Windows Phone app iTunes sync

[iamtim]

Might not be the right forum for this, but...

...I'm running Windows 8 Professional on my desktop and I have a Lumia 820. I use the Windows Phone app from the Marketplace to sync my music from my computer to my phone and it works great for me. I've heard there's a way to make it sync from iTunes directly instead of from the file system, but I can't figure out how to make it do that.

Anyone have any helpful advice?

 

[tk-093]

Might not be the right forum for this, but...

...I'm running Windows 8 Professional on my desktop and I have a Lumia 820. I use the Windows Phone app from the Marketplace to sync my music from my computer to my phone and it works great for me. I've heard there's a way to make it sync from iTunes directly instead of from the file system, but I can't figure out how to make it do that.

Anyone have any helpful advice?

When you first launch that sync app, doesn't it give you the choice to pick iTunes? The Windows 7 one did.

 

[philpeeps]

download the app for desktop (beta) and use it instead of the metro app...

 

[philpeeps]

Windows Phone 8 | Sync music, photos, videos, and podcasts with your PC | Add ringtones | Support | Windows Phone (United States)

 

[iamtim]

When you first launch that sync app, doesn't it give you the choice to pick iTunes? The Windows 7 one did.

It did, and I didn't pick iTunes. Now I want to pick iTunes, but I don't see the option anywhere. =/

 

[iamtim]

download the app for desktop (beta) and use it instead of the metro app...

I like the Metro app, and it works for me.

 

[philpeeps]

I like the Metro app, and it works for me.

Then you can't use iTunes. It is only in the app for desktop, hence why I instructed as such....

 

[iamtim]

Then you can't use iTunes. It is only in the app for desktop, hence why I instructed as such....

Hmm. I think you might be mistaken. I know when I first used the Metro app it asked me if I wanted to sync from iTunes or Windows Libraries.

That said, I downloaded the desktop app and synced some music from iTunes. It worked, although it missed some of the album art which was in iTunes. And it's clear on how to switch back and forth between Windows Libraries and iTunes, whereas the Metro app is not. So thanks for the tip.

 

[iamtim]

Hmm. It's inefficient, though. I added one song, it resynced the entire library. Didn't create dupes or anything, just took a while. Not a major complaint, I've only converted 4 of my old iTunes DRMed albums to MP3 and that's all I'm syncing right now. Once I get it all done, though, syncing might be time-consuming.

 

[tk-093]

Hmm. It's inefficient, though. I added one song, it resynced the entire library. Didn't create dupes or anything, just took a while. Not a major complaint, I've only converted 4 of my old iTunes DRMed albums to MP3 and that's all I'm syncing right now. Once I get it all done, though, syncing might be time-consuming.

You probably tried it, but did you uninstall and reinstall the metro app to see if you could choose itunes?

 

[philpeeps]

Hmm. I think you might be mistaken. I know when I first used the Metro app it asked me if I wanted to sync from iTunes or Windows Libraries.

That said, I downloaded the desktop app and synced some music from iTunes. It worked, although it missed some of the album art which was in iTunes. And it's clear on how to switch back and forth between Windows Libraries and iTunes, whereas the Metro app is not. So thanks for the tip.

Perhaps, I just never remember seeing it in the Metro app...perhaps I need to do this below.

You probably tried it, but did you uninstall and reinstall the metro app to see if you could choose itunes?

 

[hopmedic]

