IOS 8 won't sync music with itunes

Here's the strange thing - i'm having the same issue and 90+% of my music was from iTunes. When I had syncing issues and only some music would sync I have a playlist called "Old CDs" - they were mp3s taken from the Napster days and those SYNCED!!! However a lot of my iTunes didn't....I spent much of yesterday syncing - about 14 hours to get both music and videos on Iphone 6 Plus and I couldn't get ALL my music on the phone I would just get a strange error so no more syncing for me until I know it's fixed....btw I have a MBP mid 2009 running Yosemite (but sync issues started before I upgraded) with Itunes 12 and iPhone 6 Plus 64 gig.....

Cheers,

B

I wonder if an ALTERNATIVE to iTunes would do the trick. I mean, all of my stuff is in the cloud. All I need is something to transfer my music and audiobooks.

Here is a Lifehacker article I might try tonight.

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-ditch-itunes-forever-and-keep-syncing-your-ios-d-50 5568915

I've looked at MediaMonkey before as an iTunes alternative, but as I'm on OS X, it's not ideal (it'll run through VMware Fusion or Parallels, but that's a kludge). I think that the iTunes should split functions - keep the iTunes Store as a standalone (or add it to the App Store application), separate the Music Manager, Video Manager, Radio/Podcast features, or at least keep iTunes as a Media Manager application ONLY. Just my opinion, of course.

Someone asked earlier if my library was mostly purchased or ripped music, and I can say that my 12k or so songs are mostly (90%, roughly) ripped from CD. I save my CDs as FLAC (I use XLD for mac) on a separate drive, as a source backup, and then import to iTunes with an app I bought from the App Store called FLACtunes, which automatically converts to m4a Apple Lossless and imports it with all metadata intact to iTunes. Works quite well.

As of this morning, I've had a couple of days of correct syncing, so the combination of Restore, iOS 8.1, Yosemite continues to work well.

Cheers.

Day One of the biffnixx recovery process - I'm midway through the restoration from a previous backup, gonna be a while 🙂 I'm hopefully that you've stumbled onto something that gets me back to a fully functional iPhone by end of day tomorrow maybe. After that, I'm going to iTuners Anonymous and swearing off the stuff! Seriously, no more syncing for me! Every time I do bad things happen. If I just update apps, use Google to update my Calendars, and avoid new music completely (that's the hard one), I have no need for syncing with iTunes. Also closely following the latest dialogue on iTunes alternatives or splitting the product into multiple functions, that's some brilliant thinking, anything would help at this point. I have lost DAYS getting my iPhone back to Point 0 every time I make the mistake of syncing to iTunes. Thanks again for posting this particular one biffnixx. And yes, I was the one who asked about % of your music being your own ripped vs. purchased on iTunes, your answer further reinforces my particular situation which is similar. About the only difference is that I have half the music that you have, and I use a Windows PC. That's about it. Thanks again.

Biffnixx - a point of clarification on your process, and a question...

Point of clarification - I am currently restoring my iPhone 6 from a previous backup. That means that the process is currently copying back ALL 6400 tracks less the iTunes purchased ones. When that's done, the restore process is done, and then I continue by then deleting music under "manage storage" and so on. Just making sure, it takes a long time to delete then add then delete then add music. 6400 songs added takes me about 12 hours. That's why I am asking the question.

And can you or anyone else tell me more about Media Monkey, is that a Windows based product that would allow me to copy/sync media like MP3s, MP4s, etc. to my iPhone without the use of iTunes? Just curious, anything beats this 🙂

Hi mlb,

Media Monkey is marketed as an alternative to iTunes. I havn't tried it myself yet, but you'll be able to import your current music into it, as well as playlists.

Finally, it has the ability to sync with your iphone. I'm hoping this will fix the sync issue but one note in the article I read has me worried;

"You'll need to keep iTunes installed in order to sync, so you can't uninstall it completely"

This might imply that Media Monkey offloads the actual syncing to iTunes.

But until we try it, we'll never know....

Yikes is right, I think I'll pass for now. My game plan is to get the iPhone working 100% like it was last night before I made the dumb move to attempt a sync, then just stop syncing until I absolutely positively have to, or Apple fixes the problem(s), whichever comes first. If biffnixx's process that I'm following to the T actually works for me, then I have a bona fide workaround that I can use if and when I simply HAVE to sync. Thanks for the post.

