How to bypass iTunes music previews protection • Hacker News Board

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#11

Post by pedrocr » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 5:30 PM UTC

wzhack wrote: post #8

w1ntermute wrote: post #3

If this becomes widely used, it'll only kickstart an arms race between Apple and the people trying to access the iTunes previews. Remember what happened with the Palm Pre and iTunes syncing? Apple doesn't like unapproved devices accessing its content ecosystem.

I am not sure Apple can differentiate Apple devices over HTTP except UA header. Maybe they can develop a proprietary streaming protocol but is it worth?

There are probably a bunch of ways of checking with javascript that are much harder to spoof than the UA.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#12

Post by hmert » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 5:34 PM UTC

pedrocr wrote: post #11

wzhack wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure Apple can differentiate Apple devices over HTTP except UA header. Maybe they can develop a proprietary streaming protocol but is it worth?

There are probably a bunch of ways of checking with javascript that are much harder to spoof than the UA.

I am not sure related native iOS streaming libraries integrate JavaScript security just to protect iTunes previews.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#13

Post by jcfrei » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 5:35 PM UTC

pedrocr wrote: post #11

wzhack wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure Apple can differentiate Apple devices over HTTP except UA header. Maybe they can develop a proprietary streaming protocol but is it worth?

There are probably a bunch of ways of checking with javascript that are much harder to spoof than the UA.

yes, for example with device fingerprinting. the Electronic Frontier Foundation has a nice test page online: https://panopticlick.eff.org/ however apple could apply a much simpler filter by checking whether the screen size fits the exact specs of their iphones / ipods and ban any other devices.

then again, you might always access the source directly, circumventing the need for js entirely.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#14

Post by rwolf » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 5:57 PM UTC

Sorry for the tangent, but svbtle knockoffs like the http://wp-svbtle.themeskult.com/ used here are annoying.

I don't want the whole internet to look like svbtle. Heck, I don't even want svbtle to look like svbtle.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#15

Post by w1ntermute » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 6:22 PM UTC

hmert wrote: post #12

pedrocr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are probably a bunch of ways of checking with javascript that are much harder to spoof than the UA.

I am not sure related native iOS streaming libraries integrate JavaScript security just to protect iTunes previews.

That could be easily updated if necessary. Moreover, it's entirely possible that there are dormant APIs precisely in case this sort of thing happened.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#16

Post by mathieuh » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 6:29 PM UTC

rwolf wrote: post #14

Sorry for the tangent, but svbtle knockoffs like the http://wp-svbtle.themeskult.com/ used here are annoying. I don't want the whole internet to look like svbtle. Heck, I don't even want svbtle to look like svbtle.

I think he's using Obtvse: https://github.com/NateW/obtvse

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#17

Post by drivebyacct2 » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 6:33 PM UTC

rwolf wrote: post #14

Sorry for the tangent, but svbtle knockoffs like the http://wp-svbtle.themeskult.com/ used here are annoying. I don't want the whole internet to look like svbtle. Heck, I don't even want svbtle to look like svbtle.

Who cares? It's clean and it's readable, it already beat several other front page HN articles on those two alone.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#18

Post by honestcoyote » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 6:37 PM UTC

dduck wrote: post #2

I am not sure m4a format can be played on Android devices.

Of course it can. m4p files are right out but those should be nearly extinct by now.

The player app on my phone plays just about every audio format available, including ogg and flac.

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#19

Post by usea » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 7:04 PM UTC

The article says

> Although downloading iTunes previews are illegal and restricted by Apple

What does the author mean by this? If downloading the files are illegal, why is there an API for it? And why do Apple products have features for consumers to do it? Is he trying to make a distinction between downloading and streaming?

Re: How to bypass iTunes music previews protection

#20

Post by udpheaders » Wed, Sep 19, 2012, 7:08 PM UTC

arrrg wrote: post #7

jstalin wrote: post #4

... or just use Amazon's MP3 store. No DRM, no problems with synching multiple devices, and no "authorization" of devices/computers.

There isn’t any DRM protected music in the iTunes Store, either. This is only about the previews.

So if I purchase some songs from this store (e.g. someone gives me iTunes credit as a gift) I can still play them without iTunes? I don't need iTunes installed anywhere?