How to Access an iPhone From the PC

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The iPhone is a complete digital media device, capable of storing software applications, photos, music, videos and more. You can manage certain aspects of your iPhone, such as the arrangement of your applications, on the phone itself. However, certain other aspects of management require access from your home computer. Fortunately, Apple provides all iPhone users with iTunes, a program capable of handing most iPhone-related tasks in a straightforward manner.

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Step 1

Connect your iPhone to your computer. Each iPhone package includes a white USB cable with a short connector and a long connector. Insert the long connector into the iPhone dock (along the bottom of the device) and insert the short connector into an open USB port on your computer. Your USB ports contain an image of a trident directly above, so just look for the symbol.

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Step 2

Open iTunes. You can find the software on your "Start" menu (Windows) or on your Apple dock (Mac OS X) which appears along the bottom or left side of your desktop.

Step 3

Click the iPhone image in iTunes. You will find it in your left column, directly beneath the "Devices" heading, appearing as a miniature iPhone animation along with the unique name that you gave the device upon registration (such as "My Phone"). When you click the image, you will see your summary, which includes your current software version, remaining capacity, management options, serial number and more.

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Step 4

Click the "Sync" button in the lower right corner of your screen to transfer music and videos from your iTunes library to your iPhone, or click the "Check for Update" button to find out if a firmware update exists for your Phone. Use the tabs along the top of your window (such as "Apps," "Music," "Movies" and "TV Shows") to sync your content by category.

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Step 5

Click the black arrow to the left of your iPhone image (in the left column) to view your individual iPhone libraries and music below. From there, you can delete songs, videos and other files by clicking them and then pressing "Delete" on your keyboard, or change the names of your playlists, songs and other content using your keyboard. You can also double-click songs and videos to play them on your PC.

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