5 Computer Limit Still Present in the Catalina Music App

[redheeler]

The 5 computer limit (which I always end up hitting) and having to "Authorize This Computer" is one of the most annoying aspects of iTunes on the Mac for those of us with multiple Macs. It always seemed clunky and dated the way that was set up, and to make matters worse the "Deauthorize All" option only works once a year, meaning I was forced to contact Apple Support just to exercise that option twice in a one year period. I was sure this limitation would finally be gone once iTunes was split up into multiple apps, but it appears to have carried over to the Music and TV apps on Catalina as well.

Why is this 5 Mac limit and having to "Authorize This Computer" or "Deauthorize This Computer" still a thing on Mac when the Music app on iOS devices has been free of this limitation for years? It's as if Apple deliberately wants to frustrate Mac owners, but I can't think of any rational reason for doing so.

 

[chabig]

The five computer limit is a due to licensing terms. Most people don't have more than five Macs, and are not affected. It has nothing to do with the iTunes app.

 

[redheeler]

The five computer limit is a due to licensing terms. Most people don't have more than five Macs, and are not affected. It has nothing to do with the iTunes app.

Why is the limit not present on iOS devices? You would expect the same licensing terms to apply to both platforms.

 

[chabig]

I don't know. It's just something the lawyers worked out. Remember, the five computer limit has been with us since the opening of the iTunes Music store. It might have something to do with the fact that a computer can be used to distribute music, but iPods and iPhones cannot.

 

[redheeler]

I don't know. It's just something the lawyers worked out. Remember, the five computer limit has been with us since the opening of the iTunes Music store. It might have something to do with the fact that a computer can be used to distribute music, but iPods and iPhones cannot.

Then you would expect the limit to apply to iTunes Store purchases, but not Apple Music. Yet it seems to apply to both.

 

[chabig]

Talk to the lawyers.

 

[DeanL]

Why is the limit not present on iOS devices? You would expect the same licensing terms to apply to both platforms.

The limit is actually present on iOS devices too

 

[redheeler]

The limit is actually present on iOS devices too

I see, so the limit for iOS devices is 10 and the limit for Macs is 5, hence why I never ran into the limit on iOS. It's still a strange and outdated limitation (even the phrasing on the webpage is bad; "no more than five of them computers" while an iOS device easily fits the definition of a computer), but maybe there is an obscure legal reason for it that is more clear-cut than the phrasing on the webpage.

 

[Superhai]

but maybe there is an obscure legal reason for it that is more clear-cut than the phrasing on the webpage.

The limit is there to avoid large venue media sharing. I agree it is more an annoyance than effective. But the music and movie industry is extremely paranoid about anything relating to sharing, so that you can have even five or ten is incredible.

 

[haralds]

The 5 computer limit (which I always end up hitting) and having to "Authorize This Computer" is one of the most annoying aspects of iTunes on the Mac for those of us with multiple Macs. It always seemed clunky and dated the way that was set up, and to make matters worse the "Deauthorize All" option only works once a year, meaning I was forced to contact Apple Support just to exercise that option twice in a one year period. I was sure this limitation would finally be gone once iTunes was split up into multiple apps, but it appears to have carried over to the Music and TV apps on Catalina as well.

Why is this 5 Mac limit and having to "Authorize This Computer" or "Deauthorize This Computer" still a thing on Mac when the Music app on iOS devices has been free of this limitation for years? It's as if Apple deliberately wants to frustrate Mac owners, but I can't think of any rational reason for doing so.

Note that the authorizations recognize multi boot computers as ONE system - except for BootCamp.
So my Mac Pro is a single count for both Mojave and Catalina boot.