iTunes wif-fi sync

[igorsky]

Don't feel bad, igorsky. You're not alone. I can't get my phone to sync over wi-fi either. Been following the prompts here and have the same experiences as you. I am using Windows XP. Could this be the issue? I read that iCloud is not supposed to work on XP. The first time I clicked SYNC NOW it looked like it was working, but then I got the message that it was waiting for my computer to become available. It was and is so not sure why it's not working.

Yeah this is really driving me crazy. It's always frustrating when you seem to have everything set up correctly and can't get it to work.

 

[lshartle]

I've found that I have to have iTunes open for it to sync via wifi. My PC is running Windows 7 & my son's is running XP and it's the same for both.
The Sync Now button is grayed out until we open iTunes & it shows the device on the left.
So apparently you have to keep iTunes running 24/7, pretty stupid unless I'm doing something wrong

PS The message "waiting for computer to become available" disappears as soon as I open iTunes and it finds my device. I assume it really means waiting for iTunes to become available

 

[Massie]

You don't have to leave it running 24 hours a day, but of course it needs to be open to sync. Just like it needed to be open when you did a sync via USB. But now you don't have to leave your phone tied to your computer while it happens.

 

[lshartle]

You don't have to leave it running 24 hours a day, but of course it needs to be open to sync. Just like it needed to be open when you did a sync via USB. But now you don't have to leave your phone tied to your computer while it happens.

True but then what's the point of no wires if you have to go to your computer & open iTunes. It's nice to be able to use it while it's syncing but it would be even nicer if it could sync with iTunes without having to open it first.

. . . always a catch

 

[jayes]

Itunes opens itself

This is probably related to the sync issue, but my itunes program is CONSTANTLY opening itself. It's as if it's got a mind of it's own. At first I thought it was the phone and ipad trying to access my account (while it was plugged in), but it happens when it's not plugged into any power source.It opens "unsigned in" so even if my sync was working, which it's not, it would not be able to access my account. But goodness.. what is causing it to open all the time? I shut it down and a few minutes later, it opens again. It's freaky! Anyone else experiencing this issue?

 

[pats300zx]

This is probably related to the sync issue, but my itunes program is CONSTANTLY opening itself. It's as if it's got a mind of it's own. At first I thought it was the phone and ipad trying to access my account (while it was plugged in), but it happens when it's not plugged into any power source.It opens "unsigned in" so even if my sync was working, which it's not, it would not be able to access my account. But goodness.. what is causing it to open all the time? I shut it down and a few minutes later, it opens again. It's freaky! Anyone else experiencing this issue?

Make sure that you have "Open Itunes Automatically When Phone is Connected" unchecked. My Itunes was opening every 5 mins or every time I opened my phone. It was driving me crazy.

 

[jayes]

Yep! That was the problem. I had Itunes set to automatically open when phone was connected.
Thanks for the tip.

 

[dougef2]

Yep! That was the problem. I had Itunes set to automatically open when phone was connected.
Thanks for the tip.

I had the same issue - was driving me nuts. This hopefully will fix it. Thanks.

 

[Pjr772]

I don't have the option in iTunes under summary to check to allow my device to sync via wi-fi. What does that mean. I do have 10.5 and iOS 5

 

[Massie]

That doesn't sound right. Make sure that you scroll down in the summary pane; the wifi option is below the backup settings options and you might not be able to see it without scrolling down. If you still can't find it, plug in your phone, click on it in the left hand column, and give us a screenshot to troubleshoot.

 

[rhp525i]

ITunes wi-fi sync

I think this could be an answer to a lot of wifi sync problems on iOS 5
Go to iTunes and look for edit, scroll down to preferences and go to devices.
On the devices page unclick the box that reads "prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically" This box has been a thorn in my side until now. Didn't know it even existed. Another forum member pointed it out to me.

Now with your iOS device plugged in, scroll down to bottom of page where it says options and check box that enables "sync with this iPhone over wifi".

Once I did these two things, I unplugged my iPhone and seconds later it showed up on the iTunes page wirelessly! Same goes for the iPad. Now you should be able to sync everything you want as you wish. Just make sure your device is plugged into a wall socket. I think it's because of battery drain if there a lot of movies and such which need syncing.

The only caveat to this process would be that when you just want to charge and not sync, the box under the devices section mentioned above must be checked, otherwise your phone or iPad will automatically start syncing. I hope this info helps anyone who is still having problems. Thanks!

 

[Pjr772]

Here are the screenshots with my phone connected. Not sure what I am doing wrong. View attachment 10712View attachment 10713

 

[Massie]

Are you running an older OS? You need Snow Leopard or Lion if you're on a Mac.

