IPhone with two computers...sort of

Right, I bought my iPhone 4 yesterday. I have a Macbook with OS X 10.4. I know this combination doesn't work.
I obviously want to start using my iPhone, so is there a way of connecting my iPhone to my dads Windows PC just to get it registered and sorted out?...and then when I have the chance to buy and install Leopard, use my iPhone fully with my Mac?!

You would be better off waiting until you upgrade the MacBook.

Similar Messages

Using iPhone with two computers

Home PC - MacBook Pro
Work PC - Windows
both running iTunes 7.7
My music is on my home Mac and I manually create playlists, add music etc.
With my 3G Nano, I can connect and listen to songs on my iPod from my work PC. I can't seem to do this with my iPhone - my PC sees the iPhone but all of the music is greyed out and cannot be selected.
Is it a limitation of the iPhone that I cannot use it with two computers in this way, or is it a configuration issue?
I would prefer not to have to buy a set of external speakers just to use my iPhone to play music at work.
thanks
Shane

Actually, there are several articles on the web about the fact that you CAN
synch the itunes with two computers. Music, Video, and Ringtones can be done from one computer, and Mail, Contacts, etc. can be done from a second computer.
Just do a Yahoo search on "synching iPhone with two computers."
If you are trying to do music from two computers, you are right, that will not work. There is a program, which I think the Yahoo search above will also uncover that allows you to do a "swap," where you can have the songs from one computer show up on the iPhone, and when you swap, the songs from the other computer show up. I am not sure if this utility survived the upgrage to version 2.0 of the softweare.
cheers,
Ray

Syncing iPhone with Two Computers: Mac and PC

I have a Macbook running 10.7.1 at home and a PC at work running Windows 7 and Outlook 2010. I sync my iPhone (music, photos, contacts, calendars, photos) with my Macbook at home. I have set up MobileMe syncing on my MacBook and iPhone.
If I install iTunes on my work PC, set up MobileMe syncing with Outlook, etc., can I then connect my iPhone to my work PC without problems? Or, upon syncing my iPhone with my work PC, will everything be erased?
I am trying to sync calendars and contacts through MobileMe to my iPhone while continuing to sync all of my music, apps, etc. to my Macbook at home.
Thanks

Let me try to explain. I want my sync my work calendar and contacts from my work PC to my iPhone while maintaining everything else (music, apps, pictures, etc.) on my MacBook.
Can I sync my work PC Outlook calendar and contacts through the air using MobileMe and connect my iPhone only to my MacBook?
Thanks.

How to use iPhone with multiple computers on iTunes 11?

Both of my computers are Windows 7. I try to manage my music and videos on both iTunes. I used to be easy, like you just check the "Manually manage music and videos" square, and everything is fine... But after I update to iTunes 11, it just doesn't work. There is no resulting dialog box coming up where I can click "OK" after I checked square, and no matter I click "apply" below or "done" above, the iTunes asks to erase and sync with the iPhone. After it syncs, the "Manually manage music and videos" is checked. But if I move to another computer another iTunes, then it says I'm already syncing with one iTunes, and it needs to erase and sync with my iPhone again... and of course, the "Manually manage music and videos" is unchecked on this iTunes... If I try to check that on this one.. it's the same story happened before... Basically, there is just no way I can use one iPhone on two iTunes 11, is it?

Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
As long as your media is organised within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organised) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behaviour has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entires and import the local content you have on that box.
tt2

Using PalmVx with two computers

I have been using a PalmVx with my Desktop computer (WIN XP Prof) and also with my laptop (WIN XP Prof). I recently formatted the HDD of my laptop and have re-installed my palmOne software ver 4.1.4 on my laptop. While installing the palmOne software in my laptop when asked for <User Name> I gave the same Username as in my desktop computer. So now my laptop indicates the identical Username as my desktop computer.
My desktop computer is connected to the palm cradle using a serial connection while my laptop is connected through a Serial-to-USB adaptor to a USB port on my laptop.
I need to have all my data in my PalmVx transferred to my laptop, so I set all the conduits in my laptop to "Handheld overwrites Desktop" and carried out a Hotsync.
The Hotsync dialog that comes up on the laptop shows a UserName <blank> instead of the Username that I set (similar to the desktop).
Please advise how I can get all my data currently on my desktop and in my handheld into my laptop?
TIA
Post relates to: Palm Vx

Actually, there are several articles on the web about the fact that you CAN
synch the itunes with two computers. Music, Video, and Ringtones can be done from one computer, and Mail, Contacts, etc. can be done from a second computer.
Just do a Yahoo search on "synching iPhone with two computers."
If you are trying to do music from two computers, you are right, that will not work. There is a program, which I think the Yahoo search above will also uncover that allows you to do a "swap," where you can have the songs from one computer show up on the iPhone, and when you swap, the songs from the other computer show up. I am not sure if this utility survived the upgrage to version 2.0 of the softweare.
cheers,
Ray

IPhone on two computers

Is there ANY possible way to sync my iPhone with two computers. All I want to do is exchange songs between the two computers and sync my contacts and calendars. Seems simple to me, but I get a message every time asking me if I want to erase my iPhone or transfer the purchases. I do not have this problem with my iPod Classic 5th generation... strange.

