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General discussion

How do I get my iTunes music on to my non-Apple phone?

Feb 6, 2015 9:40AM PST
Question:

How do I get my iTunes music on to my non-Apple phone?


I have a Samsung S3 cell phone and I use iTunes for my music. I'm not averse to moving to different music software. But I was "raised" on iTunes, I know what I'm doing with it and I simply want to know how to get my music from iTunes to my Samsung. I've tried using the suggested Samsung apps for this - like Easy Phone Sync. But they don't seem to work well for me. I've tried dragging and dropping [music files] into my Samsung Music Folder, but I must be doing something wrong because they don't show up. And I have a lot of different Playlists which are important to me. Just having the songs on my phone is not good enough. I need them organized. And dragging and dropping doesn't cut it for Playlists. How do [other people] who are hooked into iTunes, but have an Android phone, sync their music AND playlists? I've thought about calling the local community college and suggesting they offer a non-credit class on electronic music for those of us...a little past the age of 20...who need an eMusic 101 class on this topic. Thanks.

--Submitted by: Cathy B.

Discussion is locked

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Doubletwist
Feb 6, 2015 11:30AM PST

I've been happy with Doubletwist (from the Google Play Store). The basic app is free.

The app includes a player, but I've been just as happy using the Android player after syncing with Double Twist.

You do have to download a program to your PC from Doubletwist, to provide the PC portion (I don't know if a version is available for Macs). Doubletwist then syncs its own library with iTunes.

The sync requires a cable connection between the phone and the PC, unless you spend a little for Airtwist which syncs via WiFi, and is fairly slow - I have Airsync, but I use the cable.

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Wow, doubleTwist along with AirSync
Feb 13, 2015 10:46PM PST

Wow, doubleTwist along with AirSync for an android device is exactly what I have wished for to be able to listen to music from our entertainment system & controlled with our android device. Yeah! & Thanks

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Doubletwist works 30-50%, SyncTunes Wireless Pro works 100%
Feb 16, 2015 5:17AM PST

I previously used Doubletwist and found it worked only 30-50% of the time. It duplicated the tracks and was not reliable.

I recently switched to SyncTunes Wireless Pro and have had a much better experience getting all songs, artists, playlists migrated on my Samsung Note Edge. It allows you to see what is on your phone and can easily remove unwanted songs.

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Folk need help with this app.
Feb 16, 2015 5:30AM PST
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Doubletwist
Feb 17, 2015 12:33AM PST

And to take it a step further, the Airtwist app that works with Doubletwist is worth the $5 or so. Syncs the music files wirelessly through a wifi connection.

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I agree Cathy
Feb 6, 2015 11:51AM PST

a short class would be great but it is always in evolution now. I'm pretty good with Apple computers but this music has really gotten so bad, I find myself not listening to my library but to Amazon's Prime list which Is So easy to use. I must have over 10 thousand songs on my hard drive but with the updates over the years to iTunes, they just made it unusable for me, especially when you have movies on there.. I'm not buying an ApplyTV device they have enough money from me.
This is my scenario / I have iPods & other cheaper music listening devices.. The no brands run on a storage disk which is very cool.. All you have to do is drag & drop music files into the disc..

I think for you the first thing I would do is find out what format the music files have to be in on the Samsung. They are all not the same .. I would drag the files you want to the desktop/ make sure the files are unlocked & you have permission to use them wherever. Change into format for the Samsung & you should be able to drag & drop to the Samsung from your main computer.. I would connect it first so the computer can recognize the Samsung device.. There has to be a music file on that Samsung but the music files may have to be formatted..Samsung is very user friendly .. I think it's just having the correct format & each file has permission/ that you can view at the bottom of each music file or do it in bulk

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file format
Feb 6, 2015 1:09PM PST

Samsung will play anything that a PC plays. The only chance for an issue is if his files are on some proprietary Apple format, which wouldn't be surprising considering Apple's tendency to not play along with anything universal. I have all MP3 but I tried FLAC at times.

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Samsung Plays while Apple Locks You In!
Feb 13, 2015 10:07AM PST

I have over 180GB of movies, TV and music from iTunes on a HFS+ formatted USB 3.0 drive. Everything works fine in Chrome OS (Chromebook) for some reason, but when I try to play a lot of the stuff (after moving the files to Windows Cool on Windows and it ask me to sign into my Apple account. Which I no longer have! ......so many of the files are indeed locked to your iTunes Account signin.

