music button is not lit up on ipod touch 6th generation

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john_robot

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hi, i bought a used 128gb ipod touch 6th generation. i updated itunes to the latest version. it would not recognize the ipod until i did that. once done, it was able to copy all my playlists that i wanted, to the ipod. i was able to change the settings. the ipod seems to work. a few of the buttons are lit up. most are not. which is fine - all i really want to do is listen to music. there are 4 buttons on the bottom row. the 4th one has a little musical note on it - so i am guessing that this is the button to push, when you want to listen to music ? when i press it, it says "unable to install music. please try again later". any ideas on where to go from here ?
 

cjmnews

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Your iTunes must have been very old (pre-2015) to need an update for the iPod Touch 6th generation. At least it recognizes it and you were able to get the music on it.

What version of iOS is the iPod Touch using? (Settings->General->About)

It can range from 8.4 to 12.4.7.
Are you sure that you are using the Apple Music app?
iOS 8.4 is pink background with white eighth notes.
iOS 12.4.7 is white background with rainbow colored eighth notes.

Neither of these iOS versions has 4 buttons on the bottom of the Music App.
iOS 8.4 has 3 buttons: My Music (2 eighth notes), Playlists (1 eighth note) and Radio (radiating antenna or radar symbol)
iOS 12.4.7 has 5 buttons: Library (1 eighth note), For You (Heart), Browse (2 eighth notes), Radio (parenthesis around a dot) and Search (magnifying glass)
There is text under each of the buttons telling you what it does.

My guess is that you are looking at the home screen of the iPod Touch and the Music App (icon should look like one of the above) is in the bar at the bottom. Since it is in the bar, the title of the app is hidden. The error you are seeing "unable to install music. please try again later" tells me you don't have the Music App installed, or it is partially installed.

Apple has a help page for that error: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT207165

I think their page is missing a step or two, so this is what I would recommend:
  1. Verify your iPod Touch is logged into your Apple ID. Settings-><Your Name from Apple ID> is where you would see it. If you see Settings->Sign Into Your iPhone, you should tap it and log in with your email address and password that you use to access Apple.
  2. Open the App Store app (typically Blue background with a white A made with popsicle sticks) and tap on the Updates button in the bottom right then pull the screen down and let go to refresh app updates for your device. Tap Update All if there are updates to perform. Wait for that to complete.
  3. Try opening the Music App. Hopefully it doesn't give you the error now.
If you get the error, then try the Apple help page.
 

john_robot

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hi cj, thank you for responding.

yes, i dont update stuff until necessary. i dont think i have ever updated itunes. it was probably 10 years old, or older.

it is my experience that updates break more things than they fix. so i go by the old saying "if it aint broke, dont fix it" !!

version 11.4.1

if i go to settings, it says to sign in to your ipod touch

it then says to connect to the internet to sign in to your ipod (i am currently on the internet, with my ipod plugged into the computer ?)

i press ok, and the screen goes right back to the settings screen where it says to sign in to your ipod touch

you mention an email and password to access apple. i dont think i have one - i have had no reason to access apple.

i have owned a couple of classic ipods, have quite a few 4th generation touches, and 4-5 nanos. all i do is download my own music onto them from itunes, and listen from there. i have never needed to access apple before.

but it sounds like you are telling me that the 6th and 7th generation ipod touches need an apple app in order for me to listen to my downloaded music ? if that is the case, that would explain why the button is not lit ?

i did buy this used. so it must have been lit for the previous user. would the fact that i am a new user, mean that i would need to re-install the music app, in order for me to listen to my downloaded mp3s ?
 

cjmnews

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In this day and age, typically it is better to update to ensure you have the latest security fixes, preventing bad people from accessing your data.
Though, your no update policy can help in some cases, I don't think it is the safe way to go.

iOS 11.4.1 is also very old. July 9, 2018. That can be upgraded to 12.4.7 with the latest security fixes, though you probably don't need them unless you use the browser (Safari) on the iPod Touch to access web sites. Then I highly recommend the updates. The other reason to update is I can find screen shots of iOS 12 easier than iOS 11 to see what you are looking at.

No the iPod Touch is not connected to the internet if you have it connected to the computer via USB.
The reason this is different is that is a "smart device" closer to an iPhone than an iPod.

To use any iPod Touch you will need to have a couple things:
  1. WiFi or cellular data
  2. An Apple ID, since you don't have one you can create one during the set up process
Yes the iPod Touch uses an app (Music) to play your music and it requires an Apple ID to be logged in to use it.

