Holy crap, syncing with WP8 is a trainwreck.

[Big Supes]

Wow, I really hope these issues are addressed by the time I upgrade. I have never really been over the moon about Zune so I was expecting more from Windows 8/Wp8. . .
Sent from my Lumia 710 using Board Express

 

[hopmedic]

I don't do a lot of music, and mostly what I do use is what I own DRM free, but I listen to several podcasts, and I'd like to be able to have them update hassle-free. I wouldn't care about doing it just in the phone if there were an easy way to mark the existing episodes as played, as some of the podcasts have hundreds of episodes that I've already heard, and unless there's a trick I haven't figured out, this seems to be much more of a pain to do than in WP7 - beside the fact that I did it in Zune - but I'm thinking there was a simpler way to do it in the phone before I actually started to do it in Zune (trying to remember that far back).

 

[morpheus1982]

Well unless they improve it tremendously it was a stupid decision. As it is currently both the desktop app and the metro app are just slightly prettier file explorers right now. They don't aggregate artists or actually sync anything, they just transfer, and I have to dig around in my folders to find anything. I'm actually using Windows Media Player for my syncing, even if it won't transfer pass music it's still leagues better than the Windows Phone apps.

I am so pleased with Media Player for my needs that I don't care if the aforementioned apps are improved.

 

[chickenium]

I don't do a lot of music, and mostly what I do use is what I own DRM free, but I listen to several podcasts, and I'd like to be able to have them update hassle-free. I wouldn't care about doing it just in the phone if there were an easy way to mark the existing episodes as played, as some of the podcasts have hundreds of episodes that I've already heard, and unless there's a trick I haven't figured out, this seems to be much more of a pain to do than in WP7 - beside the fact that I did it in Zune - but I'm thinking there was a simpler way to do it in the phone before I actually started to do it in Zune (trying to remember that far back).

I've been using WPodder to manage my podcasts directly on the phone. It works well, marks podcasts read and keeps your progress in all of them. The only downside is you have to download the new podcasts that pop up in the app (it doesn't do it automatically). It's only one button push for each podcast though so it's really not a big deal.

 

[CheekyTaurus]

I have been able to continue using the Zune Client, which does work on Windows 8, to manage my music on Windows 8. Here's how:

1) Download the Desktop Sync Client Beta (NOT the Metro Windows Phone App from the store)
2) Install and launch the WIN 8 Desktop Sync Client and use the Windows Libraries management option. Once initial setup is done, if you want to Sync All, use that option and sync to phone. DONE. If you want to be selective...continue.
3) Organize your playlists in the Zune client.
4) Once organized, launch the new sync client again and opt for syncing by playlist. Choose the playlist(s) you want, and Sync.

Not ideal, but it works. Haven't tried it with Podcasts.

 

[iradeut]

I had started this process, but backed out when it mentioned using windows library. The My Music library on my PC has 20 gigs of FLAC files in it that I don't want to sync. Instead, I have a separate folder (not included in my music library) with the WMA files that I do want to sync. Is this option available after going through the startup wizard for the Windows Phone Sync client?

 

[Brian Child]

I can't agree with this more!!!
There is a thread going here Is there a better way to sync my music to WP8 - Microsoft Community that has attracted the attention of at least one MS Engineer I hope to put enough pressure on this to get some movement FAST!!

 

[hopmedic]

I have been able to continue using the Zune Client, which does work on Windows 8, to manage my music on Windows 8. Here's how:

1) Download the Desktop Sync Client Beta (NOT the Metro Windows Phone App from the store)
2) Install and launch the WIN 8 Desktop Sync Client and use the Windows Libraries management option. Once initial setup is done, if you want to Sync All, use that option and sync to phone. DONE. If you want to be selective...continue.
3) Organize your playlists in the Zune client.
4) Once organized, launch the new sync client again and opt for syncing by playlist. Choose the playlist(s) you want, and Sync.

Not ideal, but it works. Haven't tried it with Podcasts.

What is the name of this Desktop sync client, and do you have a link for it? I'm not coming up with anything searching for "desktop sync client" and "windows phone 8"

 

[AZBrowncoat]

167 Metallica tracks...WP Sync found and transferred 12 tracks?!

 

[vedichymn]

What is the name of this Desktop sync client, and do you have a link for it? I'm not coming up with anything searching for "desktop sync client" and "windows phone 8"

It's this, but just FYI, if you're syncing to Windows libraries, it won't sync podcasts as podcasts, just music.

Windows Phone App for Desktop (beta)

 

[hopmedic]

It's this, but just FYI, if you're syncing to Windows libraries, it won't sync podcasts as podcasts, just music.

Windows Phone App for Desktop (beta)

Ah, ok.... I was hoping. It's looking more and more like I'm going to have to use iTunes. I really don't want to use iTunes.....

 

[AZBrowncoat]

Moved this from here as I didn't know whether to create a new thread and didn't want to clutter up the one it was in:
http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...p8;-here-apps-i-use-former-iphone-4-user.html

Mp3

Seems like it's some of the AAC files not showing up on the phone.

