There are quite a few flaws with Apple's mobile products,
and one that drives me crazy is their reliance upon iTunes for all your
music syncing needs. If you want a song on your iPhone, you pretty much
have to use iTunes to get it on there. Either that or buy it directly
from the iTunes app on your device.
Now, don't get me wrong,
iTunes is a good way to buy and organize your music library, but
sometimes you just don't want to be locked down like that. So what are
the alternatives? You'll probably be surprised, but there's actually
more than one way to put music on your iPhone without using iTunes!
#1. Cloud Services
There are some
free, big-name cloud services that will let you upload your music
collection to play on your iPhone, on or offline, and I'll be covering
three of them below before we get to other options.
Google Play Music
Somewhat new to the scene of online music stores is Google Play Music,
which allows users to upload up to 20,000 of their own songs for free.
With the standard Google Play membership, you can upload your music into
the cloud, listen to it on any device, and purchase new music from the
Google Play store.
Image via ggpht.com Currently, there's only an official Android app for Google Play Music, but an iPhone version is in the making and should be out very soon. Until then, you can use their web app in your iPhone's web browser to play your tunes.
To upload your music library to Google Play Music, you'll need to download the Music Manager onto your computer. Getting it on your iPhone is as simple as using the web app player.
If you can't wait for more control over your music, like downloading
onto the iPhone for offline playing, you can download third-party apps
like gMusic ($1.99), GoMusic ($0.99), or Melodies (free).
Images via mzstatic.com Also, if you sign up for a trial of All Access (Google's version of Spotify) before June 30, 2013,
you'll get one free month and pay $7.99 a month thereafter, instead of
the normal $9.99 per month. If you're not much for streaming songs and
making custom radio stations, the free version should suffice.
Google
Play Music is a great way to listen to your own music library from
wherever you are, not matter what device or computer you're using at the
time.
Amazon Cloud Player
If you're not a Google person, Amazon also has a cloud music service that works with your iPhone called Amazon Cloud Player.
However, unlike Google's offer for 20,000 songs, Amazon only allows a
measly 250 songs from your own music collection to be uploaded to the
cloud. After that, you have to pay $24.99 per year for up to 250,000
songs. This does not include MP3s purchased from Amazon, though, which
are free to keep in the cloud player.
Image via i0.wp.com One major drawback is that if you want to purchase any music, you have to visit visit Amazon's website
using the Safari web browser. You cannot purchase MP3s via the Cloud
Player app. But on Amazon's website, you can browse the ample library of
over 20 million songs and albums.
Once imported or downloaded,
your songs are immediately uploaded to the Amazon cloud, where they can
then be played via the Amazon Cloud Player app, and they work offline as
well.
Images via mzstatic.com You can get the full rundown on features and pricing here. Now, all you need to do is sign in to your Amazon account to get started.
Dropbox
If you store your music
collection on Dropbox, you don't need any other apps to play the files.
Just go to your Dropbox account and select whatever song you wish to
hear. The song will automatically play in the web browser.
You
can also leave the browser and open other apps or navigate to anywhere
on the device and the music won't stop playing! (I'm looking at you,
YouTube.) If you don't want to use your browser, you can download the
free Dropbox app
and play your music there, too. It's a little smoother than using the
browser and also continues playback when you leave the app.
Another
nice feature is the ability to "star" songs or groups of songs for
offline play. Dropbox is a super easy way to get new songs onto your
iPhone and play them anywhere, anytime. If only you could create
playlists, I may never need another music player again.
#2. iTunes Alternatives
Don't want to
use any of the big services? Here are a few programs you can use in
place of iTunes to transfer music from your computer to your iPhone.
CopyTrans Manager for Windows
If you're a Windows user, there's a free program called CopyTrans Manager
that can fully replace iTunes and relieves you of some of its common
annoyances. The freeware allows for on-the-go edits, drag-and-drop
additions to your library, and can be copied to a flash drive for
management on multiple PCs.
CopyTrans
Manager also transfers your iTunes library to its own music player.
This is great for people who already have a bunch of music on iTunes and
are afraid of losing those songs by using another service.
Image via wordpress.com Currently, CopyTrans is only available for computers running Windows 7, XP and Vista, but will probably work in Windows 8, too.
