Rockbox on iPod

The iPod is recognized as an external drive when connected to the computer, but the audio files are only recognized if transferred with iTunes or other programs that mimic what iTunes does.

I find it much easier to handle my files if I can use a file manager.

Thanks to Rockbox, I realized that some of my files where not in a good shape, but it would not have been possible if I could not access the files with a file manager.

The second reason is having a better/classic file manager. One of the reasons I want to use KOReader on an ebook reader. The iPod OS does not let you navigate folders, just the database created by iTunes. With Rockbox, it is possible to navigate the file system.

Another reason is support for more file formats. Granted, one can convert pretty easily between different audio formats, but in my experience, organizing things this way is simpler.

I just diff the folders, and look if there are any differences. I suppose there might be some dedicated program that can do a similar job when using the native iPod database, and take into consideration that a file has been converted…​ but would it also work with Android devices, other PCs, and external memories?

Rockbox supports plugins ^🗄️. There are a lot of little programs, and some of them can be helpful from time to time:

Although as of today, smartphones are much better at all those tasks.

There is even a GameBoy emulator, the Rockboy ^🗄️, and ZXBox ^🗄️, a ZX Spectrum 48k emulator. With those two, the music player is also a portable gaming console with a wide range of games.

Granted, the controls for those emulators are not always that intuitive; if there is an equivalent "native" version, it generally provides a better experience.

In case I wonder again how to exit:

Also the original iPod had some games ^🗄️; unfortunately it is not possible to start them directly from Rockbox.

The iPod UI is completely white (unless you have a device that does not support colors). I prefer to use something less bright.

The UI of Rockbox is very flexible; there are many themes ^🗄️ one can try out; although some might not look polished or as functional as the original UI.

Rockbox supports different digital audio players.

If you happen to own multiple audio players, and they all support Rockbox, you can have a consistent experience across multiple devices.

The first one is battery management. My iPod is old, and the battery does not last long.

This causes Rockbox to boot-loop when the device discharges completely.

When connected to a charger, the iPod boots up automatically. Rockbox starts and shuts down immediately.

The iPod’s native OS handles this situation better; it detects that the battery is empty and shows a warning until it charges up enough.

Thankfully, installing Rockbox does not remove the original OS; by locking the Hold switch (the switch at the top), the original OS will boot. For rebooting to Rockbox, unlock the Hold switch and click Menu and Select at the same time (top and center of the click wheel) for 8 seconds.

I am aware that it is possible to swap the batteries, that it should not be that complicated, and that it is better to let the current battery discharge completely.

The second downside is that, in case you have a radio with iPod support (for example, a dedicated remote for controlling the iPod, or a button directly on the radio box for starting and stopping music), it might not work that well with Rockbox.

Last, but not least, the database used by the iPod’s original OS seems to work better than the one used in Rockbox. Granted, I mostly use the file manager for selecting songs.

Rockbox has its own database format, and the official way to create it is on the device. This is the only solution that works when using the audio player as a drag-and-drop device.

Unfortunately, creating the database with all songs can take a long time and a lot of resources on the audio player.

There also seems to be no way to create the database incrementally. First add one folder, then another…​ Unless you copy your music collection piecewise to the device.

It would be much better if there were a way to create the database on the PC and copy it over, like the audio files. Then, on the device, Rockbox can add missing entries or remove those entries if a corresponding file does not exist, which should be much faster (assuming there are only a handful of errors) than creating the whole database from scratch.

Unfortunately, I found no ready-to-use tool that accomplishes this task.