You can also run them in any Linux distro too. Which means you should also be able to play them on Android devices. The problem then is this; you need to find a good bulk converter, like what pointer says above to run them on Windows. The other option was already mentioned above and that is to use Doubletwist on Windows and Android Only!

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Hope this helps
Feb 6, 2015 1:14PM PST

I never had to deal with your issue because I buy my CDs, rip them and then put the music in my Samung and my wife's iPhone.

To do what you want, look for an app called iSyncr. I've never used it, but I understand it can do what you want. And the developer is great.

To transfer to your phone, other than drag and drop, I like to sync with Windows Media Player better.

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iSyncr
Feb 13, 2015 1:12PM PST

I use iSyncr. I'm pretty happy with it. Less klunky than doubletwist (at least when I used it. Newer versions may be better). I prefer free apps, but I was happy enough with the trial version to upgrade. I use it with Rocket Player. I'm not sure whether you need to pair it with Rocket Player, but that might be a deciding factor if it doesn't sync with your favourite player.

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iSyncr
Feb 14, 2015 7:18AM PST

I paid for the full version of iSyncr with a Galaxy S4 and I'm very happy. I use the included 4x2 Rocket Player Widget because I can change music ratings and they sync back to iTunes, along with the play count. It runs the Samsung Music Player in the background. I tried some other players with the Galaxy S4, but I couldn't get everything (earphone controls, Bluetooth audio, etc.) to work with a third party player. I don't have anything against the Samsung Music Player, and, frankly, never actually open it because the Rocket Player widget does everything I need.

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Double Twist
Feb 6, 2015 8:53PM PST

I Use DoubleTwist On The Mac, & The DoubleTwist App On My Galaxy S3, You Will Also Need The Paid DoubleTwist

Wi-Fi Sync Tool !!

Hope This Helps !!

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.aac to .mp3 conversion
Feb 6, 2015 11:27PM PST

Apple devices default to their own proprietary .aac file compression format. Everything else in the whole ever-lovin' blue-eyed world uses .mp3 format. Apple is obtuse this way, and in many other ways besides.

In an uncharacteristic bit of generosity, iTunes provides the ability to convert the .aac files to .mp3 format, and many other freeware applications are also available to accomplish this. Google ".aac to .mp3" for various choices and instructions.

You may have to redo your playlists, though. But isn't a little bit of work worth it to free yourself from Apple's cult? You can still put any .mp3 you want onto an iPod.

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That's a misleading way of putting it.
Feb 13, 2015 11:41AM PST

It has nothing to do with forced format.
You just need to know where your music is and set it up right.
If you know where it is you can drag and drop.
In iTunes if you made it .aac and didn't want to, you can right click and make mp3 versions..?
If you want to do a playlist right click, or burn a cd, whatever.

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aac to mp3
Feb 13, 2015 10:40PM PST

Flatworm; This is the best answer. I use iTunes on Windows but import everything as an mp3 file, not an aac file. Then all I have to do is copy my directories (beethoven, beatles, stones, opeth, etc) to my Musi directory on my Samsung3 phone and they play.
The KEY is changing the default import in iTunes before you start importing. Otherwise you have to convert and remove the aac files. Been there, done that, not a happy situation.

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(NT) Very well put, Flatworm! Great choice of language/words.
Feb 14, 2015 2:06AM PST
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You may not want to hear this...
Feb 7, 2015 2:19PM PST

Punt your Android into the river and get an iPhone. Problem solved. Next?

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Or go to Toys R Us
Feb 13, 2015 10:55AM PST

and get a cheaper toy that's equally functional. What *************.

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Have you tried using Windows Media Player as a library ?
Feb 13, 2015 4:30PM PST

Synch is one of Androids biggest weaknesses if you ask me, but you can work around it.

We use iphones now but still have Android pads and in-card 16gB SD cards for music. All I do is use Windows Media Player as an intermediate area (assuming you have a windows PC).

a) Use iTunes as the main library for music synching of our iphones / ipads.
b) Open Windows Media Player, and clear the existing library feeds. Just point it to your itunes media folder and that will then be synched with your itunes every time you open WMP.
c) Just set your Androids synch program to synch with WMP. That works for my Asus pad; my samsung mini; and it works for my SD cards. Copy new music into my itunes music folder and it gets to where I need it easy enough.