Media Monkey for Windows
Media Monkey
is another free media player for Windows computers. Once installed,
Media Monkey will scan your computer for audio files and automatically
add them to the library. You can also sync your iPhone to Media Monkey
and avoid iTunes altogether. The program utilizes add-ons and has a
bunch of customizable skins and features.
You can download the
free version or opt for the Gold edition, which runs for $24.95. The
Gold edition includes a few extras like the automatic library organizer
and faster CD burning speeds. If you don't want to buy Gold outright,
you can also get a free copy by completing an offer with one of Media
Monkey's partners (Apple, Gamefly, GAP).
Media Monkey only
recently added compatibility with Apple products, but it's got all the
features of iTunes and more. Check their list to see if your device is compatible.
#3. Free Apps (Non-Jailbroken)
Don't want to mess with a computer at all? These apps can help you manage your music directly from your iPhone.
iBolt Downloader & Player
iBolt Downloader & Player looks to rescue you from iTunes by offering an easy way to download songs from the internet and store them on your iPhone.
Image via mzstatic.com Once
the app is installed you can use the internal browser to find a place
that offers free downloads (like last.fm, for example). Just click on
the download link and download the song to your phone and the iBolt
player.
iBolt
lets you create and manage playlists, and you can download songs in the
background while running other apps. There's also a pro version available for $0.99, which removes ads and unwanted redirects.
MP3 Music Downloader Free
MP3 Music Downloader
is another free app in the iTunes store that gives you the freedom to
download MP3s directly onto your iPhone right from the browser.
Images via mzstatic.com You can edit song names and add them to playlists, and there are no limits or download restrictions.
You
can add songs directly from your iPhone's iTunes library into the
player, which is super convenient. The app also comes with a car mode
which features a bunch of gesture-based functions. It is add supported,
but you can remove ads by buying the pro version for $0.99.
#4. Cydia Tweaks for Jailbroken iPhones
For the bad boys and gals with jailbroken iPhones, here's a nice list of awesome Cydia tweaks that can import music directly onto your device.
Bridge
Bridge is an awesome Cydia
application that allows you to import music and videos to your media
library right from your phone. No need to plug into a computer or sync
with iTunes.
Any media file that you have on your iPhone can be
imported into your media library. If friends send you songs via email or
if you download some music from Dropbox, you can use Bridge to add them
to your iPhone's music library in seconds.
Bridge is available for $1.99 from the BigBoss Repo. It requires iOS 5 or 6 and is compatible with all iDevices.
iFile
iFile
is a complete file manager that uses root access to drag and drop files
onto your device. You can add any type of file—PDFs, movies, iWork
files, and, of course, all your music.
Images via ipad-os.net You
can also send files via Bluetooth or copy them from your Dropbox
account. iFile is a must-have for power users and is $4.00 in the
BigBoss Repo.
If you don't want to spend the money, there is an iFile alternative method you can try out.
MewSeek
MewSeek
is a file manager and music app that you can find in the Cydia store.
With MewSeek you can search, stream, and download music over a Wi-Fi or
3G connection.
What sets this app apart from the others is its ability to add
downloaded songs to the internal music library. All the other apps
utilize separate libraries for the songs you download, forcing you to go
back and forth to add songs and create playlists.
Thanks to this
awesome feature, MewSeek is the priciest app on this list at $4.99, but
if you plan on using it frequently it's worth it. MewSeek is compatible
with iOS 4, 5 and 6.
#5. Streaming
Of course, one of the most convenient ways to "add" music to your phone is via a streaming music player. Pandora, TuneinRadio, Rdio, and Spotify are a few popular music apps that let you stream music on your iPhone.
Just
sign up for any of these free services and begin listening to new music
instantly. The free versions of most of these applications do come with
intermittent ads, but they can be removed with a paid app upgrade or
monthly subscription.
And don't forget about YouTube, either. The
app and the website are both pretty good for finding new, old, and hard
to find music and playing it wherever and whenever you want. You may not
be able to store those songs on your iPhone, but you do have access to a
seemingly unlimited media library on the go.
Know any other ways
to download or transfer music to your iPhone without iTunes? Have you
tried any of these apps or programs already? Let us know in the comments
section below.
How to Put Music on Your iPhone Without Using iTunes
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Diposkan Oleh: CRS
