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Are any of you having trouble figuring out exactly how to sync your music from iTunes into your iPhone, and what all of the available syncing options mean? I have tried every scenario in the sync menu, none of which give me the results that I am looking for. I even called Apple concerning this, and they said that although they understood my frustration, that that is just how it is.
In the sync menu, there are only 2 pertaining tabs: summary and music.
In the summary tab, you have the option to syn only checked songs and videos or to manually manage music and videos.
- I'll start with the option to "manually manage music and videos" from the first tab (summary tab). What exactly does this mean - manually? To me, manually managing music would be to select the songs that you want to sync, but that is available as a second option in this tab - to "sync only checked songs". And if you pick this "manual" option, then you loose the option to "sync music" from the music tab. So - what does this mean? Also, if you deselect this option while your iPhone is connected, you get a message that says "Are you sure that you do not want to manually manage music and videos on your iPhone? All existing content on the iPhone will be replaced with content from your iTunes library"??? What exactly does that mean - that if I deselect, then everything will be removed from my phone and replaced with all songs that I have in iTunes - including apps, contacts, photos, etc.??? Makes no sense whatsoever. I would have to play around with this for a week before figuring this out completely because every time I pick a different option to see what it does, I have to wait for the whole syncing process again. So at this point, I'm not going to worry about that option (although it's aggravating that I cannot figure it out), and instead move on to the "sync only checked songs option".
- So I select to sync only songs that are checked, then I go through all of my lists (main list, purchased list, playlists, etc) and check all of the songs that I want. Simple, right - no, because now you have an additional option under the music tab to "sync music". If you do not select "sync music" from the music tab, instead assuming that your first choice to "sync only checked songs" from the summary tab is sufficient, then you are wrong. You will get 0 songs synced with this option - even though you have selected to sync all checked songs. So why is the option to sync only checked songs even there - to confuse you? So now it is safe to assume that you must select the option to sync music in the music tab (I have tried this option with "sync only checked songs" both selected and unselected from the summary tab - not difference that I can tell. Now your options are to select songs via playlists, genre, and artists. I would think that most people would only use the playlist option since the other options will only work if your entire library is updated with genre, etc. So this means that now you have to create a playlists which together, will contain every song from your library that you want. Why isn't the option to simply sync only checked songs available in the section? Why must your songs be in a category of playlist, genre, artist, etc. in order to sync it? What if you select all of your options here, but you also want songs from you main list that are not contained in a playlist - well, you just will not get that song. And again, why is the option to sync only checked songs available in the summary tab - is it so that you can sync other checked songs from you main list that are not contained in playlists, etc - the answer is no - I synced the phone with "sync music" checked in the music tab, and did not choose the option to sync only checked songs from the summary tab - then I checked some random songs from my main list that were not included in playlists, and synced again - my phone was not updated with the extra random songs from my main list. So this means that, if you check "sync music" from the music tab, then indeed, the option to "sync only checked music" from the summary tab is useless.
There are many, many other weird things that I have discovered while trying to figure this out, but I would have to write a book to describe them. So for me, I only have 3 options to sync music from iTunes: sync the entire library (but then I have to put my girlfriends music on my phone - like Dave Mathews - so this in not the option for me), put all of the songs that I want synced into a playlist (so that sync music option in the music tab will work), or just click and drag the songs that I want to my iphone icon.
I am new to Mac - as a matter of fact, I am waiting on my first Macbook Pro to come in the mail. Often times when I'm reading online about the operation procedures of the Mac and Mac software, it explains that once you learn 1 piece of Mac software, then it's very easy to learn other types of software because they are designed in a similar way - then it says "such as iTunes" - probably because that's that 1 application from Mac that most PC users are familiar with. Well, if all Mac software is as based on a similar funtionality as iTunes, then I am in trouble. ITunes is a great to house your music library, but in terms of usability for syncing, it is the most confusing, misleading program that I have ever used. Instead of offering syncing options under several tabs that contradict each other, make 3 simple choices: sync complete library, syn only checked songs, and sync selected playlists (but with the added option to still sync checked songs from your main list that are not included in playlists).