This article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1296 provides more information about what can be synced and even merged between multiple computers.
You can transfer purchased music between computers as described here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848
Syncing music that was not purchased from the iTunes store is intended to be a one-way-street as described here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1209
-Jason

How to sync with two computers not at the same time, I'm registerd with one computer

How to sync with two computers (not at the same time), I'm registered with one computer and am trying to connect with second computer with same iPhone. To sync the first time with the second PC "Firefox Sync Option tells me Create New account or Connect, when I connect it gives me a Passcode and on iPhone it also gives me a Passcode, than how do I connect? Both the iPhone and PC gives me a Passcode and have now idea what to do with them.
Where do I find my Sync Key ? so I can install manually if it works ?

Use the Sync Key ''(Recovery Key)'' from the PC that you used to initially setup your Firefox Sync service, when setting up that 2nd PC with Sync. You need to use '''Add a device''' to setup the 2nd and subsequent devices on a Sync account. <br />
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/add-a-device-to-firefox-sync

Is there an option of synching Iphone with two itunes on different mac books ?

is there an option of synching Iphone with two itunes on different mac books ?

You can't sync it to two computers.
But you can plug it into a second computer and add things or take things out of apps (under the app tab, scroll down).
Also you can take photos off on a second computer.
There are a few things you can do on a second computer.
But not a sync.

HT1386 I bought a new computer and I cannot transfer my library to this new one. The message says that I'm not allowed to sync with two computers??? How can I delete the previous from my account???

I bought a new computer and I cannot transfer my library to this new one. The message says that I'm not allowed to sync with two computers??? How can I delete the previous one from my account???

You cannot transfer from the iPhone to the computer.
You must move the contents of your old computer to the new one directly.
Use an external hard drive perhaps or restore your old computer backup to your new computer.
The iPhone is not the source of your data, that is the computer, the iPhone is only a slave device to iTunes.

Choice in how I manage iTunes on iPhone and two computers?

OK - so first off, because as I read the history this appears to be sensitive, I HAVE read a considerable amount of previous threads on this. It's hard to believe that at this point (Apr 2010) there is still no third-party software for this? Apple must have made it virtually impossible!
At any rate, here's my situation:
(1) I have two computers - one iMac which holds my primary iTunes (computer 1), one new MacBook (computer 2), and one iPhone 3Gs.
(2) I also have MobileMe which syncs everything just fine in terms of contacts, calendar, etc.
(3) My iTunes and Music folder for my iMac IS located on an external drive off of my iMac (computer 1) and not on the actual hard drive.
Again, to stipulate, I understand:
(1) iPhone is set up to sync to only ONE computer
(2) I can authorize up to 5 computers. (My issue with this is that I have considerable amounts of my own music imported that will not appear as the "authorized" music. And, I do this regularly so I don't want to have to keep duplicating the MP3 import - I'll quickly become out of sync or lose track of them.)
(3) Trying to sync from iPhone to new iTunes library will wipe out iPhone or vice versa
And, I have read this thread on the code changes that can be made:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10972003
Plus I read this thread on iTunes library being an external drive:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11148807
SO, now that I've made my case for being informed, I'm asking for your help in how to make my choice to structure my situation.
My basic desire is to have the same library on all three places - I don't need different things in different places. Same thing. And, I pretty much have access to all three devices all the time (one is not physically located somewhere else). I would, however, like to be able to purchase on any of the three and then have it added to the library for all three - and I think that's where I run into my problem.
Option 1? My iTunes library and entire music library IS located on an External Drive off of Computer 1. So, technically, could I just set my MacBook (computer 2) iTunes to pull from that library? Then, any new purchases would go into that same library, accessible by both? The risk here, I think, is that I cannot try to sync to the MacBook when I am NOT on my home network with access to that external drive? In fact, on my MacBook, should I set it up this way iTunes will be "missing" it's library completely? Second risk - how stable is this plan? Am I likely to corrupt/kill/worse my iTunes library from this set up? (Caveat: It is backed up nightly on a second external)
Option 2? Do the code changes posted in the articles linked in this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10972003
But my iPhone is not jailbroken, nor do I intend it to be - does that matter? And, how stable is this? Honestly, I don't like the idea of monkeying with iTunes code.
Option 3? Copy my iTunes library from Computer 1 and then set up as iTunes library on Computer 2. Designate one computer / iTunes as the one I both buy music on and sync with my iPhone - then can I manually transfer music added to my iPhone into the Computer 2 iTunes (hit cancel when it says it will delete the library if it's synced. go into iPhone and choose songs to manually transfer?) Not sure this is possible...
Option 4? ? ? Is there something else here I've missed?
I hope this all makes sense - I've spent a lot of time reading about the options and think I understand each, I'm just wondering your advice in terms of which is the best solution.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: akcorcoran

