C
atalina’s replacement of the
iTunes app with a suite of new
software divided by media type
is a bit of a culture shock, but if all
goes well it should be less dramatic
than it sounds.
When upgrading a Mac to Catalina,
your existing media should migrate
automatically to the apps that replace
iTunes when you first run them. Some
initial problems with this process were
fixed in macOS 10.15.1. If you don’t see
your content after launching the Music
app on a Mac that you’ve just upgraded,
close the app and open it again while
holding å. Then navigate to the iTunes
Library.itl file that you were previously
using. (By default, it’s in ~/Music/iTunes,
where ‘~’ is the named Home folder for
your user account; but you may have
set a different location in iTunes >
Preferences > Advanced > iTunes Media
folder location.)
Music will offer to upgrade the library
to its new format. Everything should then
appear as before. If for any reason you
can’t get Music to read your existing
library, any content stored on your Mac
still exists in your iTunes Media folder
(again, whether in its default location
or wherever you chose) and can be
reimported as a last resort, but you’ll
need to get your library file working to
retrieve your playlists.TV library
This works similarly in the TV app, which
gets its own separate library generated
from the video content in your iTunes
library. You can check (or change) where
each app keeps its new library in
Preferences > Files. Only these apps,
Music and TV, trigger the library upgrade;
if you open Books or Podcasts first, any
audiobooks and podcasts that you had in
the iTunes app will be missing. Run Music
or TV, and the other apps will also see
your content next time they’re launched.
The Music app no longer has iTunes’
option to maintain an XML copy of yourplaylists in ~/Music/iTunes Media/Music,
activated by ticking ‘Share iTunes Library
XML with other applications’ in iTunes >
Preferences > Advanced. If that means
nothing to you, it probably won’t affect
you. But some music software, such as DJ
apps, relies on the XML to access your
iTunes playlists.2
Crack the code
With this device on the same Wi-Fi
network as your Mac, open iTunes
Remote, tap Settings, then ‘Add a media
library’. You get a four-digit code. Now
look in Music or TV on your Mac: your
device pops up under Devices on the left.1
There’s an app for that
The Music and TV apps initially lacked
the iTunes app’s ability to pair with the
iTunes Remote app, but since 10.15.2 it’s
back. First, install iTunes Remote (blue
icon – not Apple TV Remote) on your
iPhone or iPad.Connect your iOS Remote
Signing on
The Music and TV apps won’t
show your previous iTunes Store
purchases until you sign in, from
the Account menu. This is separate
from the iCloud and App Store
sign-ins. Purchases then appear in
the Library views; hovering over
their thumbnails shows a cloud with
an arrow to click to download them
to your Mac. You can select multiple
items and use Download (from the
≈-click contextual menu or the
Song or Video menu) to download
them all. Playing an item that hasn’t
been downloaded will stream it.Helpful hints for all
your media needs
Goodbye iTunes, hello Music, TV, Podcasts and... Books?
FEATURE Catalina tips & tricks
26 | MACFORMAT | APRIL 2020 macformat.com @macformat