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Mar 30, 2012

iPod Nano 6G - Issues/Problems And Fixes

This post is a collection of issues/problems found in the Nano 6G. Some problems can be fixed, and others cannot. Apple does have an Official Nano 6G User Guide (PDF) which may help, and if you cannot resolve the problem you may need to contact Apple Support.

Reset Methods



Every once in a while you may run into issues with your Nano 6G. If your Nano freezes use Method 1, and if you want to restore your icons and language then do Method 2.


Method 1 (use when Nano freezes)
Hold the volume down and on/off button until the Nano resets.

Method 2 (use to restore language, icon positions, etc)
Go to "Settings" icon, scroll down until you see "Reset Settings", press "Reset" button.

I have rarely had the need to reset the Nano. Neither of these two methods will remove your Nano's media.

There are other reset methods which are covered further below.


5 Rs: Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall, Restore


If your Nano 6G is not being recognized by your computer, it freezes, or just behaves weird (ie shutdown all the time, etc) then you may have to use the "5 Rs". Try each one in the order presented until your Nano 6G begins working properly.

5 Rs:
  1. Reset iPod Nano (shown above on the video).
  2. Retry connecting with a different USB port.
  3. Restart your computer.
  4. Reinstall iTunes software from the web (Nano requires iTunes 10.0 or later to work).
  5. Restore iPod Nano to factory settings (requires iTunes).
    • Doing this removes all of your Nano's music/files.

The Official User Guide (PDF) covers each step in detail.

View a truly dead iPod Nano 6G.
(This iPod would need to be shipped back to Apple for repairs or a replacement.)


Minimum System Requirements


If your computer is older and does not detect the Nano you may be out of luck due some requirements.

Nano 6G System Requires:

Most modern computers meet these requirements, but if your computer does not then you will not be able to sync your iPod Nano 6G with iTunes. It may be time to upgrade to a new desktop, laptop, or netbook.


Stuck Buttons



If you get one of these stuck button issues you can fix the problem yourself, although I would recommend shipping the Nano back to Apple for repairs or a replacement. (Disassembly, Apple Support)

Stuck Button Fix


Roberto sent me a link to his website which offers a solution to the "stuck button" problem. If you are under warranty I recommend talking to Apple, but if you are unlucky then you may have to fix it yourself.

Full fix details at rbarrios.com - iPodNano 6th Generation Stuck Buttons


Turn Off iPod Nano (in firmware V 1.0)



The iPod Nano 6G shipped without an easy way of turning the system off. This resulted in the system consuming battery life, and people complaining like mad.

If there was a single app/icon running in the background (pedometer, stopwatch, music, etc) then the system would remain on. To turn off the Nano you had to stop all of these background apps and then hope it would turn off. You could notice that the system was trully off because the Apple logo is displayed at boot up.

Another method:
  • Reset your Nano 6G by pressing the volume down and power buttons.
  • When it botts back up just press the sleep/wake button.
  • After a while it will be completely off.

Again this all changed with firmware V 1.1 and is now a non issue.


Fix - Update firmware to V 1.1 or V 1.2



Firmware version 1.1 introduced several things including:
  1. Real "turn off" capability which is now achieved by pressing and holding the Slee/Wake button.
  2. Extra Playback conntrols with Sleep/Wake (double tap) which can be assigned to play the next track or play/pause (configure through Settings icon)

You can download the latest firmware by using iTunes.

Can I Sync And Play Videos With My Nano 6G?


The answer is conventionally no. Video playback is not possible with the Nano 6G. You can sync .mp4 video podcasts, but only the audio part will play.

The video podcasts are not converted to a smaller audio only file, they remain as a video .mp4 file. The video podcast files do take a lot of space from your Nano and if you have the 8GB version you may run out of space fast.

(99m)

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