iPod Silly feature of the iPOD Shuffle

[vinieux]

Every time I stick in my Shuffle, iTUNES insists on replacing my current playlist with a random list of its own. There is NO way I can turn off this auto-update feature, so even if I want to listen to the same set of songs for the next few days, and I'm plugging it into my USB port only to charge the battery, NOT to change the current set of songs I am listening to, I have no choice in the matter. I have to listen to songs that iTUNES has decided for me!

I know the iPOD SHuffle was made with this function in mind, but surely Apple could have provided an easy one buton click to disable it?

I have Apple zealots arguing with me that this is what the Shuffle is meant for, and it is a fantastic feature, despite NOT having a button to switch the feature off.

Am I the ONLY one on the planet not to fall for this Apple hype? I can forgive this auto-update functionality if the USB port was not ALSO used to charge the damn thing. Do i run around looking for machines without iTUNES installed so I can simply charge my iPOD Shuffle without losing my current set of favourite songs which i HAVE NOT finished listening to??

Is there an easy way for me to tell Apple and iTUNES that what i listen to, when and where, is my choice?????

 

[balamw]

You should be able to turn autofill off in your iPod Preferences page. Same place you turn on disk mode access.

At least that's what is implied here: http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/autosync.html

B

 

[vinieux]

Doesn't work

Nope it doesn't work. I use iTUNES on Win XP. As long as the iTUNES Helper module is running in the background it will go ahead and wipe out your music regardless.

I once put it into a friend's laptop's USB port to charge it and before I knew it, his iTUNES had not only replaced every precious song of mine with Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and similar trash from his collection, it also renamed the iPOD to his name in his iTUNES without even a simple alert box warning me what it was doing.

I have to manually disable the iTUNES helper module - and even this is temporary. Next time I run iTUNES the helper module goes back into my start up and starts with the next boot - I cannot disable it permanently.

Is this the famed Apple ease of use in action? Do they think all listeners are morons, and should not be given simple options to preserve their own music on their own Shuffles??

 

[cleanup]

Errrh, I'm pretty sure there must be something else. Apple is not stupid. You don't have to use Autofill, and when you plug in an iPod to another computer, there should be a dialog box that says that the iPod is connected to someone else's library, and if you're sure you want to sync it to the current library or not.

 

[Chundles]

Try selecting "enable disk use" in the iPod preference pane. It's just a suggestion, my shuffle doesn't auto update so i don't know what's wrong with yours but the disk use thing might have something to do with it.

 

[balamw]

Prolly wouldn't hurt to use the iPod updater to take it back to factory conditions too. It really shouldn't sync to someone else's library without a warning as cleanup mentioned.

B

 

[vinieux]

Amazing!

Why is no one talking about providing a single click option to disable auto-update or synching? Why should I indulge in workarounds to do something which is my prerogative in the first place - ie deciding what i should listen to, for how long and when...??

Amazing how even a blatantly silly feature is treated as gospel by Apple zealots!

And no, iTUNES on my friend's machine did not open any dialog box. And even on my machine, if i as much as slip it into the USB port for charging, it starts the iPOD update process immediately, REGARDLESS of the fact that I want to CHARGE my Shuffle, NOT REPLACE my music.

 

[Chundles]

Why is no one talking about providing a single click option to disable auto-update or synching? Why should I indulge in workarounds to do something which is my prerogative in the first place - ie deciding what i should listen to, for how long and when...??

Amazing how even a blatantly silly feature is treated as gospel by Apple zealots!

And no, iTUNES on my friend's machine did not open any dialog box. And even on my machine, if i as much as slip it into the USB port for charging, it starts the iPOD update process immediately, REGARDLESS of the fact that I want to CHARGE my Shuffle, NOT REPLACE my music.

Because it's a feature of only your shuffle.

Nobody else is giving any suggestion as to how to fix it because the problem doesn't affect any of them. Stop whinging that it's an all-encompassing problem and give Apple a ring and see if you have a defective unit - yeah it happens when you're making millions of them a month.

Go to the source and get your problem fixed. We can't help you because none of us have the problem. The suggestion issued to you to restore your iPod to factory settings is a good one. Try that, it may be that some settings in your shuffle have become a bit wonky.

How about you try some of these things rather than ranting on?

 

[vinieux]

Factory settings

yes, I reset it to factory settings almost every time I plug it in so I can keep the same set of songs on from my collection.

I have now uninstalled iTUNES for good and use the Winamp plugin for iPOD. Sorry if this sounds like blasphemy, but this is the first time any hardware or software has tried making my decisions for me... and i DISLIKE that immensely.

