How I Enhanced My Old iPod and Ditched Spotify for Good

It’s 2024, and I’m about to replace Spotify’s easy streaming service with an ancient iPod. It might sound bonkers, but there is a very good reason for it.

Spotify Is Dead to Me

Something has always bugged me about Spotify. Instead of keeping your music, you essentially rent your favorite songs for a monthly fee. And somehow, we’ve collectively decided that’s okay. If you’d rather not pay, you don’t have to. But the alternative is to get peppered with annoying ads. Or don’t listen. It’s a lose-lose.

Call me old-fashioned, but I opine for the days when buying music meant you didn’t have to pay for it every month, and you didn’t have to endure ads. That logic is how I found myself purchasing a used 5th Generation iPod.

We’ve discussed the merits of the iPod before and how it paved the way for the iPhone. But after adding 256GB of microSD storage and replacing a cracked faceplate on mine, I decided it was time to give Spotify the boot for good. And honestly, I haven’t been happier.

What You’ll Need

• An iPod (4th or 5th Generation is best here).
• Tweezers
• A plastic or metal spudger
• A microSD card up to 1TB (256GB is the sweet spot)
• A flash adapter
• A Windows or macOS computer
• A copy of iTunes
• A 30-pin iPod cable or adapter

Optionally, you can replace any broken or worn components unique to your iPod model. Batteries, ribbon cables, displays, logic boards, and faceplates are readily available on sites like eBay. You can even get crazy with customization.

And as long as you know how to avoid the common eBay pitfalls, buying used should be a walk in the park.

iPod Rehab 101

First, a word of caution: Since most iPod models are approaching the 20-year mark, the interior components can be fragile. That shouldn’t scare you, but you do need to exercise a light touch.

Opening the iPod

Opening an iPod is often the most difficult step. Between the faceplate and the aluminum metal backplate, there is a razor-thin seam. You’ll want to insert your spudger into the seam and pry slightly downwards until a gap forms.

Then, you’ll run your spudger along this gap, little by little, until the faceplate pops away from the backplate. I’d be lying if I said when I did this, I didn’t send my iPod skittering across my desk like a bar of soap. So, firmly grasp it.

When it opens, don’t just yank the case apart. We have to contend with some ribbon cables first.

Disconnecting the Battery/Hold Switch

Depending on your iPod model, you’ll need to either contend with the ribbon cable connecting the battery (5th Gen) or the ribbon cable connecting the hold switch (4th Gen). For my 5th Gen, I used a pair of tweezers to raise the locking tab on the battery connector before delicately unseating the cable.

The 4th Gen has a tiny plastic plug on the hold switch that you’ll need to pry out. Don’t pull the ribbon cable. Just pull the connector. Otherwise, you could damage it. Now you can open the iPod like a book.

Installing Flash Storage

iPod hard drives are ugly MiniIDE things that can be simply unplugged and disposed of. Don’t even bother trying to reuse them. Instead, we’re going to replace that clunky old relic with a microSD card and a flash adapter. I purchased my adapter on eBay, but Amazon has alternatives available.

You’ll want to format the microSD card into FAT32 before you install it. Even if it’s brand new, sometimes iTunes gets finicky if the drive isn’t formatted correctly. You can use Windows or macOS to do this. I prefer Windows, as it offers more options for things like Rockbox.

We won’t discuss Rockbox here, but if you want to play FLAC or other lossless audio on your iPod, you should certainly look into it.

Once the microSD card is properly formatted, you can install it into your adapter. Then, connect the whole thing. If you opted to replace the battery, I’ve detailed that process below. Otherwise, you’re ready to ensure the iPod is recognized by iTunes. Do so by plugging your 30-pin cable into the iPod and computer.

Don’t use Apple Music here. In fact, if you’re using Windows and have Apple Music installed, you’ll probably need to uninstall it to get iTunes to recognize the iPod. After you get confirmation that the iPod is detected, you can unplug it and close everything up.

Optional: Installing a New Battery

If you’ve opted to replace the battery, you’ll need to do a few additional things. First, you have to remove the old battery. Most of the older batteries Apple once used are at danger-pillow levels of swelling these days, so it’s always a good idea to swap them.

If yours works fine, then there is no need. I replaced the original battery in my 5th Gen with a 3000mAh battery. This means my iPod can play for days on end without needing a recharge.

Additionally, Apple uses a tough 3M adhesive to hold its iPod batteries in place. Isopropyl alcohol can help to loosen the adhesive, but you’ll essentially need to pry out the old battery. Be cautious here, as there are ribbon cables under the batteries for both of the suggested iPod models.

For the 5th Gen, you’ll want to pry from the bottom right of the battery upwards. For the 4th Gen, you’ll need to remove the entire logic board and pry from the space between the display and the bottom of the iPod. In both cases, take your time.

Once you’ve got the old battery out, you can insert your new battery in the space where the old battery was. Then test to make sure everything works before putting the iPod back together.

Reinstalling the OS With iTunes

Earlier this year, Apple replaced iTunes for Windows users. But we can’t restore our iPod without it. It’s the last step before filling your iPod with music is to reinstall the OS. The good news is Windows users can still find copies on Apple’s website.

Once you have your copy, plug your iPod into your computer. iTunes should then prompt you to restore the unit. Do so. Depending on your computer, the process might take a while.

The 5th Gen models will reboot automatically, but the 4th Gen will ask you to plug the iPod into a wall charger. You’ll need an official Apple charger or equivalent to complete this process. I used an Anker power brick, and it worked fine.

When the restoration is complete, you’re ready to fill your iPod with music.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s important to understand that iPods aren’t geared to be limitless music machines. They top out at about 50,000 songs due to RAM limitations, regardless of what you do. So, if you’re looking to replace a gigantic music library, you may want to consider other, more modern music players. I like the iPod simply because it’s nostalgic. And, I think they’re cool.

That said, restoring an iPod and turning it into a viable music player for 2024 comes with an immense amount of satisfaction and musical autonomy. Sure, Spotify has its advantages, but so does carefully curating a small library of music that you truly enjoy. When you do that, music becomes less about infinitely generated, algorithmic background noise and more about genuine, intentional enjoyment. Plus, you get to keep it.