My basic desire is to have the same library on all three places - I don't need different things in different places. Same thing. And, I pretty much have access to all three devices all the time (one is not physically located somewhere else). I would, however, like to be able to purchase on any of the three and then have it added to the library for all three - and I think that's where I run into my problem.
Short answer:
I'd suggest a variation of your option 3, but use "home sharing" to greatly simplify the process of keeping them in sync. If you really need to sync the iPod with different machines, then maybe your option 2 is best, but I share some of your apprehension about that solution.
Long answer:
I have a similar issue: three desktop machines, one PC in my office, one Mac in my wife's office, and one Mac connected to the audio system in our living room. I have an iPhone, and so does my wife. I also roam the house with my Macbook. We keep all three desktop machines synchronized in terms of the basic collection of music, and my wife and I synchronize our individual iPod devices to our respective desktop machines.
My solution was to (despite the many complaints about this feature) employ "home sharing". Basically, not only do we share our libraries, but we've also enable home sharing on all three machines, all registered using the same Apple ID. We further more have set the "home sharing" options so purchases are automatically purchased.
It's wonderful. If I buy something at the iTunes Store on my PC, we've configured "home sharing" so it magically shows up on the other machines, with no intervention on my part, just as do purchases that my wife makes on her Mac. And on those occasions where I rip a new CD, while "home sharing" won't magically transfer it for me, it does have feature that you can (a) look at another computer's library, showing only those tracks that don't exist on the current machine; and (b) you can drag and drop music, right in iTunes, from one machine to another. Thus, in comparison to the nightmare of my pre v9.0 manually synchronizing of libraries, "home sharing" has made this much easier.
And in this set-up, my wife and I can each maintain our separate playlists for determining what's sync'ed to our respective iPods. Yes, playlists and ratings are not synced between the three PCs, but it makes it possible for us to take advantage of this to make our own playlists. (This feature is probably less of an issue for you than for us, but it's very useful for us.)
The only problem I see is that it sounds like you want to sync your iPhone with multiple computers, whereas I've explicitly decided I want to sync with a single computer.
I'll answer some of your questions below, but this is a configuration that we use, doesn't involve working around any iTunes features (like the manual manipulation of the iTunes library ID) or problems with file contention. We also have a built in backup of our iTunes library, so if one machine dies, at least all of the media files themselves are safe. (Having said that, I do backups, as well, so I've got a double redundancy.)
Option 1? My iTunes library and entire music library IS located on an External Drive off of Computer 1. So, technically, could I just set my MacBook (computer 2) iTunes to pull from that library? Then, any new purchases would go into that same library, accessible by both?
That might work, but you'd have to think about, in addition to your media files (the mp3 and other audio and video files), whether you'll put the library database file itself (the separate file that keeps track of what media files are available to iTunes, where they are located, the playlists, rankings, play counts, etc.) on that shared drive, too. If just the media files are there, then I suspect that might work, but anytime you add or remove content, you'd have to update the other library, at I think it would be more cumbersome than the "home sharing" approach.
If you decide you want to keep the iTunes library on this shared drive, too, that might eliminate the need for the syncing process, but you might run into trouble if you're not careful about ensuring that the references to that external drive are identical on the two machines. Also, if you try running iTunes at the same time on the two machines, I can imagine that you might have file contention issues on the library database itself.
Bottom line, might work, but seems that you would have the choice between a cumbersome solution and a fragile solution.
Option 2? Do the code changes posted in the articles linked in this thread ... But my iPhone is not jailbroken, nor do I intend it to be - does that matter? And, how stable is this? Honestly, I don't like the idea of monkeying with iTunes code.
You don't need to jailbreak your phone to do this. And I suspect that it's reasonable robust solution as I've seen CNET training videos that advocated for precisely this solution.
This seems like an acceptable work-around if you're trying to sync phones in disparate locations (home and office). But it seems unnecessary if the machines are on the same network, and like anything where you're trying to tweak software behind-the-scenes, I'd worry about it being susceptible to it breaking on new updates to iTunes. Apple isn't going to ensure that some hack like this won't be broken in future releases. I'd be shocked if they tested this scenario in future releases.
Option 3? Copy my iTunes library from Computer 1 and then set up as iTunes library on Computer 2. Designate one computer / iTunes as the one I both buy music on and sync with my iPhone - then can I manually transfer music added to my iPhone into the Computer 2 iTunes (hit cancel when it says it will delete the library if it's synced. go into iPhone and choose songs to manually transfer?) Not sure this is possible...
As I described, I'd suggest a permutation of this option, where you use "home sharing" to keep the machines in sync. I'm not sure if I follow your thought process on "hit cancel when it says delete library...", though. Were you thinking of using the iPhone to sync the machines? If you have a home network, that's not necessary. Or are you saying that it's important to sync the iPhone with multiple computers for some reason that I'm not understanding.
By the way, if the issue is that you want to be able to manage your iPhone from either machine, what I do is I've designated one of my computers as my "iphone sync" computer. When I want to manage this (e.g. download apps for my iPhone, etc.) when I'm not at that machine, I "remote" into that machine from wherever I happen to be sitting. (I use Mac "screen sharing" to access my wife's Mac from my Macbook, I use Microsoft "Remote Desktop" for Mac when I want to access my PC from my Macbook, and I use a free VNC client when I want to manage my Macbook or my wife's Mac from my desktop PC.) Yes, when I sync I have to plug in the iPhone into the cradle in my office, but because I can access that desktop PC from wherever I happen to be, I find that to be a manageable solution (e.g., I'll update apps and podcasts on my desktop my Macbook in the basement, and then walk up to my office and just drop my iPhone into the cradle when I want to sync). I'd love remote syncing, but Apple ain't there yet.
Message was edited by: Rob Ryan

