“Apple Music has been called a streaming music service many times, but did you know that Apple Music also lets you save music for offline listening too?” Jim Lynch writes for CIO. “This means you don’t actually need a network connection once the music has been saved to your iOS device, Mac or PC.”
“I think offline listening is one of Apple Music’s best features since it can help save significant amounts of money on data charges,” Lynch writes. “Why stream music via your data connection when you can simply download it from Apple Music before you leave the house? It’s much easier to keep the music you like on your Mac, PC or iOS device.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple Watch owners can build a playlist on their iPhone, we call our playlist “Apple Watch” (because we’re so creative), and sync that playlist to their Apple Watch (via the Apple Watch app, while the Watch is connected to its power cord) for music they’d like to take along, sans iPhone, on their wrist (during a run, for example).
And it works.
I am solidly SOLD on Music!
Unfortunately, it does not work for “old-school” iPods (that are not iOS-based like iPod touch). The DRM prevents syncing of downloaded “Apple Music” songs. In the old days, when all iTunes Store song downloads had DRM, after authorizing your computer for your Apple ID (the one used to purchase), those “protected” songs could sync to iPod.
I understand the reason. Computers, iOS devices, and Apple Watch are “connected” devices. They may be not connected for short periods, like during a run for Apple Watch or on a flight with iPhone, but they are usually connected when operating. Therefore, the DRM lets the system stay up-to-date on the user’s Apple Music subscription status. In contrast, a traditional iPod is NOT a connected device in operation (after syncing to iTunes library). The user can go for weeks, even months or years, between syncing with iTunes, allowing “subscribed” songs to keep playing after the Apple Music subscription expires.
In the old days of iTunes Store DRM, the songs were purchased not “rented.” The DRM only prevented unauthorized users from playing the song. There was no concept of the song file “expiring.” Still, there are currently two models of iPod (that are not iPod touch) being sold as “new” (iPod nano and iPod shuffle). It’s unfortunate that these iPods (and all the older models) can’t take advantage of song downloads from the Apple Music service.
Don’t know why you were downvoted, nothing you said was incorrect. Still, I thought the DRM used in Apple Music was FairPlay, which always allowed you to play on unlimited iPods. Clearly Apple is doing something different.
——RM
Although it’s FairPlay, it is used differently. It’s a flexible system, since it’s also used for iTunes Store movie rentals which is essentially a “subscription” that lasts 30 days or for 24 hours after the movies is first played (whichever comes first).
So yes, Apple uses it differently for Apple Music songs that get downloaded to Mac or PC. And the difference is that previously (with old song purchases from iTunes Store), you owned the song. There was no subscription to monitor. Therefore, you (represented by an Apple ID) could legally sync as many iPods as you owned, indefinitely. With Apple Music, you do not own the song. An old-school iPod is not a device that stays connected (it only connects to the host Mac or PC when iTunes is syncing).
Maybe Apple can work around it by requiring those iPods to sync at least once a month (to check subscription status); otherwise, “subscribed” songs (that are synced to iPod) stop playing on the iPod until the sync takes place. That would work on new iPods with updated onboard software. But I don’t think Apple will update old models (like the ones I own) with the concept of “renting songs.”
Apple music great, am i missing something blatantly obvious because i CAN NOT figure out where to turn off shuffle with the 8.4 update.. ugh
I can’t believe it, Apple Music KILLS your ability to manually sync music over a USB connection. I just added a tune to iTunes and wanted to throw it on my iPod Touch. Normally a 1 minute task. Now that I have Apple Music, I cannot do this any longer. I HAVE to use iCloud to put music on my iPod Touch.
That is plainly ridiculous! Why remove this very useful way to put music on my iPod???
I hope not. If syncing a large amount from your personal library to the iPod does not use USB, then it will be incredibly slow.
Does this help?
Sync your iPhone, iPad, and iPod with iTunes using USB:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201253
This is allowing iTunes to do the syncing. What I want to do is manually sync my music. I want to be able to just drag and drop songs onto my iPod. That’s what I’ve been doing for years and now with Apple Music, that ability is gone. I cannot add any music to my iPod Touch unless it is in iCloud. Then I can download it onto the iPod. The problem for me is that my music collection is massive, well over 150 gigs and it will take weeks to get up into iCloud if not months. So I cannot add music to my iPod Touch until this situation is fixed. If I turn off iCloud on my iPod, the device will wipe itself clean of music, which I dont want to happen as it took me quite a long time to get set up as I like it.
What a freak’in mess Apple Music is.
Maybe not as long as that. My music-only iTunes media is 57GB; took a day and a half for iCloud upload. It was distinctly nonlinear – a day to do a third, then zip for the rest.
The difference was that last 66% was over the weekend…less internet traffic I suppose.
I have 5mbps up.
Is this true? I can manually put music onto my iPhone without difficulty and without going to the cloud.
Try this… On the iPod touch (or other iOS device that supports iClouds Music Library), go to
Settings -> Music
If the setting for “iCloud Music Library” is currently ON, turn it OFF. Now, connect it to computer with your iTunes library. If already connected, disconnect and reconnect.
Select the iPod touch in iTunes, to show its “management” screen. Click on Summary in sidebar, if it’s not already selected. To the right, on the Summary settings screen, find setting (checkbox) for “Manually manage music and videos.” If it’s not checked already, check it and click Sync.
You should be able to add songs manually, over USB. I just did it on my iPod touch, and it works. Interestingly, it seems like I can still access my music library from iCloud (while being able to add songs manually too). I think I’ll leave it set this way for now… 🙂
I wonder whether the artists will be paid for each play of a song once it’s been saved for offline listening? Does anyone know?
I hope they do, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this were yet another way to avoid paying musicians.
I am absolutely certain that play statistics are updated the next time the device comes online. Do you really think Apple would have been allowed to implement offline listening if it screwed the label out of its payment for a play?
——RM
Thanks m’Lord. I hope you’re right!
The basic “method” was already implemented with the iTunes Match subscription. The playing of “matched” songs was tracked, whether online or offline, streamed or from locally-stored iTunes library, probably even on iPods with synced songs.
I have a feeling Apple used the iTunes Match service as “practice” for Apple Music. There’s also the new “iCloud Music Library” which is like the music library in iCloud that iTunes Match subscribers already had. Except now, it’s being rolled out to a MUCH larger audience.
Imagine the scope of technical issues Apple could be having right now with Apple Music, without the knowledge and experience gained from iTunes Match.
Here’s one interesting conceptual change. Before (with iTunes Match), the user’s iTunes music library on their Mac or PC was considered the “primary” library. The iCloud-based library was the backup, which could be access by other devices. Now (with Apple Music), the user’s iCloud music library is considered primary, with other devices as “equals” (Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, etc.) accessing it.
Or why not just get Virgin Mobile with unlimited data and talk for $30 a month?
Huh? pay-per-listen? When has that ever been the case? If you go to a store and buy a CD, do you ever inform the record label each time you listen to it? Hell no.
Ex-musician, I feel your pain but music, books, DVD movies, pay once to own the hard copy, and support for the creator stops there.
But thanks for telling me that a song downloaded from Apple Music, can be saved on my Mac for later playing. I’ve never read that before. Apple have just chosen to give me insufficient info for me to decide if I want to sign up.
The other big question I have not had answered, is the quality of the format. MP3 — not interested. AIFF — maybe. LPCM is what I want. For me, CD Red Book standard or nothing. At the end of the day, I’d much rather buy a CD anyway. I have little or no interest in Apple Music as it’s been explained to me so far.