Apple giveth Apple Music, and Apple taketh away. In this case, the MIA feature is Home Sharing for music files to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
The iOS 8.4 update brought with it Apple’s Beats-powered music subscription service, Apple Music, but along the way, Apple has rather quietly killed the ability to stream music from a nearby computer running iTunes to your iOS 8.4 devices. Home Sharing allowed for both music and video sharing to your portable devices, but as of iOS 8.5, it’s been limited to video only.
Home sharing of music is still feasible to Apple TV, but not other devices. It’s feasible, based on release notes for the iOS 8.4 betas that state that home sharing was “not currently available” that this is just a bug that Apple accepted for the initial 8.4 release. Or that Apple really wants you to switch to streaming via Apple Music only.
Apple’s iOS 8.4 kneecaps Home Sharing, music streaming now limited to Apple TV [AppleInsider]
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One response to “iOS 8.4 Kills Home Music Sharing”
“but as of iOS 8.5, it’s been limited to video only”
iOS 8.5?? I didn’t know we were ALREADY getting 8.5!
It’s no bug. A condition of some of the licensing deals was the music could not be re-broadcast.
It’s a killer for people with Sonos and other airplay streaming sound systems.
MacBreak Weekly reported this earlier this week. Apple sort of just snuck it through without too much comment.
It has since been conformed by Apple that the feature is gone.
Sonos are working with Apple and the licence holders to try and find a solution before the year’s end.