Overview of syncing iPod touch or iPhone with your computer:When you connect iPhone or iPod touch to your computer, items are automatically synced according to your preferences set in iTunes. You can, for example, enter phone numbers and addresses of friends and family members on your computer, connect iPhone or iPod touch to sync, then unplug iPhone or iPod touch and tap a friend's name on the touchscreen to call.
You can sync:
- Contacts—names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and so on
- Calendars—appointments and events
- Web bookmarks
- Music and audiobooks
- Photos
- Podcasts
- Movies and TV shows
- Applications
You only have to set which items are synced in iTunes on your computer once. After that, just connect iPhone or iPod touch to start a sync.
Contacts, calendars, and bookmarks are synced from (or to) your computer, so if you add, change, or delete them on iPhone or iPod touch, they are changed on your computer, and vice versa. You can also sync contacts with your Yahoo! or Google Address Book.
Email account settings (on iPhone only), music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos are synced one-way, from your computer to iPhone (though you can import photos taken with iPhone to your computer).
If you like, you can set iPhone or iPod touch to sync with only a portion of what's on your computer. For example, you might want to sync only a group of contacts from your address book, or you may want to sync only songs from certain playlists so you don't fill up iPhone or iPod touch with all your music.
Setting Up Syncing:You use iTunes on your computer to set up which items are synced. Make sure you have the most recent version of iTunes (On a PC, open iTunes and choose Help > Check for Updates. On a Mac, open iTunes and choose iTunes > Check for Updates.
Step 1: Connect iPhone or iPod touch
Connect iPhone or iPod touch to your computer using the included cable. You can connect the cable from your computer directly to iPhone or iPod touch, or connect the cable from your computer to the Apple Universal Dock (available separately) and put iPhone or iPod touch in the dock. By default, iTunes opens automatically.
Select iPhone or iPod touch in iTunes under Devices on the left hand side and click the Info tab.
Step 2: Set Up Which Items Are Synced
Click the respective tabs in iTunes to specify which media and information you want synced from your computer to iPhone or iPod touch.
For more information about syncing iPhone with your computer see the iPhone User's Guide:
On your computer: click here to download and view "Chapter 1: Getting Started" in iPhone User's Guide.
On iPhone: Tap Safari and view http://help.apple.com/iphone/guide/.
For more information about syncing iPod touch with your computer:
On your computer, click here to download and view "Chapter 1: Getting Started" in iPod touch Features Guide.
On iPod touch: Tap Safari and view http://help.apple.com/ipodtouch/guide/.
Step 3: Sync iPhone or iPod touch
Click Apply in the lower-right corner of the screen. Your computer syncs with iPhone or iPod touch according to your settings.
The first time you sync iPhone or iPod touch, you are asked if you want to merge data, replace data on the service, or replace the data on your computer. After that, anytime you connect iPhone or iPod touch to your computer, iTunes opens and syncs with iPhone or iPod touch according to your settings.
You can adjust sync settings anytime iPhone or iPod touch is connected to your computer. You can only connect and sync with one iPhone or iPod touch at the same time. If you need to sync more than one iPhone or iPod touch, disconnect one before connecting the other.
Note: Syncing won't delete any contact in Yahoo! Address Book that contains a Messenger ID, even if you've deleted the contact from your address book on iPhone or your computer. To delete a contact containing a Messenger ID, log in to your Yahoo! account online and delete the contact using Yahoo! Address Book.
Syncing Contact Information from your Computer:
If you've set iTunes to sync contacts, iTunes automatically keeps your contacts up-to-date—whether you make changes on your computer or on iPod touch. iTunes supports syncing with the following applications on your computer.
On a Mac:
All Contacts you've chosen to sync, such as those in Address Book or Microsoft Entourage, will be synced with iPod touch. If you sync with Yahoo! Address Book, you only need to click Configure to enter your new login information when you change your Yahoo! ID or password after you've set up syncing.
On a PC:
Any Contacts you've chosen to sync, such as those in Windows Address Book (Outlook Express) or Microsoft Outlook, will be synced with iPod touch. If you sync with Yahoo! Address Book, you only need to click Configure to enter your new login information when you change your Yahoo! ID or password after you've set up syncing.
For information about syncing iPod touch with your calendar and address books, see "Getting Music, Videos, and Other Content onto iPod touch" in the iPod touch Features Guide.
Syncing Events:
In Mac OS X, if you are syncing multiple calendars, there is an additional setting in iTunes to specify which calendar is used for new events created on the iPod touch. In the Info pane, see the section labelled: Put new events created on this phone into the calendar: [calendar name].
When you create a new event on iPod touch and sync it back to the computer, it will appear in this calendar. This only affects new events, events you modify on iPod touch retain the calendar information that they had before.
Syncing Calendars from Your Computer:
If you've set up iTunes to sync calendars, iTunes automatically updates your calendar on iPod touch whenever you connect it to your computer.
On a Mac:
When you sync Calendars with iPod touch, calendars you've set to sync, such as your events and tasks in iCal and Microsoft Entourage, will be synced with iPod touch.
On a PC:
When you sync Calendars with iPod touch, Microsoft Outlook calendars you've set to sync will be synced with iPod touch.