Okay, so my process for syncing that actually worked was this:

1. My iPhone 6 Plus, 128GB was on iOS 8.0.2, so I started there.

2. Customized/installed apps and got the phone how I wanted it, but WITHOUT any music yet.

3. Backed up this configuration in iTunes 12 using the "Backup Now" button in iTunes 12.

4. Used the Restore button in iTunes 12 to upgrade to iOS 8.1 on release day (Monday, Oct. 20th, 2014).

5. I restored from previous backup, which restored all of my apps, folders, and settings on iOS 8.1.

6. Once that was done, you still have to go back in and set up your privacy and TouchID settings. So, I did that.

7. Backed up once again, so I had a clean iOS 8.1 install backed up, with all of my apps, but no music.

8. I then changed settings in iTunes to Automatic Sync When Phone is Plugged in.

9. I changed the settings in iTunes to Sync Music, with Entire Music Library checked.

10. Plugged phone into my laptop.

11. I waited eight (8) hours for the music sync to complete.

12. That was pretty much it.

I have since added both purchased and ripped music to my iTunes library, as well as removed music from the iTunes library, and so far, everything is properly syncing back and forth as expected.

Hope that helps. This is on a Macbook Pro retina 15", 2013, with Yosemite OS X, and iTunes 12. All software updates are installed.

Media Monkey (http://www.mediamonkey.com) is a media manager, and as such it will allow you to organize your media files, edit metadata, sort, filter, and sync your music with your iPhone or Android device. It will also rip and transcode existing files to other audio formats. Check the website for details. It has pretty good reviews, so since you're on Windows, you may want to give it a shot. I'm on OS X and there is no real equivalent. If there were, I would surely give it a try.

Cheers.

So over at BGR something being referred to as "DyeGate" is actually getting some play. For those who don't want to read the article it's basically that the dye from some mens jeans is staining the plastic antenna portion on the top and bottom of the phone.

http://bgr.com/2014/10/22/iphone-6-cases-plastic-strips-color-rubbing/

For the life of me I can't understand how something so trivial is actually getting a dedicated article on one of the biggest tech blogs out there yet "SyncGate" has been crickets...DESPITE this thread having 41,000+ views and countless other threads out there on the same issue. If my phone synced properly as every iPhone/iPod I've ever owned has then I wouldn't even mind if my jeans turned my phone a pastel shade of tie dye.

Yikes. Well, I stopped the process dead in its tracks in an effort to figure out what my next steps here should be based on your new information.

Here are my thoughts on how I can follow your process:

Okay, so my process for syncing that actually worked was this:

1. My iPhone 6 Plus, 128GB was on iOS 8.0.2, so I started there.

-- If I do a complete "Erase All Content and Settings" from the phone, do I get back to iOS 8.0.2 or whatever came with it originally? If YES, then it's worth it to follow your process but it means I lose EVERYTHING have to reinstall EVERYTHING, all apps, groupings of apps, settings, Bluetooth, everything, etc. Obviously NO music at this point. If NO, and this reset will still leave the phone at its present 8.1.

2. Customized/installed apps and got the phone how I wanted it, but WITHOUT any music yet.

-- This is actually the big problem for me, although it's more time and nuisance versus a problem. I've GOT the iPhone setup EXACTLY as I like it, right now, it's the music that's the issue. So again, I might have to make the sacrifice and just set it all up again from scratch. Worth it if it fixes the issue.

3. Backed up this configuration in iTunes 12 using the "Backup Now" button in iTunes 12.

- Got it

4. Used the Restore button in iTunes 12 to upgrade to iOS 8.1 on release day (Monday, Oct. 20th, 2014).

- I can do this if the "Erase" function downgrades me back to the original iOS version that came with the phone, if not, I'm SOOL.

5. I restored from previous backup, which restored all of my apps, folders, and settings on iOS 8.1.

- Got it

6. Once that was done, you still have to go back in and set up your privacy and TouchID settings. So, I did that.

- Got it

7. Backed up once again, so I had a clean iOS 8.1 install backed up, with all of my apps, but no music.

- Got it

8. I then changed settings in iTunes to Automatic Sync When Phone is Plugged in.

- I used to have this setting turned on all the time, turned it OFF at the direction of my AppleCare tech so that I could CHOOSE when to sync. Is there a reason why you feel strongly about this being set to automatic in order for this process to work?

9. I changed the settings in iTunes to Sync Music, with Entire Music Library checked.

- Got it from here on in 🙂

10. Plugged phone into my laptop.

11. I waited eight (8) hours for the music sync to complete.

12. That was pretty much it.

What about all of these previously mentioned steps? Yes or no and when did you do them in the process?

