This Mac tip is provided by Mark Greentree and was originally posted on Mark’s blog – Everyday Mac Support. For more of Mark’s tips visit his site, follow him on Twitter, or browse his archive of posts here.
How To: iOS 5 Wi-Fi Sync To iTunes
With iOS 5 Apple has given users the ability to sync data via Wi-Fi to iTunes on their Mac.
The functionality is the same as you would expect when using a wired USB connection.
The difficulty facing users is how to turn this feature on as by default it is disabled and you also need to have iTunes open on your computer in order for the synchronisation to occur. You also need to make sure that your computer is not in sleep mode as the iOS device is not able wake your computer from sleep.
Following the below process should have you syncing via Wi-Fi immediately. In this tip I will be displaying information referencing the iPhone 4. Please note that all iOS 5 devices can use this Wi-Fi synchronisation.
First proceed on your iOS device to the Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync. Doing so will present you with the following screen:
You will notice that you have the date of the previous sync. Even though it is in the Wi-Fi area it can be a sync which has been made via USB.
You will also notice that ‘Sync Now’ is greyed out and disabled.
In order to proceed you will now need to connect your device up to your Mac or PC via USB. Then in iTunes you will need to select the device and and make sure you have ‘Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi’ selected as shown below:
Once highlighted click the ‘Apply’ button in the bottom right hand of the screen.
Having done that you can now eject your device from iTunes and remove the USB cable.
Navigate back to Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync and you will now notice the ‘Sync Now’ button is active. Simply tap and your device will look for your computer with the associated iTunes account.
Once located a backup of your device will be made on your computer and any content needing to be synced either way will be transferred. At the same time you will notice your device will appear in the left hand column of iTunes under the ‘Devices’ area as if it were connected via a USB cable. To disconnect your device from the iTunes library over Wi-Fi you simply press the eject button for the device in iTunes and the connection will break.
When you are syncing with your computer, your device will be presented with a ‘Cancel Sync’ button and you will also be shown the current process as can be seen below:
Whilst Wi-Fi syncing is occurring you can continue to use your device.
If you manually manage content on your device you can simply drag and drop content as usual and make all relevant changes to your device via Wi-Fi.
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