In the sync menu, there are only 2 pertaining tabs: summary and music.
In the summary tab, you have the option to syn only checked songs and videos or to manually manage music and videos.
- I'll start with the option to "manually manage music and videos" from the first tab (summary tab). What exactly does this mean - manually? To me, manually managing music would be to select the songs that you want to sync, but that is available as a second option in this tab - to "sync only checked songs". And if you pick this "manual" option, then you loose the option to "sync music" from the music tab. So - what does this mean? Also, if you deselect this option while your iPhone is connected, you get a message that says "Are you sure that you do not want to manually manage music and videos on your iPhone? All existing content on the iPhone will be replaced with content from your iTunes library"??? What exactly does that mean - that if I deselect, then everything will be removed from my phone and replaced with all songs that I have in iTunes - including apps, contacts, photos, etc.??? Makes no sense whatsoever. I would have to play around with this for a week before figuring this out completely because every time I pick a different option to see what it does, I have to wait for the whole syncing process again. So at this point, I'm not going to worry about that option (although it's aggravating that I cannot figure it out), and instead move on to the "sync only checked songs option".
- So I select to sync only songs that are checked, then I go through all of my lists (main list, purchased list, playlists, etc) and check all of the songs that I want. Simple, right - no, because now you have an additional option under the music tab to "sync music". If you do not select "sync music" from the music tab, instead assuming that your first choice to "sync only checked songs" from the summary tab is sufficient, then you are wrong. You will get 0 songs synced with this option - even though you have selected to sync all checked songs. So why is the option to sync only checked songs even there - to confuse you? So now it is safe to assume that you must select the option to sync music in the music tab (I have tried this option with "sync only checked songs" both selected and unselected from the summary tab - not difference that I can tell. Now your options are to select songs via playlists, genre, and artists. I would think that most people would only use the playlist option since the other options will only work if your entire library is updated with genre, etc. So this means that now you have to create a playlists which together, will contain every song from your library that you want. Why isn't the option to simply sync only checked songs available in the section? Why must your songs be in a category of playlist, genre, artist, etc. in order to sync it? What if you select all of your options here, but you also want songs from you main list that are not contained in a playlist - well, you just will not get that song. And again, why is the option to sync only checked songs available in the summary tab - is it so that you can sync other checked songs from you main list that are not contained in playlists, etc - the answer is no - I synced the phone with "sync music" checked in the music tab, and did not choose the option to sync only checked songs from the summary tab - then I checked some random songs from my main list that were not included in playlists, and synced again - my phone was not updated with the extra random songs from my main list. So this means that, if you check "sync music" from the music tab, then indeed, the option to "sync only checked music" from the summary tab is useless.
There are many, many other weird things that I have discovered while trying to figure this out, but I would have to write a book to describe them. So for me, I only have 3 options to sync music from iTunes: sync the entire library (but then I have to put my girlfriends music on my phone - like Dave Mathews - so this in not the option for me), put all of the songs that I want synced into a playlist (so that sync music option in the music tab will work), or just click and drag the songs that I want to my iphone icon.
I am new to Mac - as a matter of fact, I am waiting on my first Macbook Pro to come in the mail. Often times when I'm reading online about the operation procedures of the Mac and Mac software, it explains that once you learn 1 piece of Mac software, then it's very easy to learn other types of software because they are designed in a similar way - then it says "such as iTunes" - probably because that's that 1 application from Mac that most PC users are familiar with. Well, if all Mac software is as based on a similar funtionality as iTunes, then I am in trouble. ITunes is a great to house your music library, but in terms of usability for syncing, it is the most confusing, misleading program that I have ever used. Instead of offering syncing options under several tabs that contradict each other, make 3 simple choices: sync complete library, syn only checked songs, and sync selected playlists (but with the added option to still sync checked songs from your main list that are not included in playlists).