iPhone Sync Apps Definitive Guide

iPhone sync apps—both built-in and downloadable—are one of the biggest perks of owning the prestigious piece of Apple hardware. They make organizing your data a breeze, and syncing it across your devices even easier.

While seasoned Apple users know how to sync iPhone like the back of their hand, newcomers to the company’s software may need a little bit of extra guidance. But don’t worry: That’s what we’re here for, with this handy guide to syncing iPhone!

How to Sync iPhone to iTunes

iTunes is inarguably the go-to when it comes to syncing iPhone. Like everything Apple, it’s simple to use and easy to set up. However, some clear-cut instructions have never done anyone any harm.

If you’d like to sync iPhone to iTunes, follow these simple steps:

1. Hook up your iPhone to your PC or MacBook using your iPhone USB cable. Typically iTunes will open automatically after doing so, but if it doesn’t, then you can just open it manually.

2. Click the Devices button in the upper right corner of the iTunes window.

3. Select the media that you would like to sync. You can choose between Music, Movies, Photos, Apps, and more.

4. Click on each tab that you’d like to add to your device and check the ‘Sync’ box. Additionally, you can choose between syncing all of that type of media, or just specific files within it (for example, you can select all of your music or just specific playlists and artists).

5. Monitor the free space on your iPhone, which is the bar visible at the bottom of the screen. As you sync various media on your iPhone, the bar will begin to fill up.

Once you’ve synced the desired iPhone media to your computer, you can choose between syncing your iPhone automatically or manually.

To sync your iPhone automatically, go to ‘Options’ and check ‘Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected’. Afterwards, click the ‘Apply’ button. Doing so will automatically sync and update the media and apps that you’ve just configured every time that you connect your iPhone to the computer. This includes updating any newly added or recently deleted media and apps.

If you prefer the manual approach, you can do that, too. Under ‘Options’ check ‘Manually manage music and videos’.

Once set to manual, you can manage the synced contents of your iPhone via the ‘On this Device’ tab, which will display all files currently on your iPhone. Click the ‘Add To’ button on the right side of the window and manually drag the items from your iTunes library (on the left) to your iPhone (on the right). Once you’re finished this process, click ‘Done’ to sync the files to your iPhone.

Other Apps to Sync iPhone

If you’d like to sync your iPhone to a specific website or destination on your computer, or are simply looking for an alternative to iTunes, don’t worry—there’s an app for that. Some of the iPhone apps we’d personally recommend looking into include the following:

PhoneCopy

PhoneCopy is a syncing app that can be downloaded straight to your iPhone (a rarity!). As such, getting it is as easy as taking a trip to the App store on your smartphone.

PhoneCopy works by creating a backup of your data–including contacts, text messages, and notes–and storing it in their personal Cloud, which can be accessed via their website. While the initial backup takes a little while, subsequent backups are much quicker thanks to data synchronization. Another great perk? It stores your previous backups, so accidentally deleted data can be easily retrieved and restored.

Using PhoneCopy itself is very simple, so much that no real instructions are required. All you have to do is create an account, tap the big orange button on the main screen that says ‘Synchronize’, and all your phone data will be sent to PhoneCopy’s personal servers.

The basic app itself is free to use and download, but severely limited and not synced with iTunes, so we’d recommend the premium version if you decide to go with PhoneCopy. At $25 per year for the service, it hardly breaks the bank.

SynciOS

SynciOS is a useful little program that helps you easily manage and sync your iPhone’s content. Unlike apps like PhoneCopy, it runs on your computer rather than your iPhone, acting as an alternative for any users not enamoured with the iTunes interface. You can use it to backup just about anything, from music, to videos, to contacts, to Apps, and more. In addition, it boasts some pretty neat, unique features, such as a tool for creating ringtones and another for converting audio files.

Like PhoneCopy, SynciOS can be used intuitively. It’s just a matter of downloading their software onto your computer via their website, and then using their iPhone manager feature to sync and manage your data, a tutorial for which can be found here if you need it.

SynciOS is free to download and use, but there is a pro version on offer for $20 a year. The vast majority of the features are included in the free version, so getting the pro version is not necessary, but it does have some enticing features such as one-click to backup all files from iOS to PC and one-click recovery from backup to iOS devices, which iPhones users may find worth the extra cost.

iCloud

You can’t have a list of iPhone sync apps without mentioning the Apple-made iCloud.

The majority of iDevice devotees use both iTunes and iCloud to sync iPhone (and restore iPhone from backup), and for good reason. Because it’s built-in to all Apple hardware, setting it up is as simple as tapping a button. In addition, like all the company’s products, it is ridiculously easy to use, making backing up your iPhone’s calendar, contacts, settings, photos, notes, reminders, and more a snap.

To learn more about iCloud and why you should consider signing up–if you haven’t already!–check out BestBackups’ 2016 iCloud review.

iPhone Sync Apps Conclusion

Syncing your smartphone–whether traditionally via iTunes or by taking advantage of one or some of the iPhone sync apps or iOS syncing software available–is a must for any iPhone owner. It allows the easy transfer and maintenance of your data between multiple devices, meaning that you can have your iPhone files, music, contacts, and photos whenever you want them, however you want them.

If you found this guide to iPhone sync apps useful, or have any additional information to add (perhaps some cool new syncing software that we haven’t caught wind of yet?), feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!