1. settings -> iTunes & App Store -> iTunes Match - turn off

2. settings -> iTunes & App Store -> Show All Music... turn off

3. general -> Usage -> Manage Storage -> Music -> Edit ... delete all songs

Thanks.

I don't think you have to start at 8.0.2. When I received my phone, I had iOS version 8.0 on it, but I immediately updated it to 8.0.2, just because, well, I like to have the latest version of everything. I skipped over 8.0.1, because it had already been recalled by Apple for the cellular calling issues that were widespread on its release. So, I upgraded to the latest version available when I received my phone, which was 8.0.2. I had all of my sync problems on 8.0.2.

If you're already upgraded to 8.1, I think that would be fine. Because of all of my sync problems on 8.0.2, I wanted to start with a clean slate, so I reset my phone to factory, and re-installed a 8.0.2 over the weekend, and configured the phone the way I wanted it (with all apps installed, folders organized, etc.) and waited for 8.1 to release on this past Monday (release day).

As soon as it was available, I used the procedure I outlined earlier. Backed up, upgraded to 8.1, then restored from backup (no music at this point).

The I synced with all music, and it's been working ever since.

The reason I chose to Automatically sync each time it's connected is simply because I like that functionality, and wanted to see if it worked with the new iOS version and new iTunes version. It did. Well, for me, anyway. Still working great.

As for those other steps to turn off iTunes Match, I did that when I was on 8.0.2, and before I backed it up without the music on it. I just wanted to make sure iTunes Match was off, that Show All Music was off, and there was no music on my phone before I backed it up, and upgraded.

Once I knew there was no music, no iTunes Match, no automatic downloading from iCloud, all that, then I backed it up.

I apologize if that wasn't clear. I wanted to start from a clean slate when I upgraded to 8.1, but I didn't really want to reinstall all of my apps and reorganize the folders. That's the only reason I did that, honestly. If I were more industrious, I would have started on 8.1 as a completely new installation, reinstalled all my apps, configured the phone from scratch, and then synced all the music. I'm just tired of reorganizing folders, honestly. All the sync issues with 8.0.2 sort of burned me out.

Anyway, as I said, it's working now, under every permutation of add/change/delete music in iTunes, so I think it's fixed for me.

Your mileage may vary in Windows, though! Good luck.

Thanks biffnixx...I have a new game plan. For now.

After I cancelled midway through the original process outlined, I took the phone for a ride and noticed that everything worked. Everything EXCEPT music. All of my apps are where I want them. Grouped and nicely laid out. Previous Bluetooth issues alleviated, Everything set up EXACTLY the way that I like except for music which worked fine until this very last sync. So the problem is the music, not the rest of the phone. I'm gonna keep on trying to fix the problem (music) and not fix everything else in addition to music.

So I'm starting with a variation on your process....I've done everything that I can possibly think of to remove every ounce of music from the phone, using the phone itself and iTunes. That includes one piece of your process which I had NOT done before but clearly made a difference - turning off the "Show All Music" option. Once I did that, the "ghosts of tracks lost" disappeared and there was literally this ONE track, one iTunes purchased track that I could not get rid of no matter what. So be it.

So once I had this perfectly working iPhone less music and the one mystery track, I did a backup in iTunes. Because that's just about the way I want the iPhone to look and work, less music of course. So at least I have some sort of backup.

And now, I am trying to desync/resync music to the phone, all 6400 songs, again. Overnight I got 80%, no rhyme or reason as to why it chose not to copy over the missing 20% or so, and like you, the vast majority of mine are my own ripped from CDs, not iTunes purchases. So I'm going to keep on trying, and trying, and trying again, to get back to the point of most if not all of my music back on the phone and working properly without zipping through missing tracks and all.

Or wait for Apple to recognize and fix these issues. Whichever comes first.

If I really and truly run out of patience, which is happening real soon, a third option is to start from scratch, I mean literally from SCRATCH. Contact Apple to find out how to really and truly completely deinstall iTunes. Create a restore point on my computer without iTunes. Reinstall iTunes. Rebuild my entire media library from scratch. Erase contents and settings on each and every device that has ever touched my iTunes application, including this iPhone. Sync and setup all Apple devices that I own from scratch. An ENORMOUS task, we're talking days if not weeks. And I would actually be foolish enough to do it if ironically I had any confidence that it's going to really and truly solve these issues.

I reiterate what I've been saying all along...there is no bona fide Apple provided solution to these problems. There are a lot of well intended people on these boards that are genuinely trying to help. And some may have found specific solutions to their specific environments which may or may not have truly and permanently fixed these issues. I have high expectations where Apple and their products are concerned, my patience is running out, these are Apple's problems to fix, not mine to fix for them.