This allows you to buy Music from Apple (you can play in iTunes or in the iPod Touch or sync to iPod) or listen to Apple Radio stations (I have never used this before today, so it looks like there is an audio stream called Beats1, with ads for free (as long as you don't have low data limits on your WiFi) as well as the opportunity to subscribe to Apple Music service for $10-15/month for broadcast radio and 60 million songs selection. I don't think you want Apple Music (even the 3 month free trial) as it screws up all your local music and stops you from syncing music to your iPods. A total waste of money in my book.

With an Apple ID (must have a credit card associated with it, even if you never buy anything) you can enable the Music app, and get updates from Apple for the apps on your iPod Touch. The iPod Touch 6th generation was released in July 2015, so it is already 5 years old. It is stuck on iOS 12 and can't upgrade further. You can get apps for it now like the Music app that will work as long as you can power the device. iTunes should be able to sync with the iPod Touch for many years to come, as it is always backwards compatible with older devices. (My iPod Color can still sync with the current iTunes). Other apps made by non-Apple developers may stop working in a 5-8 years from now. I have an iPad 4 on iOS 9 that has had several apps stop working, but most still work.

To create an Apple ID the iPod Touch must be connected to the internet through WiFi or cellular data network.
I am going to guess you didn't get an cellular enabled iPod Touch and/or you didn't buy a SIM card for it.

Do you want to get this set up to have online access, Apple ID and updated?
Do you have WiFi?


I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do. Hopefully there is enough information here to make a decision.

If you want to continue using this device, I can walk you through updating the iOS on the iPod Touch, connecting to WiFi, and help create your Apple ID. Then you can use the iPod Touch Music app.
 

john_robot

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hi cj,

you are many moons above me, in this regard

i purchased this used, at a fairly good price. my 4th generation 32 gb isnt quite big enough to fit all my music on. this one is 128gb. i was actually thinking of buying some new gen 7 256 gbs.

the reason why i dont upgrade is because i never want most of the new nonsense. now i seem to be finding the same thing, here. i cant just get a 256 gb ipod that will just play my downloaded music. i need something cellular enabled, a sim card, and wi-fi

you ask me if i have wi-fi ? without googling it, i dont even know what it is. so i am pretty sure i dont have it. i also dont currently know what cellular enabled is, or what a sim card is.

the only music i listen to is stuff that i own. i have zero use for apple or listening to some stupid radio station, or buying any new music. so i am a bit irritated and frustrated by this.

i would like to be able to have this one and some 256gb 7th generation ipods that i can listen to my downloaded music.

i certainly appreciate your willingness to help me. i just dont know at the moment what all is involved, in being able to use this current device.

i cant imagine it being too difficult for me to get my ios updated ? and i guess i would be willing to create an apple id.

i just looked up wi-fi on the internet. it says Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections.

that sounds like a major addition to my computer system ? also something that i dont need, or plan to use for anything ? and something that i dont want, because it seems to me something that might make it easier for people to get info from my computer ?

i bought apple in the past, because i felt it was the best quality player. but if apple has made it a lot more difficult to use their products, i will simply stop buying ipods, and to go to some other mp3 player
 

john_robot

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hi cj,

just so you know - in the past, i simply load all my music onto the ipod with itunes

all my songs are on playlists of some kind

so now i just turn on my ipod, press playlists, and then press the playlist that i want

it is ridiculously easy to use, and meets my needs

i have been very happy with the apple ipods, up to now
 

cjmnews

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WiFi is a wireless network, that can be mostly secure, with it you can use laptop computers and iPod Touch anywhere in the house, enabling many devices to use the internet at the same time. The technology has been around for 20 years. You can get it for as low as $30 one time cost. Actually putting this on your network between the cable modem or DSL modem and your computer makes it more secure.

Cellular means using a cell phone network, where the device connects wirelessly to towers around the city/town you live in. This allows the cell phone or iPod Touch to be used anywhere. The cost for this connection varies by service. Usually $20-$60 every month.

If you don’t plan on getting WiFi, then the iPod Touch is useless. There is no need to update the iOS on it. Sell it to someone else.

Unfortunately Apple has stopped making regular iPods. You may be able to find a used iPod Classic with 120-160 GB storage.

Getting another MP3 player is probably your best bet. They don’t work with iTunes but you can plug them into your compute, drag songs from iTunes and drop them into the player. some use memory cards that you can upgrade to bigger ones for more storage.
 

john_robot

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thanks cj,

i dont have a cell phone, and dont want one - i guess that is why i dont know much about it. i am not gonna go thru the hassle of trying to sell the ipod. that lesson cost me $100 - LOL

i sure am glad i tried this one out, before purchasing any 256 models. the lowest price i could find was $305.

i can buy good quality used 4th generation 64 gb ipods for $70. i think i may stay with them. if i were ever to get all my music downloaded to mp3s, i might overflow 64 gb. but i would probably never overflow 128. so at the very worst, i could download all my music to 2 64 gb ipods.

i just looked up the 5th generation on wiki. says it is the first ipod to use ios. does that mean that it "is not a regular ipod" ?

i was checking to see which generations i could use. i know 4th is good for me. and 6th is not. so 5th was the only one in question

thanks for your help
 

cjmnews

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You want to avoid all iPod Touch models. They all will require WiFi and Apple ID. Yes iOS is the main difference between iPods and iPod Touch models.

