Syncing with Catalina - a walkthrough please

[return2sendai]

Why is it so difficult for someone to post a walkthrough on how to sync iPads and iPods on Catalina?

Could it be that the process of syncing iPads and iPods on Catalina is such a pain that nobody can post a walkthrough?

Before I even touch Catalina - with a 12 foot bargepole on a partition - I want to know:

1) how to add/remove music and podcasts stored on my Mac to an iPod Classic without iTunes
2) how to add/remove music, podcasts, and videos stored on my Mac to an iPad without iTunes

All I am seeing on YouTube and other forums is that when iPods and iPads are connected to a Mac, the devices show up in Finder instead of iTunes. Yes. I get that. But Finder is not iTunes. How do I add and remove files when there are now 3 apps instead of 1?

Anyone brave enough to start the beachball rolling?

 

[Super Spartan]

Why is it so difficult for someone to post a walkthrough on how to sync iPads and iPods on Catalina?

Could it be that the process of syncing iPads and iPods on Catalina is such a pain that nobody can post a walkthrough?

Before I even touch Catalina - with a 12 foot bargepole on a partition - I want to know:

1) how to add/remove music and podcasts stored on my Mac to an iPod Classic without iTunes
2) how to add/remove music, podcasts, and videos stored on my Mac to an iPad without iTunes

All I am seeing on YouTube and other forums is that when iPods and iPads are connected to a Mac, the devices show up in Finder instead of iTunes. Yes. I get that. But Finder is not iTunes. How do I add and remove files when there are now 3 apps instead of 1?

Anyone brave enough to start the beachball rolling?

This was/is my biggest gripe with iPhones, which is why I always used Android Phones all my life because it is a simple matter of copy/pasting files like it's an external flash drive. With iPhones and other iOS Devices, you had to use iTunes and each version of iTunes was a bit different so some guides that you may see online don't work and it's a very tedious method and you can't be sure that it always worked.

Since I recently switched to iOS/macOS completely, I researched this and found this amazing app called iMazing which makes it a breeze top copy/paste files, be it music, pics, videos, you name it.

So here is how I set things up:

1) I started up from scratch, factory reset my iPhone, so it was basically empty.

2) On my MacBook Pro, I opened up the Photos app and created albums (ie. My Photos, Family, Photoshoot, My Cars, etc.)

3) I then dragged/dropped my photos which I had organized on my external drive one group at a time to fill each album.

4) Now the photos slowly uploaded to the cloud and I could see them eventually on my iPhone with the same organize Album structure

5) Next, I installed imagine and ran it, then I simply dragged/dropped my Music and Videos to the respective folders as you see below:

 

[return2sendai]

So, I have 2 iTunes libraries, one for my iPod Classic (containing my entire music library and all my podcast subscriptions) and one for my iPad (containing selected music, no podcasts, selected photos, and loads of selected TV show episodes and movies).

If I want to sync my iPod Classic, I hold down the option key, choose my iPod Classic iTunes library, open it, download any new podcast episodes (automatically), drag and drop any new music, and sync. Once a week.

If I want to sync my iPad, I hold down the option key, choose my iPad iTunes library, open it, drag and drop any new content, and sync. Once a week.

What do I do on Catalina?

 

[vfontjr]

In Catalina, synching is done with Finder. Plug your device in and it will display in Finder. Click on the device and the sync functions appear.

 

[return2sendai]

What appears? Albums, podcasts, TV shows, etc., all editable and sectioned, like iTunes?

This is why my OP asked for a walkthrough.

"Click on the device and sync functions appear" is not a walkthrough.

My initial challenge remains unmet.
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By the way, anyone seen this. The reviews for Catalina are not viewable in the App Store.

 

[vfontjr]

Finder sync is identical to iTunes sync. As for a walk through, it's available on Apple support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210611

 

[return2sendai]

So all the editing is done in the 3 apps: for example album artwork etc, is done in the Music app, TV and movie editing in the Videos app, podcast editing in the Podcast app? THEN, checkboxes need to be checked in Finder to select what I want to sync to each device?

 

[ulf01]

vfontjr , its not at all a walk through!
In finder you can't easily select from a huge number of albums and titles: You can't search, you can't select by cover etc.
This is a step back into stone age.

And if I connect my ipod 5 nothing works at all with this new software. No covers are synced at all and currently not one song can be played. They are just empty.

 

[return2sendai]

Still waiting....

 

[sirghost]

Still waiting....

Have you tried the steps linked and pasted below?

Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac - Apple Support

The Finder is one of the ways that you can sync your device with your Mac.

support.apple.com

Sync or remove content using the Finder

1. Open a Finder window and connect your device to your computer using a USB cable.
2. Your device appears in the sidebar of the Finder window. Click the device to select it.
3. If prompted, trust your device.
4. Select the type of content that you want to sync or remove. To turn syncing on for a content type, select the checkbox next to Sync.
5. Select the checkbox next to each item that you want to sync.
   
   
6. Click the Apply button in the lower-right corner of the window. If syncing doesn't start automatically, click the Sync button.

 

[return2sendai]

Isn't there another step?

4.5 Do all the editing (album art, playlists, podcast downloads, TV show and movie organisation, etc) in all the separate apps (Podcasts, Music, Movies)

5.1 Selecting checkboxes...... heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy sigh. I just lost the will to live / upgrade.

 

[noodlehead]

I upgraded to Catalina without my external plugged in--and that's where my library was. Not sure if that is related, but although I was able to get the music working, even after creating a new podcast list in the new app--and with the external unplugged!--the synch window shows old podcasts and won't present anything newer than before I upgraded, even though have new podcasts downloaded in the new app. Like it doesn't see the new podcast app content. Tried deleting Plists, containers with "podcast" in the title, etc., starting with a blank iPod--nothing works, and it's the same if I try so synch to my phone. Where is that memory stored? It's driving me crazy! Any ideas welcome.

 

[noodlehead]

Isn't there another step?

4.5 Do all the editing (album art, playlists, podcast downloads, TV show and movie organisation, etc) in all the separate apps (Podcasts, Music, Movies)

5.1 Selecting checkboxes...... heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy sigh. I just lost the will to live / upgrade.

Re synch only checked songs--if that is your question: Took me awhile to figure out (Apple support pages are apparently now written by monkeys):

First--Music App>Preferences>General > check "song list check boxes" Then click Apply

Second--In sync window after choosing your device in Finder: General > check "sync only checked songs"

Third-- Select an album and then R click (Control click) a song. The option box that opens allows check/uncheck.

Nowhere near as good as iTunes as you can't see at a glance which songs are checked and which are not! You have to R click each song! Music did at least remember which songs I had checked in iTunes.