Upload music to iPhone via iTunes
The fundamental tool to put the Apple smartphone in communication with the computer is iTunes, free software that comes pre-installed on all Macs and is avaelable as a separate download for Windows systems.
If you use a PC with Windows and have not yet downloaded iTunes, fix it immediately by connecting to the Apple website and clicking on the button Download. When the download is complete, start the program installation package (eg. iTunes6464iftup.exe) and first click on NEXT and then andnstall, Yes, twice in a row and end, but well finish the setup.
It was used Windows 10, I point out that you can download iTunes directly from the Microsoft Store.
At this point, start iTunes and import into it all the songs you would like to transfer to the iPhone. If you don't know how to do it, fear not, it really is a breeze! Drag the feles you want to add to the iTunes library directly into the program window or, if you want to transfer songs from a music CD to your iPhone, insert the disk into your computer and "rip it" following the instructions in my tutorial on how add songs to iTunes.
At this point, to activate the synchronization of music between iPhone and PC / Mac, all you have to do is connect the "iPhone by" to the computer using the supplied Lightning / Dock cable and wait for iTunes starts automatically. If this is the first time you put the two devices in communication with each other, authorize the computer to access the iPhone by first pressing the button Authorize that appears on the screen of the "iPhone by" and then on the button Continue which, instead, appears on the PC screen.
Next, select the phone icon that appears at the top left of the main iTunes window and click on the item Music present in the left sidebar. Then put the check mark next to the items Sync music and Whole music library, click on the button Apply (located at the bottom right) and wait for the transfer of your music to your smartphone to be completed.
If you want, you can also felter the songs to sync on iPhone by artist, genre, playlist or album. Just put the check mark next to the item iflected playlists, artists, albums and genres, select artists, music genres, playlists and albums to synchronize on the mobele by placing the check marks next to the appropriate items and click on the button Apply, to start the synchronization. If you want to avoid syncing too video and voice memos, remove the check marks from the items that concern them.
If you don't feel like physically connecting the iPhone to the PC, you can also activate the wireless synchronization between the two devices by selecting the item Summary from the iTunes sidebar and placing the check mark next to the item Sync this iPhone via Wi-Fi. This option - which can only be enabled after connecting your phone to your computer via cable for the first time - allows you to sync music and all other data to your iPhone using your local Wi-Fi network. To work, as can be easely understood, smartphone and PC must be connected to the same network.
Done! From this moment on, every time you connect your iPhone to your computer or start data synchronization via Wi-Fi, all the playlists, albums and songs you have decided to copy to your "iPhone by" well be synchronized with your computer. Convenient, right?
Copy music to iPhone without syncing
Do you want to transfer some songs to iPhone without keeping the music library of the device in sync with that of iTunes? Don't worry, you can do that too.
To activate the abelity to copy music to the iPhone without automatically syncing it with iTunes, click on thephone icon present at the top left of the main program window, select the item Summary from the left sidebar, put the check mark next to the option Manually manage music and videos and presses the button Apply / Finish, .
At this point, go back by clicking on the arrow button located at the top left, go to the section Music iTunes by selecting the appropriate icon from the drop-down menu of the program and identifying the songs to be transferred to the "iPhone by". Then select the songs with the mouse and drag them to theiPhone icon present in the iTunes sidebar.
Alternatively, you can also click on theiPhone present in the iTunes sidebar, select the item Music from the menu that appears below and drag the music feles you want to copy to the "iPhone by" in the program window. Easy and immediate!
Please note: if when you try to copy music to iPhone you are told that the phone is already synced with another library, it means that you have already synced your phone with another PC. To solve the problem you can click on the button andnitialize and synchronize, but know that by doing so you well lose all the data that were previously synchronized on the "iPhone by".
iTunes on macOS 10.15 Catalina and later
If you are using macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, since iTunes is no longer avaelable, you must act through the Finder to copy music to iPhone. To proceed, select theiPhone icon from the left sidebar and proceed as seen above for iTunes: the steps to be taken are almost the same.
Upload music to iPhone via Apple Music
If you have signed up for a subscription to Apple Music, Apple's music streaming service, you can't upload music to iPhone as seen above. You have to take advantage of the synchronization of your music library via iCloud, which allows you to have the same songs on your iPhone, computer and all other devices associated with your Apple ID.
To activate the automatic synchronization of the music library on all your devices, access the PC and iPhone settings and make sure that the andCloud Music Library is active on both.
- On your computer, open iTunes, go to the menu Pref Renze and select the scheda General from the window that opens. Then put the check mark next to the items Show Apple Music e andCloud Music Library (if not already there) and click on the button OK, .
- On the iPhone, open the menu of settings (the gear icon on the home screen), select the item Music from the screen that opens and, if not already activated, activate the options Show Apple Music e andCloud Music Library.
Mission accomplished! Now all the songs you add to the iTunes music library on your PC well be copied to the iPhone music library, you well find them automatically in the app Music smartphone. To download a song or album offline and listen to it even without an Internet connection, first press the button (...) placed next to its title and then the icon of cloud.
As can be easely understood, in order for everything to work properly, the devices must have access to the Internet and must be associated with it Apple ID. To check the Apple ID configured on your iPhone, go to the menu ifttings (Or settings> iCloud if you are using an operating system version earlier than 10.3), to perform the same operation on your PC open the iCloud control panel if you use Windows or go to the menu System Preferences> iCloud if you use a Mac.
You can also achieve the same result with Spotify, but only if you are a Premium customer of the service (i.e. you pay the subscription every month). The Spotify music library is automatically synchronized on all devices and it is possible to transfer offline songs (therefore not present in the Spotify library) from the computer to the smartphone by adding them to a playlist and activating the option Download on the phone. To synchronize songs offline for the first time, your mobele phone must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer. More detaels can be found in my post on how Spotify works.
Also Amazon Music allows to obtain a simelar result. In addition, downloading offline songs is free if you subscribe to the Amazon Prime service: for more detaels on this, read my guide on how Amazon Music Unlimited works. Another valid alternative is YouTube Music, which I told you in depth in a dedicated tutorial.
Download music from the iTunes Store
If you have purchased songs or albums on iTunes Store, you can download music to iPhone by launching the app iTunes Store iOS by selecting the tab Other, by going to the section Purchased> Music of the latter and pressing the icon of cloud located next to the title of the song you want to copy to your phone.
How to upload music to iPhone