I had the same issue. The first time I installed the Store app, I chose Libraries (there WAS an iTunes option), as I didn't know that podcasts were going to be so poorly supported in WP8 (Zune was great with WP7), but when I learned better, I tried uninstall/reinstall of the Store app, but it didn't give me the option again. I tried looking through the registry for what to delete, but since I have 2 Windows Phone SDKs installed, plus updates, there are hundreds if not thousands of references to Windows Phone in my registry, so not worth the risk. I ended up going to the Desktop app beta as you did, IAMTIM, and I'm equally disappointed with it. I've got an extra problem of having 3 songs that I put in the phone before I bought a MicroSD card, which I cannot get rid of, no matter how I try. I've deleted them through the file system I can't tell you how many times, I can't figure out a way to delete them through the sync (now that I've got a MicroSD in there, too, that may be part of the problem, not sure), but when I delete them, they come back. The funny thing is that they are songs I bought through a Zune pass, and I can't get rid of them, and I've heard of people having trouble getting Zune music INTO their phones - or am I reading them wrong??? But since they were purchased from Zune, I am wondering if it keeps downloading them again.... Who knows.... But I sure hope MS fixes this syncing thing SOON! I would SO LOVE to get RID of iTunes....... I can't STAND that thing! There is no NEED for me to have Windows Media Player (already there), Zune (for my Zune HD), AND iTunes all having a database of my music libraries....... UGH!

 

[unstoppablekem]

The one for the Mac doesn't work at all.

 

[iamtim]

You probably tried it, but did you uninstall and reinstall the metro app to see if you could choose itunes?

...

Gah. I'm an IT guy and I didn't even think of doing that. I've got the desktop beta working how I want it to work (sort of), but I'm going to give that a shot - now that you've brought it up - just to see if that gives me the choice on the metro app again.

 

[tk-093]

...

Gah. I'm an IT guy and I didn't even think of doing that. I've got the desktop beta working how I want it to work (sort of), but I'm going to give that a shot - now that you've brought it up - just to see if that gives me the choice on the metro app again.

It's because us IT guys don't want to take the easy way out to fix stuff...

 

[iamtim]

I ended up going to the Desktop app beta as you did, IAMTIM, and I'm equally disappointed with it.

I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with it. It works and it gives me more control than did the Metro app, I'm just a little wary of it seeming to want to re-sync the entire library when one song is changed. The album art is no big deal, I had to manually add the art in iTunes because even iTunes couldn't get it automatically.

Ultimately, it's beta software. Hopefully it'll be cleaned up a bit for the final release.

 

[hopmedic]

Meh - I'm an IT guy and I uninstalled/reinstalled the Store app several times. After making that first selection, it never gives you another chance. On uninstall it leaves something behind, thus my attempts to find something in the registry.... Although I never looked in the file system - that would've been too simple.....

 

[tk-093]

If only we could use Zune....... :eck:

 

[anon(5327037)]

The one for the Mac doesn't work at all

Works perfect for me

 

[Noahma]

I had the same issue. The first time I installed the Store app, I chose Libraries (there WAS an iTunes option), as I didn't know that podcasts were going to be so poorly supported in WP8 (Zune was great with WP7), but when I learned better, I tried uninstall/reinstall of the Store app, but it didn't give me the option again. I tried looking through the registry for what to delete, but since I have 2 Windows Phone SDKs installed, plus updates, there are hundreds if not thousands of references to Windows Phone in my registry, so not worth the risk. I ended up going to the Desktop app beta as you did, IAMTIM, and I'm equally disappointed with it. I've got an extra problem of having 3 songs that I put in the phone before I bought a MicroSD card, which I cannot get rid of, no matter how I try. I've deleted them through the file system I can't tell you how many times, I can't figure out a way to delete them through the sync (now that I've got a MicroSD in there, too, that may be part of the problem, not sure), but when I delete them, they come back. The funny thing is that they are songs I bought through a Zune pass, and I can't get rid of them, and I've heard of people having trouble getting Zune music INTO their phones - or am I reading them wrong??? But since they were purchased from Zune, I am wondering if it keeps downloading them again.... Who knows.... But I sure hope MS fixes this syncing thing SOON! I would SO LOVE to get RID of iTunes....... I can't STAND that thing! There is no NEED for me to have Windows Media Player (already there), Zune (for my Zune HD), AND iTunes all having a database of my music libraries....... UGH!

The only way I found to get rid of the songs on your phone that will not delete is to do a factory refresh on the phone and choose only ONE of the programs to sync with (for me its the desktop program) If you do a manual copy, use the windows 8 "metro" app and the desktop program it causes problems like this. i had 9 gigs of songs I could not delete off my darn phone the other night, and this is how I solved it.