It'll never be as easy as managing your iphone but it depends how much you need it. I don't because it drains the battery too much and I've gone back to an old ipod for the gym. Can't be bothered with hooking it up in the car hence the SD cards. I hardly ever play music on my phone these days to be honest but everyone has different needs.

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If you have an older 'fragmented' iTunes library
Feb 7, 2015 11:20PM PST

...IME it may be beneficial to first spend some time cleaning up that data, for some of the reasons mentioned already in this thread. Making sure every file is in the same format (or at least two or three compatible ones) can go a long way before using any third part sync service/app, or uploading to the cloud a la Google Music.

Personally,I feel the Google Music method is preferable since AFAIK, it still works with any non-DRM file that resides in your iTunes library. (Only the really old iTunes music was DRM encoded, btw.) Again, cleanup of large libraries can go a long way before making this large migration to another system. Been there, done that.

First and foremost though, BACKUP all of your data before doing any of this. This is frequently overlooked. The price of external hard drives is so low now, there's no excuse not to(!) Wink

I also suggest avoiding wifi syncs until you know you got this correct at least once, and your *phone* is also backed up too. Wired syncing is much more reliable, especially w/ large libraries.

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I recommend
Feb 8, 2015 5:16AM PST

an iPhone.

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the app Easy phone tunes
Feb 9, 2015 4:56AM PST

this app was easy to use and it help me to down load music from itunes to my
samsung galaxy III, i looked it up on youtube and it guides you on how to

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Who the Hell switches to a GS 3?
Feb 13, 2015 9:01AM PST
Thats like 100 years old in phone years, GS5 has been out for a while & soon 6 Shocked Laugh
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Who?
Feb 13, 2015 9:22AM PST

Maybe someone who wants to pay a reasonable price instead of a bloated price to get a phone that has a bunch of features they will never use. Better question is why reply to the question at all if all you have to offer is a rude comment?

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Ditto
Feb 13, 2015 5:56PM PST

I agree with your response to Who the Hell switches to a GS 3? by gringojo. Do some of us have nothing better to do than interject comments that are irrelevant, inconsiderate, and so unnecessary. Please, let's all work on our manners and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Also, the simple words "I am sorry" can truly change lives. No disrespect intended just wanted to express my thoughts. Thanks

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The key point is the original poster dumped their iPhone
Feb 14, 2015 6:10AM PST

As I said in my earlier post, F--- Apple & their closed,
proprietary architecture & "ecosystem" I applaud anyone
who has the courage to NO longer be a sheep, following
the proverbial iPhone herd!

As for the comment about who switches to a Galaxy S3?
I think it's about whatever one can afford... who cares if it's
not the "latest and greatest" overpriced feat of technological
wonderfullness. At the end of the day it's really just a means
of communication and if you can get the added benefit of it
also serving as a portable music/media player, well then you're
ahead of the game as far as I'm concerned.

It's unfortunate that many people are so quick to judge others
based on their car, their watch, their phone, etc. Not everybody
has disposable money to burn on these things and we often do
with what we have or perhaps what someone else has given them.

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Who the Hell switches to a GS 3?
Feb 13, 2015 9:04AM PST
Thats like 100 years old in phone years lol, GS5 has been out for a while & soon 6 Shocked Laugh
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easy
Feb 13, 2015 9:11AM PST

this is what happens when you put all yours eggs in one basket.

use a PC.
get free from the dark side

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Synctunes Wireless Pro
Feb 13, 2015 9:20AM PST

I use iTunes on the occasion for my music. When I want to add music to my note3 'S stock music app, I simply wireless sync to synctunes Wireless pro desktop app and move the music to my note 3.

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Use Amazon Prime
Feb 13, 2015 9:25AM PST

If you have an Amazon Prime - upload your library to the cloud from iTunes. Then you can us the Amazon Music app to stream your music or download an save on your phone. if you don't have or want to pay for Prime, I believe you can buy just the Amazon Cloud portion for music separately

Also, I think you can do something similar with Google Music, but I've haven't tried..