When's the last time you put an MP3 on your iPhone? It's probably been a while, thanks to streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music.
Well, good news: If streaming's not your thing, or if you have a ton of physical tunes (like CDs) that you'd like to put on your iPhone, you can still do that with the help of Apple iTunes. Here's how to copy music--including music from multiple sources--onto your iPhone.
You'll need your iPhone, the USB cable that came with your iPhone, and a computer (PC or Mac) with iTunes. Be sure to download and install the latest version of iTunes.
Sync your iPhone with your computer
Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable.
iTunes should open automatically when it detects that your iPhone is connected to your computer. If it does not open automatically, you'll need to open it manually.
Once iTunes is open, click the phone icon in the upper left corner of the screen. You will see a summary of your iPhone's specs, including information on backups and syncing preferences.
Click Music in the left sidebar. At the top of the screen, check the box next to Sync Music. If you want to sync your entire music library (all songs on your computer), tick the box next to Entire music library. If you only want to sync certain playlists, artists, albums, and genres, tick the box next to Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres.
If you ticked the second box, you will need to manually select the playlists, artists, albums, and genres you want to sync.
Click the Sync button in the lower right corner of the screen. This may take several minutes to complete. Once your iPhone has finished syncing, you can disconnect your phone.
Add music to your iPhone from multiple computers (without syncing)
You can only sync your iPhone with one computer at a time. If you would like to add music files from multiple computers to your iPhone, follow the instructions below.
Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable and open iTunes.
Click the phone icon in the upper left corner of the screen. You'll see a page (Summary) that details your iPhone's specs. Scroll to the bottom of this page until you see Options. Under Options, check the box next to Manually manage music and videos.
Click the back arrow in the upper left corner of the screen to go back to your computer's local music library. Find a song you want to move to your iPhone and drag it onto the iPhone menu (under Devices in the left column). The phone will sync quickly as the file is added to your device.
Repeat this step as many times as necessary to add the music files you want to your iPhone. You can now add music files from any computer using the same method -- all you have to do is plug your iPhone into that computer (PC or Mac).