How to access iOS media library on Linux or Windows WITHOUT iTunes?

[Liam O'Connor]

How can we slide media content into the iOS media library
(just like we do today to 3rd-party app's media folders)?

I have recently learned that we can slide all the content we
want (e.g., MP3, M4V, JPG, etc.) over from the laptop computer
(whether it's Windows or Linux) via the USB cable to an iOS7
iPad or iPhone - but - only third-part apps will allow you to
"see" that iPad/iPhone media content from the laptop.

For example, the default iPad "Videos" player keeps its
content in something called the "iOS media library", which is
only accessible via iTunes megaware.

That means that the simplest-of-all-use models won't work
for the media player, since you can't slide a video from
Linux or Windows over the USB into the iOS media library.

Luckily, you *can* easily slide that same video into the
Documents folder of VLC freeware on iOS, so, you have no
problem playing videos - you just can't use the "Videos"
player.

Likewise with the built-in "Music" player on the iPad.
It too uses the iOS media library, and does not make it's
Document folder visible to the laptop computer.

There are two solutions to this dilemma.
1. Delete all the built-in apps which have these arbitrary
restrictions, or,
2. Find a way to slide media from the laptop computer over
USB into the iOS media library.

To that end, I ask:
Q: How can we slide media to and from any arbitrary iOS
device to and from any arbitrary laptop computer
(either Windows or Linux) into the iOS media library
(just like we do today into 3rd-party apps content)?

[Chris Ahlstrom]

Liam O'Connor wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> I have recently learned that we can slide all the content we
> want (e.g., MP3, M4V, JPG, etc.) over from the laptop computer
> (whether it's Windows or Linux) via the USB cable to an iOS7
> iPad or iPhone - but - only third-part apps will allow you to
> "see" that iPad/iPhone media content from the laptop.
>

> <snip>

>
> To that end, I ask:
> Q: How can we slide media to and from any arbitrary iOS
> device to and from any arbitrary laptop computer
> (either Windows or Linux) into the iOS media library
> (just like we do today into 3rd-party apps content)?

Well, that about kills any curiosity I have about the iPad.

--
gurmlish, n.:
The red warning flag at the top of a club sandwich which
prevents the person from biting into it and puncturing the roof
of his mouth.
-- Rich Hall, "Sniglets"

[Brian Reay]

On 29/05/14 08:22, Brian Reay wrote:

> I've not tried it but, while looking into something else, I read you could
> add files to the iTunes library by simply placing them in the folder on the
> PC or MC. I looked in the folder, as I recall on the Mac
> Music\iTunes\Library and the files seem to be as I had added them (.m4a or
> .mp3 etc.)

I've just checked.

If I connect my iPod Touch to A Linux machine running Ubuntu 12.04LTS,
then I can access its files directly.

In Brian's iPod Touch\iTune_Control\ there are a number of folders,
labelled F00, F01, etc. Within each one there are a number of m4a or mp3
files which I have loaded. They can be selected and played on mplayer.
The only spoiler is, they have apparently random names, eg ABPH.m4a If
the files have an embedded image (eg an artist photo) then this shows
which does help.

Oddly, files in the same album and all in the same folder.

I've not tried adding a file but you can copy one from the iPod to the
local machine.


HTH

[Liam O'Connor]

On Thu, 29 May 2014 16:56:09 +0100, Brian Reay wrote:

> If I connect my iPod Touch to A Linux machine running Ubuntu 12.04LTS,
> then I can access its files directly.
>
> In Brian's iPod Touch\iTune_Control\ there are a number of folders,
> labelled F00, F01, etc. Within each one there are a number of m4a or mp3
> files which I have loaded. They can be selected and played on mplayer.
> The only spoiler is, they have apparently random names, eg ABPH.m4a If
> the files have an embedded image (eg an artist photo) then this shows
> which does help.

I haven't touched an iPod for quite a while, but I have a half dozen
of them lying around, so, I just connected one to my Linux 13.10
laptop.

Instantly (much quicker than does the iPad), up popped a window
of the "contents" of that iPod, namely 6 folders.
1. Calendars
2. Contacts
3. iPod_Control
4. Notes
5. Recordings
6. SharePod <== this is obviously my one user added program

Of course, on Windows, clicking on the SharePod executable will
automatically bring up a beautiful spreadsheet, showing all the
songs and their metadata (eminently editable, of course).

But, on Linux, clicking on SharePod won't work; so I'm stuck
browsing the iPod hierarchy only.

Clicking on "iPod_Control", we find another six directories:
1. Artwork
2. Device
3. Games_RO
4. iTunes
5. Music
6. Tones

Of those folders, the "Music" folder has all those crazy
folders of the named format "F00" "F01" "F02", etc. and
only once you go inside of each of those, do you find your
MP3 files, with wacky names such as "SPAOLD.mp3",
"SPAUSW.mp3", "SPAYKT.mp3", etc.

Each of these iTunes-named MP3 files, plays fine on Linux
when I doubleclick on them from Linux.

So, to "manage" this iPod, all I need is the equivalent
of the nearly perfect SharePod freeware, just on Linux.

Any suggestions?

[Liam O'Connor]

On Thu, 29 May 2014 14:55:29 -0500, Liam O'Connor wrote:

> I haven't touched an iPod for quite a while, but I have a half dozen
> of them lying around, so, I just connected one to my Linux 13.10
> laptop.

I really like how fast & *easy* it was to connect the iPod to Linux!

The iPod mounted automatically in:
/media/liam/IPOD (where "IPOD" is the assigned name of the iPod)

A "ps' command shows the Linux rythmbox playing the MP3:
rhythmbox /media/liam/IPOD/iPod_Control/Music/F01/SPAYKT.mp3

Googling for how to manage an iPod from Linux (Ubuntu 13.10),
it looks like I already have some of the suggested programs:

Floola (proprietary)
AmaroK [2] (KDE) <== I have this
gtkpod (Linux) <== and this
gPodder (Linux)
Rhythmbox (GNOME) <== and this
aTunes (cross platform, Windows, Mac OS, Linux)
Yamipod (cross platform, Windows, Mac OS, Linux)
Banshee (Mac OS, Linux, Windows beta release)

All I want (KISS) is what SharePoddoes, which is to show
all the songs on the iPod so that I can simply copy or
move songs back and forth between Linux & the iPod

I will need to run a few tests to see which of the programs
above actually accomplishes that simple goal on Linux.