# Is there any alternative to Itunes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710 "2011-06-24T14:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/1 "2011-06-24T14:35:32Z")
From the recent apps I have downloaded, I need an app that does the same as Itunes. I need this app to play music in the background. I have downloaded songs that are in a different folder which Itunes will not recognise to play as it does not sync with that folder. I can move the files using Ifile to any folder in the ipod. I do have programs that play the downloaded files because you can move the songs to the folder that you have downloaded your music to. The only problem is that I cannot find an app that plays music whilst I am browsing the net or doing other things on the Ipod bacause you have to exit the app to do this. So how does Itunes play in the background and does anyone know a way to get around this? Thanks in advance šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/2 "2011-06-24T15:15:45Z")
Why not just convert the other music files so that itunes can play them? ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/3 "2011-06-24T15:41:49Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Why not just convert the other music files so that itunes can play them? Hey Omar, I am trying to do this purely on my Ipod, do not have a computer to convert the files. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/4 "2011-06-24T15:50:27Z")
Iā€™m not aware of any apps that can be downloaded to an Ipod or Itouch that will run in the background while you run other apps. Considering the primary purpose of an Ipod is to play music via Itunes, itā€™s understandable that Apple would construct it in a manner so that it can be run in the background, while running downloaded apps, but not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/5 "2011-06-24T15:59:12Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Iā€™m not aware of any apps that can be downloaded to an Ipod or Itouch that will run in the background while you run other apps. Considering the primary purpose of an Ipod is to play music via Itunes, itā€™s understandable that Apple would construct it in a manner so that it can be run in the background, while running downloaded apps, but not the other way around. Well i did have a few ideas, what I could do is use ifile to find the location of where the songs are are played via Itunes on the ipod touch. Then drop the downloaded songs into that folder so Itunes would pick it up. The only prblem is the filesystem that doesnt name things very well, i.e. 3jddh2-4hsije2-jkljeis etc. lol I was also thinking there must be some function that enables the program to play in the back ground, tunein radio plays in the back ground. So there must be something to enable this. tunein radio also allows you to record live streams of music. So If I was able to find out the storage point of this, then I could add the ddownloaded music files to that location ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/6 "2011-06-24T16:04:02Z")
Iā€™m pretty sure that your iPod Touch (assuming thatā€™s what you have) must be running iOS 4 to be able to multitask at all. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/7 "2011-06-24T16:56:12Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Iā€™m pretty sure that your iPod Touch (assuming thatā€™s what you have) must be running iOS 4 to be able to multitask at all. Hey dude, yeah it is that version, and I can multitask with certain apps but not others, do you know if theres any you can enable a multitask mode, I know that if you go to settings you can see if the app in question is there, and modify settings, but this is not on any of the apps I have managed to get ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/8 "2011-06-24T17:26:36Z")
[Monkey Audio](http://www.monkeysaudio.com/) is supposed to be a decent substitute for iTunes, though Iā€™ve never tried it. It might be worth a look ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/9 "2011-06-24T17:38:21Z")
Is there some reason why you donā€™t put the files into Itunes on your computer and then use the computer to put the songs on the ipod? itunes works pretty well if you do things the apple way but can become frustrating if you want to get your music via other methods. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/10 "2011-06-25T00:31:08Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Is there some reason why you donā€™t put the files into Itunes on your computer and then use the computer to put the songs on the ipod? itunes works pretty well if you do things the apple way but can become frustrating if you want to get your music via other methods. Hey dude lol I can do that but I am always at work and find a good song and download it, thats what led me to this lol I could do it when I get home but canā€™t believe that no one has developed something like this yet. Iā€™ll give monkey audio a shot, cheers mate ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/11 "2011-06-25T00:47:22Z")
Iā€™ll have to admit that Iā€™m failing to grasp the problem that needs solving. ---
