If you find that this has stopped
working after your upgrade to Catalina, a
workaround is to create the required XML
file manually. In Music, go to File > Library
> Export Library (or Export Playlist). This
doesn’t move or copy any music, just
saves an XML file to which your can point
your third-party app. You’ll need to redothis step after you change anything. Most
music software makers have either
already adopted the superior system for
sharing your library that Apple introduced
years ago (and continues to work in
Catalina), or are working on it, so the
manual XML export should hopefully only
be a stopgap measure.3
Play your part
Click it and enter the code. When
you click OK, your device disappears
again, but iTunes Remote will list your
library and let you browse and play
tracks or videos. Playback is on your Mac,
to its selected output or AirPlay target.4
Limits of control
Check how many devices you’ve
registered as remotes in Music > Prefs >
Advanced or TV > Prefs > Advanced. This
is separate for each app, and you can’t
use iTunes Remote with Podcasts or to
play audiobooks in Books.Content clues
Eraser head
When you ≈-click a track in
Music or a video in TV that you’ve
downloaded to your Mac, you can
choose Remove Download to
delete the file from your Mac
without affecting your library,
or Delete from Library to delete
it from all the devices synced to
your iCloud Music Library. Neither
option affects your right to stream
or re-download purchased items
from the iTunes Store.Papers please
If a video you’ve purchased
won’t play, your Mac may not be
authorised for it. An alert should
tell you so, but sometimes doesn’t.
Even if this Mac was previously
authorised for your iTunes Store
account, it may no longer be. Go
to Account > Authorisations >
Authorise This Computer to fix
it. You’re only allowed five active
authorisations at any time, which
is tough if you use more than five
Macs (or Windows PCs with the
iTunes app, which still exists for
that platform) – iOS and iPadOS
devices don’t require it. If
necessary, de-authorise another
computer. But if your Mac was
previously authorised, it won’t
count as an extra.Open the Store
If you don’t see the iTunes Store
in Music’s left sidebar, turn it on
in Music > Preferences > General >
Show. Note that there’s no such
option for TV, which shows Store
content in all its tabs (across the
top) except Library.macformat.com @macformat APRIL 2020 | MACFORMAT | 27