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Xbox 360: Support

Digital Media

Use an Apple iPod with Xbox 360

Technical Support

Apple iPod on-the-go playlists do not play back.

We're happy to report that the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system works with MP3 music files on Apple iPod portable audio players, right out of the box. Just connect your iPod's USB cable to any controller port on your Xbox 360 console, then go to the Media area of the Xbox Dashboard to select or create a playlist.

Listen to AAC Audio

To listen to music files encoded in Apple's AAC audio format, your Xbox 360 console will need the AAC codec (a processing file), which is available as a free download from Xbox Live Marketplace.

The codec you download will be unique to your console—it will not accompany you, for instance, if you move your gamer profile to an Xbox 360 Memory Unit to play at a friend's house.

Note

Xbox 360 is compatible only with AAC files that are not protected by DRM (digital rights management). Incompatible files will appear grayed out in the Xbox Dashboard.

Access to Xbox Live requires both a high-speed Internet connection and an Xbox Live Membership. All Xbox 360 owners are entitled to a free Xbox Live Silver membership.

For more information see Xbox Live.

For information about connecting to Xbox Live, see Connect to Xbox Live.

To listen to unprotected AAC files from your iPod music player:

Go to the Marketplace area of the Xbox Dashboard and select Game Store, All Games.
Select Optional Media Update twice (once from All Games and again from the Optional Media update screen), then Confirm Download.
Once your download is complete, select Continue and return to the Xbox Dashboard (pressBACK or B three times).

Now you're all set to listen to your unprotected AAC audio files—either by themselves or in playlists with MP3 and WMA audio files—found on any combination of: your iPod, another connected portable audio player, your Xbox 360 Hard Drive, or a connected USB flash-memory device.

Take It on the Run

Your iPod's MP3 files will play on other Xbox 360 consoles just like they do on yours. You can listen to your unprotected AAC files at a friend's house, too, as long as your host has performed the above procedure. To work, the AAC codec downloaded to your friend's console must be associated with your friend's profile.

Important

If you're using a friend's Xbox 360 console, Xbox Live Marketplace will allow you to download the AAC codec again. But if you've already downloaded it to your own console, the codec will not work on your friend's, as the codec is only valid the first time it's downloaded by a specific gamer profile.