Advanced users of Apple technology know that saving audio recordings for free listening is quite problematic. Inexperienced owners often ask questions like how to download music to an iPhone. The reason for this is that Apple products do not have the ability to freely use audio files like systems with Android OS. The restriction causes some discomfort when using the gadget, especially since domestic buyers are not willing to pay for songs that are freely available on the Internet. For such situations, the operating system manufacturer has provided several mechanisms for legally downloading and listening to content on the iPhone.
Why is there no default music on my phone?
Initially, the manufacturer does not provide the ability to listen to media content offline on its devices. In normal mode, tracks can only be played via the Internet on the appropriate pages. The limitation is justified by two factors.
- The manufacturer’s desire to earn extra money from paid content for iPhones and increase their own income. This manifests itself simply: if you want to listen to music, pay.
- Copyright protection and preventing piracy. In the United States, where the company is headquartered, there are strict laws prohibiting the copying and distribution of audio tracks without a special license, accompanied by the purchase of the right to distribute and use the intellectual property.
Thus, when asked how to download music to an iPhone, the buyer has no choice but to buy the song in the official store.
On the other hand, modern iPhone users and software manufacturers in the CIS are finding ways to bypass restrictions and make it possible to upload a couple of tracks from the Internet or download it from a PC.
What music formats does iPhone play?
| MP3 | A popular compression and lossy format with a small file size and low quality. Convenient for storing music on smartphones. |
| A.A.C. | An alternative to MP3, also compressed and lossy, but sounds better. Used to download files with a bitrate of 256 kbps from iTunes and broadcast from YouTube. |
| WAV | The standard 16/44.1 digital format in which all CDs are recorded. High quality and huge file size, poor metadata support. |
| FLAC | Lossless compression format with high bitrate and metadata support; The file sizes are much smaller than WAV. |
| ALAC | Apple's own lossless compressed format with high resolution, metadata support and half the size of WAV. |
| DSD | Format used in Super Audio CD. Not too popular; There are options with sampling rates of 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 MHz. |
Let's start with what the standard iPhone can do. Apple iTunes and Apple Music are built-in software music players for all laptop and iPhone models, respectively, and are capable of playing audio files in MP3, AAC, ALAC, WAV and AIFF formats.
They don't support DSD, and although FLAC is listed in the specifications of all iPhone models from 8 to 11, Apple devices do not have FLAC support built-in.
You won't be able to play recordings in this format using Apple Music or the Files app.
Officially via iTunes
The standard way to record music on iPhone from a computer is based on a simple procedure.
- Download and install the program on your PC from the developer’s official website.
- Launch the application and follow the factory instructions for installing it.
- Open the Music tab, where the user will be offered a list of songs present on the computer.
- To add personal music, you will need to open an icon with the name file in the section menu.
- Next, you need to click on the add to library icon.
- Next, the user will see a field where songs will be located, which can be selected and clicked on the “open” button.
- In iTunes music, a separate folder will be added.
- After the list is completely formed, you need to connect your smartphone to your computer to download music.
- After the connection is established, a phone icon will appear in the program window.
- Next, to transfer music to your iPhone via iTunes, you need to open the contents window of your smartphone and click on music.
- Here you have the opportunity to install all or individual compositions on your iPhone.
- After determining the required data, click on the “Synchronize” button.
After this, the iPhone is disconnected from the computer and the success of synchronization is checked.
Bridge: guest from Cydia!
Another option to download music from the Internet is only suitable for jailbroken devices. You need to use a tweak (as applications from Cydia are called) called Bridge , located in the well-known BigBoss repository (storage). The main advantages of the tweak are that it allows you to add files to the library of the standard Music application, allows you to edit the metadata of songs, and is not expensive - $2 is affordable for any iPhone user.
The instructions for using the Bridge are as follows:
- Launch Safari and find a site where you can download your favorite composition for free (for example, the same “Zaitsev” or www.get-tune.ru).