You should get an iPod Classic. Large storage, no iOS, it works like your other iPods. The 6th generation had 120-160 GB.
 

john_robot

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i still have a classic, somewhere. but if i recall, it is not flash memory. that is why i think i moved away from them. the one i have might have been having problems ? it has been so long since i used it, not sure why i stopped

but i only want to go with flash memory in the future. 64 storage is good enough for me.

my main ipod is a 4th generation touch, 32gb - i dont have any problems using it. i certainly didnt need wifi to use it. but i cant fit all my currently downloaded music on it.

i have a 4th generation 64 that i am currently charging. i will try to load all my music on it, and let you know if i have any problems or not
 

cjmnews

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iPod Classics do use hard drives, which makes them a bit slower, heavy and battery hungry.

iPod Classics can be updated to have Flash memory in them, as a kind of hack. Some people on this board have been working on that. You may find SD card enabled iPod Classics for sale.

From the photos I see, the 6th generation iPod Classic still uses the "fatter" or wide Apple plug. The plug doesn't really matter, they still operate the same, just using a different cable. The 7th generation iPod Nano is an example where the different plug is used, but it operates the same as previous iPod Nanos.
 

john_robot

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hi cj,

i may keep an eye opened for them

is an sd card the same thing as flash memory ?

the 6th generation that i have uses the smaller plug - i only know about this individual ipod - i just assumed the rest did, as well
 

john_robot

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gosh, i recall that old circular wheel. i hated to leave it, at first. but i may hate to leave the ipod touch, now that i am more used to it ??

i found one site that was installing up to 2 terrabytes on an ipod classic !!
 

cjmnews

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Yes an SD card is a non-volatile memory card similar to what is used inside of iPod Nanos. A form of Flash Memory.

The 6th Generation iPod Classic uses the bigger plug as you see in the video you posted.
The 6th Generation iPod Touch uses the smaller (Lightning) plug.

Your 4th Generation iPod Touch may be old enough for the Music app to work without the Apple ID and WiFi access. Assuming you got it new and never updated it, it could be on iOS 4.1 or 5.0, but could go up to iOS 6.1.6. Based on historical documents, the iPod Touch did require an Apple ID to set it up, so either you had one, or someone else set it up with their Apple ID for you. Not sure though. It could be possible that you could skip that and still use the Music App. I don't really know. I guess you can see if there is an Apple ID in it in Settings->iCloud if it asks you to log in, then you don't have an Apple ID on this device.

What you want to use is up to you. The Classic is probably your best bet for large storage and usability. They are getting harder to find.

2 TB in a Classic is massive. 250,000 songs or so. Almost 2 years of constant music....
 

john_robot

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hi cj,

well i am loading up my ipod. gosh, i havent done this for a long time, i guess. i dont recall it taking this long. i have about 9200 songs i am loading, taking up about 31 gb. it doesnt look like it will be done until tomorrow morning !!
 

john_robot

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the big plug was definitely used in my ipod classic. then i started buying nanos for a particular application, which used the small plugs. the ipod classic had been the device with all my music. i replaced that with the 4th generation touches, and was surprised that they went back to the big plug on them.

hey, i am on 6.1.6 - this is the latest ios without the use of the apple app, huh ?

boy, i guess i lucked out. i have some other 4th generations - that i purchased all at the same time (used). so they could conceivably be on different versions.

if one of them is a later version, can i go back to the 6.1.6, so i can still use it as a regular ipod ?
 

john_robot

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on this current 4th generation 64gb ipod that i am now loading, i can go to settings - icloud

i have never gone to that screen, before

it is asking for apple id and password

i am pretty sure that i dont have one. i dont think i even knew about this screen.

at some point i had heard of the cloud. but i dont want to have anything to do with it.

all of my 4th generations were bought used. so the person before may have done something that now allows me to use it as a regular ipod ?

i bought it from someone whose business is to repair them. he only sells some. but he would have the skill to do a lot of things on the ipod that an individual user such as myself may not know how to do.

i had quite a bit of contact with him, so he probably understood that how i was wanting to use it, and simply set it up that way, without me knowing anything about it

if true, i may be in luck, in that he put the exact same ios version on all of the ipods
 

john_robot

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thanks for mentioning the updated classic - i think i will end up buying from this guy for my ipod to store all my music on.
 
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