iPhone Sync

know1uno · 04-17-2009, 07:15 PM

I have a home computer which has almost all of my music on it and that is the computer I've used to connect to my new iPhone and it is a PC.

Right now, I'm out of town and got a MacBook Pro.

I can't control my iPhone from this MacBook Pro using iTunes. The iTunes program asks me if I want to sync my phone, and that would wipe out all the music currently on the iPhone.

I know I can add music to my iPod from either computer. Why can't I control my iPhone the same way?

I don't want to lose all the music I've already put on the phone, yet want to add a couple of songs that are on my laptop.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

acosmichippo · 04-17-2009, 07:42 PM

on your ipod, you probably have the "manually manage music" option checked. that will allow you to add music from multiple places, and not have to wipe it clean every time you sync from another computer.

you can do that on your iphone too, but you would have to choose the option in itunes on your main computer first.

know1uno · 04-17-2009, 08:47 PM

I swear to gosh, I've got that checked on my Main (PC) computer at home and I always manage my music manually.

Is there nothing else I can do, since I'm on "the road" right now?

That stinks.

acosmichippo · 04-17-2009, 09:10 PM

The only thing I think you can do is use an application like senuti to transfer the music on your phone to your MBP, and then sync to the MBP.

know1uno · 04-21-2009, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by acosmichippo

The only thing I think you can do is use an application like senuti to transfer the music on your phone to your MBP, and then sync to the MBP.

That stinks. I wonder why I cannot add music or control my iPhone with my Mac while I'm out on the road? This is driving me crazy.

MrMike6by9 · 04-22-2009, 09:17 AM

Years ago, when I got my iPod, I remember reading that there is enough difference in the way iTunes creates files from a PC to the device versus how a Mac does it, that it was recommended to only use the same OS for each of the computers you wish to connect to. Thus, if changing from a PC to a Mac, one was advised to reload the iPod from the new machine.

YMMV

MrMike6by9 · 04-22-2009, 09:31 AM

Using your iPod on more than one computer
...

The Manual Sync

Fortunately, iTunes is clever enough, in recent versions at least, to detect that your iPod has been setup on another computer. It will warn you that your iPod belongs to another computer, and ask you if you want to replace (that's right: read that carefully, it says replace) your iPod music content with the content from this computer's iTunes library.

Unless this is what you actually want to do, the appropriate answer to this question is NO.

Once you've said NO, your iPod should be set into "Manual" mode. If it isn't, you can go into Edit->Preferences->iPod and set the option to "Manually Manage Songs and Playlists".

This will allow you to play music from your iPod through iTunes, and load additional content onto your iPod from that computer. Ratings and playcounts will even be updated on your iPod while you're playing music from it in this mode.

Note that you cannot copy files from the iPod onto your computer through iTunes. There are many third-party programs that let you do this, but iTunes does not.

Also important to note is that if you make changes to playlists, or track information, this info is NOT synchronized back to iTunes on your home PC. So if you rename a bunch of your tracks, and create new playlists, and then return to your home PC to auto-sync, the content in iTunes will overwrite the changes you've made on your iPod (with the exception of playcounts, which are preserved).

...

proceed at your own risk.
YMMV

know1uno · 04-22-2009, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by MrMike6by9

Using your iPod on more than one computer
...

The Manual Sync

Fortunately, iTunes is clever enough, in recent versions at least, to detect that your iPod has been setup on another computer. It will warn you that your iPod belongs to another computer, and ask you if you want to replace (that's right: read that carefully, it says replace) your iPod music content with the content from this computer's iTunes library.

Unless this is what you actually want to do, the appropriate answer to this question is NO.

Once you've said NO, your iPod should be set into "Manual" mode. If it isn't, you can go into Edit->Preferences->iPod and set the option to "Manually Manage Songs and Playlists".

This will allow you to play music from your iPod through iTunes, and load additional content onto your iPod from that computer. Ratings and playcounts will even be updated on your iPod while you're playing music from it in this mode.

Note that you cannot copy files from the iPod onto your computer through iTunes. There are many third-party programs that let you do this, but iTunes does not.

Also important to note is that if you make changes to playlists, or track information, this info is NOT synchronized back to iTunes on your home PC. So if you rename a bunch of your tracks, and create new playlists, and then return to your home PC to auto-sync, the content in iTunes will overwrite the changes you've made on your iPod (with the exception of playcounts, which are preserved).

...

proceed at your own risk.
YMMV

I wonder if this applies to iPhones?

I've had 3 iPods and had no problems whatsoever using both my home PC or my Mac laptop and adding music, photos, etc.

But I can't get into the iPhone at all, on my Mac.

acosmichippo · 04-22-2009, 11:42 PM

right. because you have to check the option first. and the only way to do that is to sync with your MBP first, which will erase your phone.

know1uno · 04-23-2009, 07:55 AM

I don't think so.

I know that on my PC (the Master computer), I have checked the option of manually managing my music.

Yet I still can't do anything with my iPhone once attached to the Mac laptop.

I'll try it again when I get home this weekend, but I swear, my iPhone has already been given the option of letting me manually manage the music.

This is so frustrating.