Despite this being the age of streaming music via the likes of Spotify, we prefer enjoying high-quality audio transferred directly to our iPhone – the old fashioned way. Here’s our easy guide on how to copy tracks to your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus right off your Windows PC, Mac computer or iTunes account.
Playing locally stored music also means saving on battery life and network costs, as your mobile won’t have to fetch the tracks over a data connection. Plus you can happily enjoy your tracks wherever you roam, even underground and on planes.
Unplug that charging cable from the wall and get ready to connect to your computer – this is the fastest way to get those high-res audio files onto your iPhone, to be enjoyed wherever you go. Here’s what you need to do.
How to copy music to the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus using iTunes
One of the most straightforward ways to transfer music from your PC or Mac computer to an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus handset is to use iTunes. Since this is native software to Apple, the process is a lot easier for copying to and from an iPhone.
Since iTunes is able to support lossless quality audio, you can even enjoy high-quality music. Plus if you’ve already amassed a decent collection of tracks in iTunes, you’ll likely want to stick to that platform.
First, connect the iPhone using your supplied USB cable (the same cable you use to charge the mobile). Then it’s just a case of syncing your iPhone or dragging and dropping songs you want into your library.
You’ll see your device appear in the left column of the main iTunes window, as well as your iTunes purchases grouped by artists, albums, songs and so on under ‘Library’. If you can’t see these groupings, make sure the drop-down box above the Library section says ‘Music’. Find the songs you wish to copy inside of your iTunes library and then highlight them with a click, before dragging to the iPhone icon in the left.
If you want to find the files directly, that’s an option too. Simply navigate to the iTunes directory on your machine. For Macs that’s generally in Users>(User Name)>Music>iTunes Media>Music Folder. And for those of you on PC it’ll likely be in This PC>Music>iTunes>iTunes Media>Music.
Another method is to perform a sync. Be warned that a complete sync will wipe any songs already stored on your iPhone, if your iTunes library doesn’t contain them. However, this is the easiest way to shift everything over in one go.
To perform a sync, click the little phone icon at the top of the screen which pops up when your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus is connected. This gives a summary of your handset. Next click on Music in the left column, in the Settings section. You’ll see the option to sync your music flash up, so hit ‘done’ to proceed.
How to copy music from Mac OS to the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus
You don’t need to use iTunes to transfer your music however, if you’re struggling with Apple’s software. This method also means you’ll be able to get access to music that’s not been bought directly from Apple. Ideal for enjoying all your old music you’ve ripped in the past, or copying over those remixes you can’t live without.
One great way is to use AnyTrans, which is a free to download and try programme that takes care of audio conversion and transfers for you. All you need to do is select the music you want and let this do the rest. AnyTrans will even work with iCloud files, to take the complications out of the process.
If you want to get around using that software, another option is to use the cloud. Pop your music in Dropbox or Amazon Music, for example, and then you can play the files using those apps on your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. Technically this is just streaming, but at least it’s a possibility.
How to copy music from Windows PC to the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus
Old reliable Windows usually makes cable-based transfer a doddle. Since you can simply plug your mobile phone into a PC and see it pop up as a folder, transfers are often simple.
However, iPhones and Windows tend not to play well together. To copy music files from a PC to your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, one option is to use a programme called CopyTrans Manager that’s free and works as a nice alternative to iTunes. This allows you access to basic transfer options that aren’t as comprehensive as iTunes, but still do the job.