iOS 5 features: Wi-Fi Sync (Updated)
One feature of iOS 5 that has become a favorite during my beta-testing of the new mobile operating system is Wi-Fi Sync. This is exactly what a lot of iPhone users have wanted since 2007, and now it's finally here and working well.
To sync with iTunes on your Mac over Wi-Fi, you need to open Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync on your iOS device and also have iTunes up and running on your Mac. On iTunes, be sure to check "Sync with this [iOS device] over Wi-Fi," which is found in the Summary information for the iOS device you're trying to sync.
Note that your iOS device must be plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi for the sync to take place -- it won't sync while on internal battery power. However, I was able to fake being plugged in by switching on my Mophie Juice Pack Air so that my iPhone thought it was plugged in. Correction: Your device will sync while unplugged, as long as it has enough juice onboard. What it won't do without external power is back up to iCloud wirelessly -- thanks to our commenters for setting us straight.
So, what gets backed up to iTunes? Just about everything. On my iPhone, I have ringtones, music, movies, podcasts, iTunes U content, and apps, so all of those items sync automatically. Whenever I update an app on the iPhone, the new version is synced to iTunes automatically.
Speed-wise, the initial backup (if you're doing a complete backup) or sync goes pretty quickly. For me, it seemed like the syncs were going much faster than they did over USB, although that might be an artifact of other improvements in iOS 5 instead of the network being used to transfer the data.
I've taken to running iTunes as a full-screen app in its own Lion space just so that my devices have more of an opportunity to sync with the Mac over Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi syncing makes syncing up your iOS devices incredibly pain-free. You can also choose to back up your device to your computer over Wi-Fi, once again selecting that option on the iTunes Summary screen for your device. You can choose to back up to your Mac or to iCloud, but not both.
Between the powerful iCloud syncing capabilities of iOS 5 and Wi-Fi syncing of your content to your computer, Apple is doing a great job of insuring that your data is safe.
Share
Source: http://tuaw.com/tag/ios5
Another feature of iOS 5 that has become a favorite during my beta-testing of the new mobile operating system is Wi-Fi Sync
Add a Comment
I had issues for ages on this. So many people out there just think that because it doesn't work, you simply havent ticked the right check box in itunes...
The best advice for those having major issues:
For Windows: Complete uninstall of itunes using a registry cleaner (apparently there are issues with how itunes updates software - see instructions at: http://cnx.com/?p=1612
For Mac: ensure that you are running latest version of the os - Lion I think (I am not a mac user - so cant verify this).
Cheers... hope this saves someone out there the hours of troubleshooting that I went through for a solution.
Jarvis
What am I doing wrong? I cannot get this feature to work. I have my wife's iPhone 4 that syncs with her Macbook and my 3GS that syncs with my Mac Pro. The Macbook is connected to my Time Capsule Wireless network (with 2 airport expresses) and my Mac Pro connect with a wired connection to the TIme Capsule. I cannot wirelessly sync with either phone.
I will try oz's suggestion from above that says "Open iTunes when connected" must be checked. But aside from that, anyone have any ideas? I'm running iTunes 10.5 on Snow Leopard 10.6.8.
So does WiFi sync work on iTunes on WINDOWS?
October 21 2011 at 11:13 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWell that's still not correct. You can do an iCloud backup from battery power. Just hit "back up now". All you need is wi-fi.
October 15 2011 at 11:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Miami Muscle
Followed all instructions and my sync button worked only once. Now it's grey and always says "when your computer is available..." I've tried disabling my firewall as well to see if that was preventing the phone from finding my computer.
October 14 2011 at 5:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy iPhone 4 running on iOS 5 syncs just fine on wifi EXCEPT ringtones I have purchased through iTunes. The ringtones I created myself will sync so why not ones I PAID for? Any thoughts?
October 14 2011 at 4:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy iPhone 3GS and my iMac are on the same Wi-Fi network. But my iPhone refuses to sync with iTunes. The "Sync Now" button is grayed out. Derrrrr....
October 13 2011 at 9:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI think it begs the question. What is the "same WiFi network?" From my early testing on my home network that has two access points (with different SSID's) the Sync will NOT work if my iPod Touch has connected to the access point that was not the one that used when I clicked the "Sync with this ... over WIFI" check box in iTunes 10.5. If I go to Settings->Wi-Fi and force the connection to the original SSID then the "Sync Now" button in "Settings->General->iTunes Wi-Fi Sync" is no longer greyed out. Suspect this might be a security protection but it would be nice if an additional SSID could be manually specified if they exist on the same subnet.
October 13 2011 at 4:22 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyI'm more curious as to whether I can VPN to my Lion Server machine and sync over 3G. Doesn't VPN basically "fool" the phone into thinking it's on the local network?
October 13 2011 at 7:55 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyArgh, really? That may affect me, too, because I use my N 5GHz network for my computer in my study, but the crappy 5GHz signal doesn't penetrate far outside that room, so I use my iPhone and iPad on my 2.4Ghz SSID. That sucks.
October 14 2011 at 4:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt reminds me of how AirDrop stupidly refuses to work over Ethernet. If you turn off Wi-fi it will explicitly tell you that you have to use slow, crappy wi-fi.
October 14 2011 at 4:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate downCorrection to the article. You can, in fact, sync on battery power alone. As I understand it, iCloud backup requires power. But I've been syncing my iTunes to my iPhone 4 all day without any cords whatsoever. Just as a test, I selected a few more folders of pics to be synced to the phone, and it went ahead and pushed all the pics out to the phone over WiFi with no power cord.
October 13 2011 at 1:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy 4th gen iPod Touch won't sync wirelessly, even if it is connected into a power source, and charging. All that struggling to install iOS5, and one of the features I was looking forward the most isn't working! XP The "Sync Now" button is disabled on my iPod for some reason. It says it's going to continue the sync when my computer is available, even though the two are on the same network!
October 13 2011 at 10:58 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI had the same problem, but with my iPad2. I read somewhere that a reboot of the Mac and a restart of the iOS device would fix the problem. I did that, and now it works. Good luck!
October 14 2011 at 8:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeals of the Day
more deals- Acoustic Research Digital Photo Frame with iPod Dock for $50 + free shipping
- Apple iPhone 4 8GB for Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint for $50 + pickup at Best Buy
- Unlocked iPhone 4S 16GB for GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) for $619 + free shipping
- Apple iMac Core i7 Quad 3.4GHz 27" w/ 24GB RAM, 2TB HDD for $2,677 + $29 s&h
- Used Apple Magic Mouse for $36 + $4 s&h
- Skullcandy Riot Earbud Headphones for $10 + free shipping
Software Updates
more updatesFeatured Stories
more stories
Popular Stories
TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
48 Comments