge the play counts.


tt2

Mar 8, 2022 3:45 AM in response to Dubya Mark

The manual management experience in Music is very different from iTunes. You can drag and drop playlists from Music to the device, but there is no way to reorganize the content already on the device, and if you want to remove things it is one track at a time. Syncing with selected playlists will give you much better control. See Recover media from an iPod - Apple Community if you have content on the device that isn't in your library.


tt2

Can I sync my iPod Classic?

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