Problems putting audio onto iPod & iPhone

JustAnotherSaver

Never had this problem before, but now i am & so is my sister.

Plug the iPod (4th gen Nano & Classic in my case) or the iPhone (4S running latest iOS in her case) in so it appears on the left hand side. Find an audio file on the PC in a suitable format & then drag it onto the device showing in iTunes.

Now in the past this always worked. For some reason lately, it's hit & miss. Some times we're getting the black circle with a line through it. Some times it works, other times it doesn't.

Why is this?

I got round this once by adding file to library. Tried doing this with the sisters phone & then dragging it from the library & even that didn't work. She did the same (drag from PC folder) a few minutes later & it worked.

WTFH

Possibly because the file was not in a format that the device could use. If you import it into iTunes, then it gets converted to a valid format for apple devices, but if you just try to copy it straight on, it would fail.

googler

"You must import songs into iTunes before you can add them to your device."

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1535

JustAnotherSaver

WTFH - nonsense. As i said, one minute dragging & dropping wouldn't work, the next minute it would & vice versa. This is without change to the file at all.

googler - is this a new policy? If so i can understand it. If this has been in for some months/years/forever then again, nonsense. Aside from the audio i have purchased through iTunes, i have dragged & dropped ALL my audio files onto my iPod over the years. The only exception to this is the other week when i had to add 3 audio files to my iTunes library. EVERY other time WITHOUT fail i have been able to drag & drop.



EDIT: I know some people here can be a bit sensitive. I don't mean for anyone here to get upset when i say nonsense. I'm just saying that what i've been doing for the past x-years means what you're telling me can't be the be all & end all, otherwise i wouldn't have been able to do it this way for years.

buglawton

Getting MP3s in and out of any iDevice has driven me nuts on occasion,
As you say, sometimes it works, other times not. You never know whether the action does not get done due to some mysterious policy as there's no error message or informational warning, nothing.

So I switched to CopyTrans Manager (Free), at least it guarantees to be able to copy OUT of an iDevice to your computer. It still relies on iTunes being installed. Its certainly easier to navigate then iTunes.

iTunes and media transfer hassles with Apple is the one reason I'll one day leave the Apple product range behind in favour of Android.

JustAnotherSaver

Problem is, there's so much geared towards the Apple product.

One example - the gym equipment at my gym all have iPod docks on the cardio equipment. Ok i wouldn't base my mp3 player choice on what my gym is compatible with, but it's just an example. I can walk through any electrical store & see rows & rows of things geared towards the iPod or iPhone.

iTunes is the only thing i've found really frustrating with my Apple experience. I'm happy with my iPhone. I did consider going to Android, but after the wife got a Galaxy S3 i'm glad i opted for the iPhone 4S.

buglawton

Bet all these gyms are not iPhone 5 compatible though. There is another solution, use an app that keeps its music library outside of iTunes, will only work on a device that accepts apps of course.

WTFH

What version of iTunes are you running?
What way do you have your music stored?
Is it stored in the iTunes folder or in another folder?
How much space do you have left on the devices?
What iOS are your running on them?

As with most issues in the techie section, I strongly suspect the reason for your problem is linked to something you're not telling us.

JustAnotherSaver

WTFH wrote: »

What version of iTunes are you running?

11.1.3.8

What way do you have your music stored?

On the desktop, in the default music folder (both in mp3 format) & also imported by iTunes into the default iTunes library folder (i've tried putting to the device from all 3 of those)

Is it stored in the iTunes folder or in another folder?

As above

How much space do you have left on the devices?

Lots! About 140GB on my classic. A few GB on my iPhone. The sister also has plenty of GB left on the devices she tried.

What iOS are your running on them?

Latest software version on my classic. She's also running the latest iOS on her iPhone.

As with most issues in the techie section, I strongly suspect the reason for your problem is linked to something you're not telling us.

Not through choice. I'm happy to answer any question asked as best i can.

buglawton

What Apple should realise is that if this were a cheap generic MP3 player or any Android phone/tablet, it would be a simple drag and drop from a computer, from one folder to another. iTunes has made it almost incredibly unreliable and complex with one exception: Buy music online via the iTunes store on your iPad or iPhone for it to be trapped on that device.

WTFH

Please define 'latest" when talking about the version of the iOS.