Playing itunes bought tracks on android phone...anyway to remove protection?

[NinkyNonker]

I don't have a huge library but it would be nice to be able to use it...has anyone found a way of removing the itunes 'lock'? Think it is DMR protection or similar...

The locks were taken off of tracks sold in iTunes a few years ago. However they will be in AAC (MP4 basically) format and not MP3, so you need to find a player that can deal with them.

This is a bit tedious but it does work: you can burn them all off to CD and then reimport them to the program that talks to the android phone. If you burn to an MP3 CD as opposed to a normal audio one (option at the point of burning from iTunes) you will save time and CDs.

If all you're doing is converting from AAC to MP3 and not stripping out any DRM (which as said won't be there on any songs bought over the last few years) then iTunes can convert them for you without needing to export and import via a CD.

If that's what you're trying to do then let me know and I can describe the process.

If you get really stuck... then you can do the digital equivalent of sticking a tape recorder next to the radio.

Use a sound recorder like StepVoice which will record any sounds made by your computer into an MP3 file.

Use iTunes to play via the computers speakers (so the default output). StepVoice then records the default output.

The file quality will be affected but if playing back via a mobile phone, I doubt you would notice that much.

Open your iTunes preferences - Edit > Preferences

Look for the 'Import Settings' button. It's on the 'General' page tab, which should be the one it opens at.

Choose 'MP3 Encoder' and 'High Quality (160kps)' and choose OK. Then OK again to exit preferences.

Select the songs you want (hold down Ctrl while you click them individually to highlight them all at once) then right-click on any one of the highlighted items.

Choose 'Create MP3 version'. The files it creates should now be playable on anything.

oooh nice tip MrManager. iTunes is something which totally defeats me. I always have to ask my daughter!

Before trying anything just try copying the music to your phone, it might very well just work.

Thanks all. It let me save the tracks on the phone like a hard drive,but can't see them to play then. I'll have a go on itunes today and come back to you!

Just try converting one track to MP3 and see if the phone then likes that.