Your old iPod could get Spotify and USB-C support — here's how

Your old iPod could get Spotify and USB-C support — here's how Apple discontinued the iPod years ago, but there's a whole market for mods that's giving these devices a second life. The iPod turned 25 in October 2026, and although Apple didn't publicly celebrate the occasion, it hid an interactive virtual iPod on Apple Music's 404 page. But true iPod fans have never let the product die — there are many communities who bring their iPods back to life through restorations and mods. Now, a crowdsourced project from a London studio aims to bring modern technologies, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, to old iPod models. Sprout Pi Mainboard, as the project is called, is essentially a new logic board that fits into older iPods. Its launch video has surpassed 1 million views on YouTube, which shows how much interest and nostalgia there still is surrounding the iPod. For fans of the good old days of the iPod, the news is certainly exciting, although some details remain unclear. How the Sprout mod transforms your old iPod iPod mods usually involve replacing the hard drive with faster flash storage and installing a larger battery, but the rest of the device remains intact — the same design, logic board and features. What makes Sprout so ambitious is that it replaces the entire logic board with a new one. You keep the original screen and click wheel, so the iPod looks the same, but everything else is new. Of course, a new, modified logic board also unlocks fresh experiences for iPod fans. Replacing only the hard drive and battery still leaves you stuck with the old iPod software. That's great for nostalgia, but the reality is that syncing music like in the old days isn't particularly easy or intuitive. Plus, your only option is to use wired headphones — your AirPods won't work. The Sprout logic board was designed with all this in mind, and although it runs an interface that looks a lot like the original iPod's, it's packed with modern features. You get Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a hi-fi DAC for lossless audio, USB-C charging and even a microSD slot that can hold up to 2TB of music. It also promises music streaming from Apple Music and Spotify, something no iPod other than the iPod touch has ever been able to do. Compatibility is still limited Sprout's compatibility is limited to specific old iPods, such as the 1st and 2nd-generation iPod mini and the 3rd and 4th-generation iPods. The iPod classic, nano and original iPods with color screens are not on the list. There are also two different versions of the logic board available: one is limited to local audio playback, while the other includes Wi-Fi support for streaming apps and AirPlay. However, the project's creators say these features are still under development, so take this all with a grain of salt. Buying a product based on a promise is not a good idea. The Crowd Supply campaign hasn't launched yet, and there are no details on pricing or when it will become available. You can subscribe for updates on the project page if you're interested. Of course, you'll need to bring your own iPod, which means buying a unit if you don't already have one. Depending on the model you want, that could be quite expensive. It's worth noting that some iPod models do have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The first iPod touch only had Wi-Fi, while all other iPod touches had both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The last iPod nano, released in 2012, also supported both. However, even if you have one of these today, they likely can't run any streaming apps, since most of them require newer versions of iOS. The 7th-generation iPod touch (the last iPod Apple sold before discontinuing the line in 2022) can only be updated to iOS 15. And the final iPod nano couldn't install apps. Still, if you really want to embrace the iPod comeback, there are options available — from modifying one of the classic models to buying a used iPod touch, syncing music to it and connecting your AirPods. [Image text:] menu MENU >II MENU MENU