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Is there some equivalent to Apple's (iOS) Remote App for the desktop (running OS X)? I.e. some – preferably small – application to control an iTunes instance which is running on another Mac? Maybe some menu extra?

I know there are several "iTunes controllers" (like Coversutra). But does any of them support a remotely running iTunes?

(N.B.: I'm aware of e.g. Home Sharing, but I want the remote Mac to keep running and output the music, not the controlling one. I'm also aware of Screen Sharing, but I'm looking for a quicker/easier solution.)

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    @Studer: Why did you remove the osx tag? It seems kind of relevant here.
    – Jonik
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 22:09
  • @Jonik: Because it's not specifically about [osx], it's about [itunes].
    – Josh K
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 3:19
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    @Josh: That's not true. The question is asking about certain kind of software (for controlling iTunes) specifically for OS X. (An [itunes] question might well be related to iTunes on Windows; this one is not.)
    – Jonik
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 8:30
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    Oh, and the question itself is great! I'd very much like to know about such OS X app too.
    – Jonik
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 8:32
  • @Jonik: Perhaps, but it isn't specifically talking about [osx] except as a requirement for the software.
    – Josh K
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 10:04

4 Answers 4

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iTunes Remote Control is probably the easiest, but is no longer updated, and I've heard reports of some issues with it under Snow Leopard. YMMV.

Edit: One other major option would be to control iTunes from your browser. A variety of commercial and free solutions exist to do this. This is one of the more popular DIY guides on the subject. Playerpal and PatioTunes are two examples of commercial variants on the idea. N.B., I've used neither, and can't speak to the quality of either app. Feel free to google around for more options on this front.

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    Thanks! It looks like the tool should do the right thing, though it's somewhat ugly and doen't have too much functionality compared to Remote app. Some things like getting the (names of the) playlists and search don't work though, which minimizes the usefulness :-/ So any other suggestions?
    – jbeigel
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 19:46
  • @jbeigel: did you get iTunes Remote Control to work at all? I tried it to control my Apple TV from my Mac, but it asks me for a username/password, which prevents me from going any further.
    – Jeroen Wiert Pluimers
    Commented Dec 24, 2010 at 20:26
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You could SSH to your desktop running iTunes and control it using this iTunes control script.

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20011108211802830

Alternatively you could connect using any VNC client to have total control of your desktop.

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  • A VNC client is of course an option, but I find that's kinda slow/clumsy for controlling iTunes. Compared to a small, dedicated app anyway (like the one for iPhone).
    – Jonik
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 22:07
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    Cant get much smaller than the shell script :)
    – Nippysaurus
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 22:57
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Play can control iTunes (and do a bit more) from a variety of clients.

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TuneConnect might be another option, it's no longer actively maintained though (so compatibility with newer versions of OS X/iTunes might be an issue):

The TuneConnect Project is pleased to announce the immediate availability of TuneConnect 2.0, the latest reinvention of our revolutionary iTunes remote control software for Mac OS X. Featuring speed-of-light music browsing and full-featured controls, TuneConnect 2 is a complete rewrite of the old TuneConnect. Control your music simply, quickly, and easily, from anywhere on your network: welcome to life with TuneConnect.

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  • From their site: As of June 2010, TuneConnect is no longer actively maintained. Its source is available on 13bold's GitHub. :(
    – genuinefafa
    Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 13:32

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