If you are clueless about manually syncing iPhone to iTunes, this article will definitely be a helpful read. Here I shall explain how to manually add music to iPhones by switching off the default automatic sync.
The uber-cool Apple iPhone 4G is more than just a smartphone. It is your MP3 player, personal digital assistant, your camera, gaming console, Internet access device and much more, all rolled into one. With up to 32 GB of storage space, there is plenty of space in there to store your favorite music, videos and your photos. The premier software tool, provided by Apple for the management of all devices including the iPhone, is the iTunes program which is available for a free download, directly from the Apple website. The task of managing all the music on your iPhone is carried out by iTunes.
The Apple iTunes software handles everything from purchasing of songs, videos, backing up your data to even activating your iPhone. Its primary role is that of a media manager and it handles the syncing of the Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad. If you are a new user, who is not yet familiar with what ‘syncing to iTunes’ means, going through the following paragraphs will help.
What is iTunes Syncing?
Syncing your iPhone to iTunes is updating the media library on the device with the existing iTunes library on your computer. The word ‘syncing’ is a short form of ‘synchronizing’ the content on your iPhone with that on your computer. To carry out syncing of the iPod, iPhone or the iPad, you must connect the devices with the computer (which has an installed iTunes version) using a USB cable. Normally, rather by default, the iTunes software is programmed to automatically sync all the content on the iPhone with that on your iTune library.
However, this automatic transfer of data is not always desirable, when you want to copy only select stuff. Ergo, there is a facility to override the automatic functionality and make syncing a manual function; thereby letting you select what songs, videos, podcasts and movies, you want to transfer to the iPhone. In the following lines, I shall explain the proper procedure for manual syncing of the iPhone to iTunes.
Manually Sync of iPhone to iTunes
When you have more music and videos on your computer, than there is space to accommodate them on your iPhone, the automatic syncing feature is best turned off. How do you do that?
Step 1: Change Sync Settings
Firstly, launch iTunes and go to the ‘Summary‘ tab. There, among the many options, you will see one saying ‘Manually Manage Music and Videos‘. Once you select that option, click on ‘Apply’ for the changes to take effect.
Step 2: Drag and Drop Videos & Music
Now proceed with connecting your iPhone, with your computer, using a USB cable. You will notice that automatic syncing doesn’t begin like it did before, when you connect the device. Open the media library of your iTunes program which will display a list of videos and songs. To transfer any song or video to iPhone, just select, drag and drop the desired items to the ‘iPhone’ listing on the left hand side, under ‘Devices’. This way you can have the choicest tracks from your music collection on your iPhone.
Hope that after reading this article, there is no doubt in your mind about how to manually sync iPhone with iTunes and transfer only the most choicest of music. As discussed before, by enabling the manual choice option, you can save a lot of time and save some storage space on your phone, which would be unnecessarily taken up by songs, which you don’t feel like listening to. To know more intricate details about iTunes settings, refer to the support section of the official Apple website.