Created a new playlist in Media Monkey "Classic Rock Music" (MP3 files) and synced 3 artists and everything is showing up.

Now here is where it gets really weird. "Blondie > Dead Air > Dead Air" (Artist/Album/Song) is showing up as "Heatmiser > Dead Air > Dead Air" (A/A/S) in the Music App even though the directory is correct in the phone.

WTH?

 

[AZBrowncoat]

Now here is where it gets really weird. "Blondie > Dead Air > Dead Air" (Artist/Album/Song) is showing up as "Heatmiser > Dead Air > Dead Air" (A/A/S) in the Music App even though the directory is correct in the phone.

Deleted the playlist and resync'd and Blondie now shows up as Blondie.

I'd venture a guess that most people use their smartphones as a media player so that they only have to carry one device around...this is going to piss a lot of people off when their music collections won't work.

Personally I was considering using my iPhone 4 as my primary music device...this is now all but guaranteed until MS gets the sync issues fixed; however I was hoping to at least drop some music onto the phone in case I didn't want to carry both devices with me.

Still can't believe what a mess media sync is...it's going to be WP8's Achilles Heel.

UPDATE - an another re-sync to add some AAC/M4A files and not only am I not seeing The Guess Who: Greatest Hits on the phone but Blondie: Dead Air is no showing back up as Heatmiser: Dead Air.

SERIOUSLY????

 

[Darkgift]

EDIT: Changed the path via regedit

Can u explain, please? Did you change the path for My Documents on your computer in regedit, or the paths for the Win7 app? If it was for the app, I'd love to know the keys u changed. Thanx.

 

[Digital Moe]

I think I must be the only person that likes the desktop client except for one fatal flaw that it has, it crashes at the end of every sync regardless of whether I sync one playlist or 50. I actually have my mp3s in iTunes and over the years carefully created many, many playlists so it is nice to almost continue to be able to use them. So I am having to resort to using WPM which just seems so slow in put files on the phone.

 

[Squatting Hen]

I guess I am confused on this sync issue. My wife and I just got a 920 each, she is coming from an iphone, and I had a Titan II.

I haven't tried syncing anything yet, but thought I would ask this before I jumped in. I have a Win 8 Desktop, and she has a XP Laptop. Does it make a difference which one we use? If we both use the desktop will it sync two different phones easily?

Neither one of us has any playslists created in Zune or iTunes. With iTunes, we just use the option to sync check songs, and it works amazing with her iphone. Zune was not as simple. I had to drag the songs I wanted onto the phone.

I guess am not sure how it works now. I am sure once I start, it will begin to make sense.

 

[vedichymn]

I guess I am confused on this sync issue. My wife and I just got a 920 each, she is coming from an iphone, and I had a Titan II.

I haven't tried syncing anything yet, but thought I would ask this before I jumped in. I have a Win 8 Desktop, and she has a XP Laptop. Does it make a difference which one we use? If we both use the desktop will it sync two different phones easily?

Neither one of us has any playslists created in Zune or iTunes. With iTunes, we just use the option to sync check songs, and it works amazing with her iphone. Zune was not as simple. I had to drag the songs I wanted onto the phone.

I guess am not sure how it works now. I am sure once I start, it will begin to make sense.

XP laptop doesn't have any native support from the sync apps, not sure if it will see the phone, but if it does, you'll have to use Windows Media Player or something else to sync.

With the Zune software, I just made a playlist to sync to my phone and updated that. On your Win 8 Desktop, you could use your Windows Libraries and specify songs/playlists/albums to sync, but no podcasts. You should be able to sync both phones with your Win 8 PC.

 

[allen832008]

I hate how when it syncs or matches my personal library with their cloud library, it seemingly automatically goes for the "Edited" version. Try listening to some good old school Tupac where everything is edited out. And its a PITA to go through and manually match it to the "Explicit Content" version of the albums. MS needs to FIX this ASAP as well. This whole WP8 thing is becoming very exhausting. Don't get me wrong, I love the phone, just beginning to wish Nokia made this for Android. Google Music is too legit.

I am having the same issue. How do you manually update this setting?

 

[hopmedic]

What I ended up doing (and hating) to get my podcasts is installing iTunes, and the Windows Phone app for desktop (beta) and using that to sync from iTunes to the phone. Lousy compromise, but the podcasts synced to the phone. I haven't finished any yet, so I don't know yet if they'll delete from the phone when I sync again afterward, or if they'll mark as played in iTunes, but we'll see....

 

[vedichymn]

What I ended up doing (and hating) to get my podcasts is installing iTunes, and the Windows Phone app for desktop (beta) and using that to sync from iTunes to the phone. Lousy compromise, but the podcasts synced to the phone. I haven't finished any yet, so I don't know yet if they'll delete from the phone when I sync again afterward, or if they'll mark as played in iTunes, but we'll see....

Listened to status doesn't seem to go from phone -> pc as far as I could tell, but if you do listen to something (or heck, even START it) on the pc, it does remove it from the phone if you set the sync to "unlistened to"