If you load the 2005-06-26 firmware Apple released, your Smart Playlists will no longer do "Live Updating" like they used to on the iPod without being re-synced to Itunes.

This means if you previously built a Smart Playlist that used the Last Played Date or Play Count to cause songs to drop off a playlist once you played them, it will no longer do so.

Upgrade to the new firmware at your own risk. For me, the addition of Podcasts is not worth the loss of functionality of Smart Playlists.

This problem has been confirmed by several folks, and now Apple is trying to claim that Smart Playlists were never supposed to "Live Update" (Despite the Checkbox on Smart Playlists that specifically says "LIVE UPDATING" right in Itunes.

Apple, you blew it.

More info is here if you want to read about this problem.

http://smartplaylists.com/comments.php?id=P237_0_1_0_C

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61686

but it will once u sync with ur comp?

i just downloaded and put the new firmware on my iPod. I would much rather have real live updateing on my iPod than the Podcasts. Its too late to go back now......
thanks again apple

Why was this thread moved here???? Is it not something of GENERAL INFO that would be of use to Ipod owners? I thought folks might want to know about this problem before they update their software, so I put it in the General forum.

This is unfortunate. Hoewever, playing devil's advocate for a moment, live updating on iPods never completely worked to begin with. True, playlists with "never played," or "recently played" updated OK, you still had to back out of the playlist on the iPod to get the change to register. Also, Top 10 or Top 25 most listened to playlists never updated on the iPod, and only did so when connected back to iTunes. There was always a "why doesn't my smart playlist update" question, and it working for only some people and only certain kinds of playlists. At least now we have an easy answer to the "it won't work" question -- because the feature doesn't work, that's why.

Maybe it's a blessing for us 3G owners that we didn't get a software update this time. We get to keep our (handful) of updating smart playlists.

All kidding aside, I agree the loss of this feature is not good. For example, how will this work if your iPod is set to manual? It would have been better if Apple fixed the problem the other way, fixing it so all smart playlists updated properly rather than stripping that function off the iPod entirely.

i wasn't aware that apple would do something this lame when i trustfully updated...my live updating was working great! now...disabled...

is there anyway i can revert to the "old" firmware ?

i only have this newer updater as i have also recently made the switch to tiger...is there somewere i could get the older updater? or is there some other way to revert to the previous firmware version???


please let me know!!!

thanks

btw,

this is something that might be benificial for a lot of readers to have posted on the main page of ipodlounge...i know i would have liked to know this earlier! and it's not something apple is telling us.

@Xball89

It's to late?!?!

Not for those who know the tricks to good iPod managment! Best of all you can revert back to you old iPodOS (barring that you acherived it or that you still have the original CD),. Here's how you can do it!

1) Just Restore your iPod back to an Older Copy of the iPodOS NOTE: THIS WILL FORMAT THE IPOD. Thuss BAD, BAD, BAD... But, it will get the Job done. If you manage to backup all your Music Folders on your iPod (Fxx ~Fxx) located ipod_Control\Devices\Music IIRC!

2) A much more robust way of peddling back to an Older iPodOS Ver. Gain access to you iPod though Windows Expoloer (you might have to tick the 'Use Disk mode' Box in iTunes so that your iPod does not self-eject after iTunes does it's thing. (BTW: You need to do that much for the above too).

In anycase open Windows Explorer (Win+E) and goto Options and make sure to disable ANY AND ALL 'Hide File and Folders'! or you will not be able to view the contents of your iPod!!

Ok now back to the Hack? ok..

You need to access your iPod at x:\<iPodNAME>\iPod_Control\Devices
You should see Two Files here 'Preferences' and 'SysInfo'. It's the 'SysInfo' File we intrested in! So Open it up with 'Wordpad' (to get the best layout!).

Find the part of your Sysinfo that looks like this!

buildID: 0x02308000 (2.3)
visibleBuildID: 0x02308000 (2.3)

NOTE:I own a 3G so you Numbers can and will vairy!

Edit those lines like this...

buildID: 0x02108000 (2.1)
visibleBuildID: 0x02108000 (2.1)

Note I turnd the 3's back into 1's. THATS IT! Save As and exit. Just do not let you iPod reboot itself or you will have to redo this step!

Ok now the hard part finding that older version iPodOS (assumeing you have it you should be able to run the Update Function as opposed to the Restore (i.e. Reformat), on your iPod.

Bam welcome back to your prior iPodOS and your Smart Playlists.

Preaty simple when you know how!!!

Hmm so from what I am reading..it still works but only after you sync your ipod up to your computer correct? Hasn't this always been the way that this worked? I haven't played with Smart Playlists enough to know.

And please, let Apple know that we need this functionality back at www dot apple dot com/feedback/ipod.html

Sometimes they will listen if enough people complain...

Cheers

And please, could a moderator move this thread to a more appropriate forum category? This has nothing to do with the iTMS, but is more an iPod issue...

Thanks

ok! thanks so much for the info Ichijoe! i can't wait to start tinkering...all i need is the older updater now...would anyone possibly have the previous version of the updator i could get?????? i would greatly appreciate it!

let me know!

I think I still have the last 2.3 Update from Feb. If you have a Google Mail (or something that can take a 38Mb File I guess I could try sending it to you. Under the understanding that if anyone of you compatiates wishes to have a copy that you give it to 'em and soforth and soforth.

If you think you can argee to that I willing to try it...
If your still interseted drop me a Private Message so that I may contact you...

I can't even begin to express how upset I am about this. I have a playlist based upon playcount associated with EVERY SINGLE ONE of my playlists. Basically, if I have a playlist called "xx" I have an associated playlist called "xx2" that points to the "xx" playlist and has "playcount equals zero" as a rule. That way, I know when I've heard all the songs in that playlist at least once. As I listen to the songs, I rate them, and the rating forces them into other playlists.

If none of the "playcount equals zero" playlists have live updating, NONE of my playlists will work as I want them to. I leave for a 2 week vacation next week and will not be near a computer that entire time. As a result, I won't be able to enjoy my iPod in the same manner I'm used to on my vacation.

I am mad that Apple took aware this feature. However, I am FURIOUS that Apple took it away with warning us first. If they had mentioned this on the download page, I just would have kept my prior firmware. After all, I have little to no interest in Podcasts.