Friday, March 29, 2024

How to share your iTunes library

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So, you’ve spent the last five years building up a carefully-curated iTunes library. But what’s the point of having such an impressive iTunes library if you can’t share it with others?

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There are a number of ways to share your iTunes library, but, in a broad sense, it can done in two ways: Via Wi-Fi on your home network, or via Bluetooth to a person nearby.

Using Apple’s Home Sharing

Sharing your iTunes library on your home network (or any network for that matter) only takes a few easy steps and will allow library access to any device connected to the network. For this section, we’re assuming that you already have a wireless network in your home or office. If not, consult this guide to figure out how to set one up.

Step 1: Depending on how your firewall is configured, your computer might be set to block media sharing on your home network. Macs will do this by default, so if you’re using a Mac you should check to make sure iTunes sharing is enabled. Generally, Windows computers shouldn’t have any issues as long as TCP port 3689 and UDP port 5353 aren’t being blocked.

To enable iTunes sharing in your firewall, go to System Preferences > Security > Firewall > Advanced. Here, there should be an option to allow media sharing through iTunes.

Step 2: Now you can enable Home Sharing in iTunes. First, make sure that you have signed in with your Apple ID, and that all the devices you want to share to are signed in with the same ID, so they can all be part of Home Sharing.

Step 3: With iTunes open, head to the top left of your Mac screen and choose File. From here, select Home Sharing, and then select Turn on Home Sharing. Now, when you go to this section again, you should see your Apple ID here as a sign of what account you are using.

Step 4: Use another device on your local network, and log into iTunes. Click the music icon in the upper right, and you should see a dropdown list of various content. At the bottom, you’ll see the IDs for all available iTunes libraries on the network, allowing you to switch between them. You can share music, movies and TV shows this way, but only on up to five connected devices.

For more in-depth sharing and content organization, consider using Apple’s Family Sharing instead. You can share a wider range of content, including books and iCloud storage, and tailor your sharing options to your family needs.

Sharing without your network

Sharing your iTunes library between computers on your home network is one thing, but what if you just want to share an iPod playlist with a friend during a long bus ride? Not to worry. There are a handful of iOS apps that allow you share your iTunes library over a Bluetooth connection. This means you can share iPod/iPhone music with an iPad, or vice versa. We won’t go into how to install each one of these but will instead point you in the direction of a few good options.

MyStream (free): A good Bluetooth streaming option with a few additional features.

PairShare ($0.99): A super easy and feature-rich app that streams your music.

Download and install any of these apps and you should be streaming tunes within minutes.

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