One more problem I face: I keep all my music on varius drives, but used iTUNES as the player - ie I did not allow iTUNES to categorise or regroup my library. And yet, whenever I used ITUNES it pops up saying "Not enough memory in the selected drive to save the iTUNES library. Deleting files or emptying recycle Bin will create space. Don't show this message again."

Firstly, the drive/folder to which I have pointed iTUNES to save its library has over 900 MB of space. Secondly it isn't resorting the songs, only creating a library with shortcuts, so why isn't 900MB enough. Thirdly, what kind of dimwitted alert message is that. The alert should have an option for me to point to another drive for saving the library, and solve my problem instead of giving me an option to ignore the alert by not showing the message again!

The Apple zealots I am having an argument with here in Bangalore refuse to accept that Apple can do dumb things like this. Which is what is getting on my nerves too. I find too few Apple people who can be objective about problems when pointed out - the first thing they do is defend all things Apple.

I am not here to defend or put down anyones corporate philosophies, but if a piece of software doesn't work the way it should, then I am going to say so, regardless of which corporate house it comes from, or the accompanying hype...

 

[nomad01]

Amazing how even a blatantly silly feature is treated as gospel by Apple zealots!

If you read what's been written, you might get somewhere rather than just ranting.

This is NOT how the shuffle usually works.

The software restore might fix the problem permanently... not as a workaround. If it doesn't then I suggest you log a call with Apple. Both paths will be more productive than venting your spleen on here.

 

[yellow5]

I'm pretty sure if you call us apple zealots one more time I'ma gonna smack ya.

 

[balamw]

Do i run around looking for machines without iTUNES installed so I can simply charge my iPOD Shuffle without losing my current set of favourite songs which i HAVE NOT finished listening to??

You do also realize you can also buy a USB power brick from Apple or many other thrid parties that will recharge you shuffle without any fear of syncing to anything.

Autofill is a feature that is as easy to turn off as it is to turn on disk access mode. If you haven't found the switch you haven't been looking, or your shuffle is defective and needs to be reflashed or repaired.

Lots of people are using their shuffles in manual sync mode connected to multiple machines. Just Google it.

B

 

[vinieux]

Smack me

Smacking me won't solve my problem. I have upraded to the latest iPOD software as well as iTUNES 6. Neither problem goes away.

By the way, uninstalling iTUNES does not do a clean uninstall. If you don't manually select and delete all traces, reinsalling a new verson results in exactly the same problems, including the 'No space to save library' message... when technically it should ask me afresh where to save the library and other settings.

 

[nomad01]

By the way, uninstalling iTUNES does not do a clean uninstall. If you don't manually select and delete all traces, reinsalling a new verson results in exactly the same problems, including the 'No space to save library' message... when technically it should ask me afresh where to save the library and other settings.

This isn't uncommon for Windows software though. MANY uninstalls leave ini files and other bits and pieces on your system that will get picked up with a reinstall.

 

[vinieux]

LOL! Now its a Windows problem... What about giving me a reasonable option in the "Cannot save library" window, and allowing me to point to a different path, instead of asking me if I want to see this message again or not?

Windows effing up again??

 

[26139]

Yeah...

Yes, it's either a Windows or your particular iPod problem, because many of us plug our shuffles into various machines without any synching happening. My shuffle won't even change the songs when plugged into my own machine until I tell it to.

Oh...it's iTunes and iPod...NOT iTUNES and iPOD...you don't have to capitalize the words just to make sure we are paying attention.

 

[nomad01]

Windows effing up again??

Jesus there really is no helping you is there??

You're blaming Apple for everything short of famine in Africa and I was just pointing out that uninstallers working that way wasn't an Apple only problem.

I didn't say it was a Windows problem!

If you're trying to get help from Apple with the same attitude you're using on this forum, you might as well toss the shuffle in the bin and go buy something else because they probably won't be taking you seriously.

People on here have made suggestions to help you fix the problem. You just moan in response.

You've been told that this is not how a Shuffle should usually work. You just moan in repsonse.

You've been advised to take it back to Apple for a repair/replacement. You just moan in response.

Were you expecting somebody to fix it by magic for you?

 

[vinieux]

The first thing that happens when i plug in my iPod is that the "Updating IPod, Do not Disconnect" thing starts immediately. Now, this could be related to the library not saving problem, but can't it have a one click option to enable/disable autosynching/updating, especially when autoupdate is the default setting for the Shuffle as Apple says themselves...