 

[jayes]

Okay. This is bizarre. Opened itunes to verify that I have all things checked appropriately like rhp525i suggested and both my iPad and iPhone started to sync. I can see the contents of both under devices. I could see all the new apps sync. However, NEITHER the iPad or the iPad were connected to their cables and charging!!! How can that be?

 

[CKisses]

Thanks for everyones help and suggestions. I was having the same problem. I'm not even sure what worked exactly (I tried everything!!) but my wireless sync is up & running!!

What I did discover & what may not be clear to others is that you can automatically sync wirelessly plugging your iphone/ipad into a power source OR manually sync wirelessly without plugging into anything by going through the settings>general>itunes wifi sync route.

It seems like some are under the impression that you MUST plug your phone into a power sower to sync. That's not true. (I thought that too until I got it to work). I think the requirement for having to connect to a power source for the automatic sync is so that your phone doesn't start syncing as soon as you walk in the door at home & you may not want it to. Or if you're on the go every time your phone & laptop land on the same wifi network, it starts syncing.

Hope that helps someone!

 

[jayes]

Thanks for everyones help and suggestions. I was having the same problem. I'm not even sure what worked exactly (I tried everything!!) but my wireless sync is up & running!!

What I did discover & what may not be clear to others is that you can automatically sync wirelessly plugging your iphone/ipad into a power source OR manually sync wirelessly without plugging into anything by going through the settings>general>itunes wifi sync route.

It seems like some are under the impression that you MUST plug your phone into a power sower to sync. That's not true. (I thought that too until I got it to work). I think the requirement for having to connect to a power source for the automatic sync is so that your phone doesn't start syncing as soon as you walk in the door at home & you may not want it to. Or if you're on the go every time your phone & laptop land on the same wifi network, it starts syncing.

Hope that helps someone!

Yes.. I found this to be true too. I have my iphone plugged in, but my ipad is not. Opened itunes and BOTH of them synced.

But according to the iphone manual that should not work. No wonder everyone is confused.

When Wi-Fi syncing is turned on, iPhone syncs automatically every day. iPhone must be connected to a power source, both iPhone and your computer must be on the same wireless network, and iTunes must be open on your computer. For more information, see ?iTunes Wi-Fi Sync? on page 149.

 

[Invid]

So I followed those steps exactly. But when I eject the phone, the "Sync Now" button on the phone gets gray and cannot be activated.

Don't eject your phone. When you are finished syncing you can disconnect the phone without ejecting it because unlike an iPod, the phone's filesystem was never mounted.

Ejecting it in iTunes means iTunes can no longer see the iPhone over wireless either. You'll notice now, with WIFI sync enabled, that even when you unplug your iPhone it will show as connected on the left pane. As long as that is the case, you should be able to sync manually and automatically (when connected to power).

 

[jayes]

Don't eject your phone. When you are finished syncing you can disconnect the phone without ejecting it because unlike an iPod, the phone's filesystem was never mounted.

Ejecting it in iTunes means iTunes can no longer see the iPhone over wireless either. You'll notice now, with WIFI sync enabled, that even when you unplug your iPhone it will show as connected on the left pane. As long as that is the case, you should be able to sync manually and automatically (when connected to power).

I was sure this was the solution to my problem. This morning BOTH the ipad and iphone mounted via wifi. I DID eject both of them.. evidently that's a no-no. (How come it's not written somewhere?.. the eject button is right there and oh so tempting.) When I opened itunes a while later, the ipad connected over wifi immediately, but the phone did not. No amount of cajoling will get it to link again. I have tried sync now (on the phone) while the phone is plugged into the computer (it sees it just fine) and pulling the cable without ejecting it hoping it would "remember" where it's at, but no luck. I suspect all the settings are correct since it has worked over wifi before and the ipad still links, but how do I get the iphone to behave? It's driving me nuts!!!

And no... I don't see the iphone in the left pane when I unplug it. It disappears immediately. In addition, the only time the SYNC NOW button on the phone is black, not grey, is when it is connected to the computer directly.

EDITED to add results of my "experiment":
I just plugged in the iphone into the computer via USB. It connected just fine. I did the sync using the sync button in iTunes this time - I did it on the phone previously. I unselected SYNC WIRELESSLY and hit apply. Then I re-selected SYNC WIRELESSLY and hit apply. Pulled the USB cable...and the iphone is still there!! Maybe you have to do things in a specific order. Also noted that the SYNC NOW button on the iphone is now black, not grey. However, it is NOT plugged into power so that part still confuses me since Apple manual says it must be plugged in.

 

[Elaine5006]

I guess I do not understand. If you have to be plugged into a power source and have your itunes open, why not just plug into your computer with itunes for updates?

 

[Rudeboy254]

I guess I do not understand. If you have to be plugged into a power source and have your itunes open, why not just plug into your computer with itunes for updates?

It does not have to be plugged into a power source!