Synching I touch with two computers

I would like to know if it is possible to synch an itouch with two computers, without losing the music that is on the itouch. FYI: First computeris no longer operational due to a virus...
Thanks

You can sync with only one computer. However, you can manage music with multiple computers. See:
Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers

Hi, we have two iphones with two accounts. The apple tv automatically syncs with one account to play music from the iphone to apple tv. How can I use my iphone to do the same?

Hi, we have two iphones with two accounts. The apple tv automatically syncs with one account to play music from the iphone to apple tv. How can I use my iphone to do the same?

Our experience is a little different, we have different iTunes accounts for different family members, each family member has their own iTunes library on their own mac, each mac uses my Apple ID for homesharing and we are able to play purchased content from each library on the Apple TV.

My iPhone has two computers in (iTunes wifi sync), how can I remove one of them without using it ?

Hello everyone.
My iPhone has two computers in (iTunes wifi sync) how can I remove one of them without using that computer?
because that PC stopped working so I had to recover it. Now everything is gone on that PC.
Also I bought a new computer (MacBook Pro) and I use iTunes on it in the mean time. Now I want to remove the old computer!
here is a photo of my (iTunes WiFi sync)
is there any way that I can use to do that?
Thanks

Hello,
Did you ever find a solution for this ?
I have the same issue and i dont know how to fix it.

Is it possible to use a single iPhone with two contact numbers via dual sim or an app?

Is it possible to use a single iPhone with two contact numbers via dual sim or an app?
This would be a useful feature for personal and company numbers but using one mobile, rather than carrying two devices or diverting calls.

Then go ahead and try it. You'll find it's probably a load of crap.
You want 2 numbers, then use Google Voice or TalkaTone
Those are US based only Apps or numbers so no good. I won't be wasting money by just trying something either, especially because using a dual sim would mean purchasing another sim card on either pay as you go or monthly contact.

I got a new computer and now iTunes is telling me it can't sync with two computers

I got a new computer and now iTunes is telling me it can't sync with two computers, it's telling me it will erase what's on my iPad and re-sync. Will I lose my iPad data that's on it?

No - not at all. Look at that one app that I gave you the link for. That is supposed to transfer all of the iPad content to the new computer. I have no idea how much it costs, but it's worth a look. There are other out there as well. Google "apps to transfer iPad content to computer" or something to that effect. These apps claim to transfer everything.
Several things to remember - you can still transfer all of the iTunesicon tent that you purchased by using the Transfer Purchases option in iTunes. Just remember to turn off auto syncing before you do it. You will also have to authorize your new computer to transfer the purchase if you haven't done so already. From the iTunes menu on your computer go to Store> Authorize this computer.
Plus any apps or music that you have bought can be downloaded again at no charge with the cloud feature in the latest iPad iOS.
EDIT - I see that you did transfer the purchases. Look at one of those apps that I described and they should be able to get you set up. You should also invest in an external hardrive for backing up all of your computer content ... don't want this to happen again!
Message was edited by: Demo

IPhone with two computers...sort of

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for