Surprising that the solution is to contact Apple - nobody seems to know how to correct a real but simple issue - and this is because iTunes simply doesn't have enough options for these functions - it does far too much decision making for my liking. What is preventing a simple pop up Alert as soon as you plug in your iPOD - "Do you want to aytosynch/update - Yes/No" and "Remember this setting till I choose to change it"???

 

[vinieux]

And by the way I have tried all the suggestions, from forums, Mac users in town and more. A MAc user came home too, and was flummoxed. The only thing that has worked is the Winamp plug in.

And don't get me wrong. I think the iPod rocks - whichever one it is, even the Nano with the screen problems. My problem is with iTunes, and with people who refuse to admit that it has scope for improvement. Just because it is from Apple does NOT make it perfect.

 

[nomad01]

If you want to just be able to plug the iPod in to charge without updating anything, can't you just turn off the option to open iTunes when the iPod is connected?

If the iPod is connected and iTunes isn't open, it should just charge the iPod. It can only update your songs when itunes is open.

 

[Chundles]

The first thing that happens when i plug in my iPod is that the "Updating IPod, Do not Disconnect" thing starts immediately. Now, this could be related to the library not saving problem, but can't it have a one click option to enable/disable autosynching/updating, especially when autoupdate is the default setting for the Shuffle as Apple says themselves...

Surprising that the solution is to contact Apple - nobody seems to know how to correct a real but simple issue - and this is because iTunes simply doesn't have enough options for these functions - it does far too much decision making for my liking. What is preventing a simple pop up Alert as soon as you plug in your iPOD - "Do you want to aytosynch/update - Yes/No" and "Remember this setting till I choose to change it"???

OK, that "updating iPod, do not disconnect" happens to mine, however this is just checking the current songs and songs I have added to the shuffle while it was not plugged in (selected "leave iPod in source list"). It does not change or move any songs at any time.

There is something wrong with your shuffle. We are offering advice on how to fix this quite complex problem. It is not a simple problem as none of us have seen it before and believe me a lot of us own shuffles. So stop your moaning and go get help.

 

[vinieux]

Well, that is the point Nomad. As long as the iTunes Helper.exe module is running in the background, it takes it upon itself to start updating as soon as my iPod is plugged in. Now in Windows, i cannot permanently disable the helper. Every time I run iTunes it jumps back into my list of start up programs.

So if I remember to manually stop the Helper then I have some hope, but then by the time I plug in my iod the first reaction is 'Updating iPOD' and I can't even stop it, so I can disable the Helper module.

Now all these problems may be linked to the fact that iTunes can't save its library - but I won't know because when i uninstalled iTunes and reinstalled it, it remembered all the settings and repeated every single problem, s i no longer have iTunes on my machine - I use the Winamp plugin.

However, the alert message when I can't save my library is plain dumb by any standards, even Windows. "Don't Show this Message again" is NOT an option in my book when the problem is a critical application file that cannot be saved.

 

[nomad01]

Well I'm afraid I can't help. I don't have a shuffle anymore but mine would only ever update when iTunes was loaded and it only loaded when I loaded it. The helper does run all the time though so that shouldn't be an issue.

Something is not working right. Going back to what was said originally by several of us, your Shuffle/iTunes shouldn't be working like this.

I would hope that Apple would be able to give you some help though. Have you looked/posted on Apple's iPod shuffle forum to see if anyone has had the problem there?

 

[vinieux]

As Chundle said, the default setting is for iTunes to update the Shuffle as soon as it is plugged in - even if it isn't replacing songs, it is updating the playlist or whatever.

The only way to stop this is to stop the helper, which is as intrusive as the Quicktime updater used to be - it keeps coming back regardless.

My question is, why can't this setting be changed in iTunes especially when the USB will be used for charging alone on many occasions? Why can't iTunes give me control over such basic things like whether it should update or not, and point me to another path to save the library file if one folder is full by any chance??

In any case my iPod rocks with the Winamp Plugin and my current set of songs which include fine artists like Iron & Wine, JJ Cale and Jack Johnson - as long as I don't use iTunes I am fine...

I was just hoping for one objective word from a Mac forum, instead of blind faith kind of replies about my 'moaning'.

 

[nomad01]

I was just hoping for one objective word from a Mac forum, instead of blind faith kind of replies about my 'moaning'.

I don't blindly worship Apple and I really don't think you've been met with blind faith in this instance. Apple make some great stuff but they also drop the ball a fair bit too. If you look at posts on this forum you'll find more than your fair share of people complaining about Apple and you can bitch to your hearts content if that's all you want.

In less than an hour since your first post on this matter, you started calling us zealots when all we were doing was making suggestions of things you could try.

Maybe in future you could give people a chance to understand exactly what your problem is before you start calling them names??