In summation, I am mad as **** and not gonna take it anymore 🙂

So mlb32704, is your iPhone on iOS 8.1 now?

If not, then simply Restore to the new iOS version in iTunes, and proceed with the other steps. That will give you a fresh iOS install, keep your apps and folders, and then should be able to resynch from there. The key for me was the three changes I made - the iOS version, the OS X version, and the iTunes version. The combination of the latest of each of those fixed it.

Good luck.

My iPhone has been on 8.1 before during and after your process and mine. Same thing for iTunes, version 12, before during and after.

I probably could have let your old process continue and it might have been successful. The problem was that I already had some but not all of my music on the phone, so I wasn't sure that syncing was going to solve my problems or potentially make them worse.

I've always had the current iOS, iTunes and in my case Windows versions (I'm kind of....focused when it comes to patches, updates, etc.). As soon as they make themselves known as released and available, I generally update right away. THANKFULLY I missed that ONE iOS update that was causing everyone grief, whew. In any case, I don't know if the problem lies with iOS or iTunes version, but the problems DEFINTELY have something to do with my music. So at a minimum I'm going to get rid of all music (less that one friggin' iTunes purchased track, ugh) THEN sync. That's what I'm trying to do right now, currently on 236 of 6443 songs which is the CORRECT total. And that is the first time I've seen that and I THINK it had something to do with simply unchecking the option to "Show All Music" again, from one of the steps in your process which I had not done in the past.

Then again, I did basically the same thing overnight last night and woke up to at least 10 error dialogue boxes to the effect of "couldn't connect to iPhone" or "error 54" or something like that. It's almost as if the iPhone doesn't like when I walk away and leave it alone for extended periods of time, that's when bad things seem to happen 🙂

Oh well, still syncing, again, see you in 12 hours 🙂 Thanks for your help today biffnixx.

So I'm working again this morning. This is what I did...

1.) Deleted all music off of the iPhone manually first and foremost, using the "Manage Storage" setting. That included playlists. One purchased track just refused to be deleted, I finally gave up and said good enough.

2.) Deleted all music off the iPhone "again" by unselecting the "Sync Music" tab under iTunes, and performing a sync.

3.) Did a manual backup of the iPhone in iTunes exactly as I liked it from a setup perspective (icons, groupings, settings, BT, etc.) with NO music on it.

4.) Synced all music back to the iPhone by selecting the "Sync Music" tab under iTunes, and performing another sync.

Note that under the Summary page for the device, the ONLY option that I have selected is to convert songs to the smaller bit rate, that's it. No automatic syncing. No manually manage music. Nothing else.

This morning's update - this morning to 6443 out of 6460 tracks successfully synced over 12 hours back from iTunes 12.0.1.26 to my iPhone 6 128GB iOS 8.1. That's close enough for me 🙂

Further reading for your entertainment...

Of course, all of my playlists were GONE. Oh my goodness. I manually deleted them off the phone last night as part of the whole "get rid of everything music before syncing again" process. Holy cow, we're talking many, many playlists, years of work.

Lightbulb - a bunch of other Apple devices floating around the house but only one, ONE, an iPad 2, had all of my playlists on it. Holy crap how friggin' LUCKY am I? Stupid stupid stupid! So I've added "back up playlists" to my regular IT self maintenance list. But I digress....

iTunes still has problems. Syncing still has problems. This was not a slam dunk and too early in the morning to start drinking. So I hooked up the iPad which immediately WANTED to sync, cancel that sync. Did a backup. Exported all of my playlist .xml files somewhere well outside of iTunes view and access, random folder somewhere tucked far far away on the computer. Imported said playlist .xml files back into my iTunes library. Whew, OK that works.

Now the hard part.

After days worth of getting "all" of my music back onto the iPhone, and SWEARING never again to use iTunes until these sync issues are fixed by Apple, here I am, about to sync again, to try and get the playlists back onto the phone. The alternative is manually rebuilding them one by one, track by track, that's way too much work, I'd be better off just biting the bullet and starting from scratch. Again 🙂

So I hit the sync button, and let the iPhone sync one more time, watching every step along the way. Got to the last step, copied seven "new" tracks that I'm guessing it had issues with overnight but somehow my overall total of 6443 stayed the same.

And the playlists copied. All of them. And they work. All of them. I've been playing music, all of my music, individual songs and from playlists, for a while now, it works.

I promise not to sync again until Apple fixes this once and for all, and I promise to help anyone who asks me for help. And thanks to biffnixx and all who got me here.