**Author:** ![MattJH](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mattjh/32/20005_2.png) [@MattJH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattJH)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/12 "2011-06-25T00:53:03Z")
Yes. Winamp. It is much smaller than iTunes, far less processor-intensive, and it doesnā€™t insist on unnecessarily intertwining itself into your operating system in the way iTunes does. Iā€™ve often thought of iTunes as the Norton or McAfee of audio management. Itā€™s just way too bloated, and way too demanding. Download the iPod plug-in for Winamp and youā€™re good to go. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/13 "2011-06-25T00:57:38Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Iā€™ll have to admit that Iā€™m failing to grasp the problem that needs solving. The problem that needs solved is there is no 3rd party music app in the world that plays music you have downloaded 2 your iPod in the background whilst multi tasking. The only program that does this is the in built music app on the iPod which syncs your music from iTunes. For example browsing safari whilst listening to music. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/14 "2011-06-25T01:00:15Z")
> [@MattJH](#): > > Yes. Winamp. It is much smaller than iTunes, far less processor-intensive, and it doesnā€™t insist on unnecessarily intertwining itself into your operating system in the way iTunes does. Iā€™ve often thought of iTunes as the Norton or McAfee of audio management. Itā€™s just way too bloated, and way too demanding. Download the iPod plug-in for Winamp and youā€™re good to go. Sorry matt this is actually on the iPod I am having the trouble, not on the pc bud. Need an app to do this for me ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/15 "2011-06-25T01:30:43Z")
> [@crawfyssj5](#): > > The problem that needs solved is there is no 3rd party music app in the world that plays music you have downloaded 2 your iPod in the background whilst multi tasking. The only program that does this is the in built music app on the iPod which syncs your music from iTunes. For example browsing safari whilst listening to music. There are apps that play music in the background, like Pandora, which plays ā€œinternet radioā€ basically. But why would anyone write the app youā€™re talking about, since it EXACTLY DUPLICATES an app thatā€™s on every iPod? Apple would be guaranteed to forbid it from the App Store (devs are generally not allowed to duplicate built-in functionality), and no one would buy it anyway. If youā€™re at work and find a good song, just download it using the iTunes app on the iPod (Iā€™m assuming an iPod touch), and youā€™re good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/16 "2011-06-25T02:19:18Z")
> [@crawfyssj5](#): > > The problem that needs solved is there is no 3rd party music app in the world that plays music you have downloaded 2 your iPod in the background whilst multi tasking. The only program that does this is the in built music app on the iPod which syncs your music from iTunes. For example browsing safari whilst listening to music. Are you sure you have the latest system software? On my iPhone once you start playing music in iPod mode, it continues to play when you go to Safari to surf. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/17 "2011-06-25T02:34:38Z")
Just to clarify, it seems like the OPā€™s problem is this: Heā€™s using a third-party app to download music files of some indeterminate format to the iPod. The music gets downloaded into some filesystem sandboxed area accessible to that program and possibly others, but that the iPod app doesnā€™t read. The third-party program (possibly the one that downloads the music originally, possibly the one that allows access to the iPod filesystem, possibly another one) that the OP can use to play the music files of indeterminate format does not work when running in the background. _This has nothing to do with a computer or ā€œiTunesā€ (the software program that runs on a Mac)._ ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/18 "2011-06-25T08:02:21Z")
> [@crawfyssj5](#): > > Hey dude lol I can do that but I am always at work and find a good song and download it, thats what led me to this lol I could do it when I get home but canā€™t believe that no one has developed something like this yet. Iā€™ll give monkey audio a shot, cheers mate You are downloading music in a way that doesnā€™t involve using an apple service. This is against the apple way, so it has a good chance of not working all that great. It sucks and is completely unreasonable but at least the phone is shinny and cool. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/19 "2011-06-25T08:26:43Z")
my car radio reads mp3ā€™s in folders just fine. I have a button that flips from folder to folder and another one that flips through songs within the folder. ---
**Author:** ![crawfyssj5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@crawfyssj5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crawfyssj5)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710/20 "2011-06-25T11:26:44Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > There are apps that play music in the background, like Pandora, which plays ā€œinternet radioā€ basically. But why would anyone write the app youā€™re talking about, since it EXACTLY DUPLICATES an app thatā€™s on every iPod? Apple would be guaranteed to forbid it from the App Store (devs are generally not allowed to duplicate built-in functionality), and no one would buy it anyway. > > If youā€™re at work and find a good song, just download it using the iTunes app on the iPod (Iā€™m assuming an iPod touch), and youā€™re good to go. The reason this would be good is if the consumer did not buy the songs from iTunes but downloaded them through another method I.e jailbroken app or via the Internet to then play these files via an app [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-alternative-to-itunes/586710.md?page=2)