- Long tap to open the menu Safari and select "Copy". A direct link to the file will be saved to the clipboard.
- Open Bridge and go to the “Download” tab.
- In the Enter-URL field, paste the saved link and click Go. The download will begin.
- Once the download is complete, edit the meta data. This is important for classifying songs in the Music app. You can also choose a cover image for your composition from the Photos app at this point.
- Click the “Import” button and enjoy your favorite music in the built-in player!
It seems that downloading music through Bridge is an option without any downsides, however, there is still one drawback: the program is quite picky about download links. For correct downloading, the user needs to find a direct link that does not require registration with a login and password, entering a captcha and a redirect.
Flash drives for iPhone
A modern solution for downloading audio to iPhone for free is the use of special drives where files are stored and played from an external drive.
It works like this:
- An external drive is inserted into the computer;
- Media and other files are downloaded to the flash drive;
- a third-party application of the appropriate type is downloaded to the phone;
- the device is rearranged into the iPhone and synchronized with the gadget;
- after that you can listen to music.
Important! It is noteworthy that without a special program it will be impossible to reproduce data from the drive.
"Yandex.Music" - an easy way to download and listen
In the service catalog, more than 35 million tracks are available for listening, which can also be saved for offline listening. The interface is truly convenient and beautiful, it is intuitive how to create playlists and import music into the music library. To get started with the program, do the following:
- Find it in the App Store and download it. Let's launch. To log in you will need a Yandex account. Mail”, if it is not there, select “I am a new user” and register. —
- Will be offered free use for the first month if you subscribe. You can cancel your subscription in the future.
- It is possible to select your favorite genres, and the search for tracks is very flexible and always produces the results that were expected. You can search by artist, album or song title.
- To download a track, select it, open “properties”, then click on the icon at the top, as shown in the screenshot.
- To search for all downloaded songs, open the “My Music” section. Next – “saved tracks”.
A wide selection of compositions to suit tastes is available. You can add as many songs as your heart desires to any created playlist, and thanks to the simplicity of the interface, even a novice user can understand all the functions of the application.
Download music to iPhone via VK
When asked how to download music to an iPhone, you can use third-party programs that provide access to download files from the VKontakte catalog. There is no free access to the procedure on the site itself. Here you can only listen to songs on your iPhone online.
Typically, users can install free applications from the UpStore cloud. The downside is that the programs are on the service for a limited time and it’s quite difficult to catch the moment. If the attempt is successful, this will allow you to download audio from the VKontakte wall or a special tab.
What is Lossless
Lossless data compression – lossless data compression. This is the common name for photo, video or music compression methods, using which the encoded data can be restored with bit accuracy.
Data is completely restored from a compressed state without losing quality compared to the original. While we're talking about music, the most common lossless audio compression format is FLAC. Unlike MP3, AAC, WMA and the like, FLAC does not remove any information from the audio stream.
Soundcloud
The SoundCloud application is a service of the same name, designed for listening, searching for audio files and communicating between music lovers. Here the user can select a playlist, arrange songs for comfortable listening, and even download some songs to the iPhone. Accordingly, it will not be possible to find some compositions - this is a file hosting service where everyone can upload what they see fit.
It is also noteworthy that the use of the program does not entail a violation of the copyrights of performers and owners. When installing the software, all people fill out a special form confirming that the person will not use the compositions for commercial purposes. Signing an agreement guarantees compliance with the law.
Important! Additionally, there is the opportunity to like, comment, and correspond.
Tidal Masters: Stream Music in Hi-Res Audio
Now you know how to save and play Hi-Res audio files on iPhone. But there is another way to get your hands on them - streaming.
In 2022, streaming service Tidal launched the Tidal Masters channel, making high-resolution MQA files available at no additional cost to subscribers of the £20-a-month HiFi package. At first, the channel could only be accessed through the Tidal desktop app, but later the option for hardware integration into select MQA-compatible devices (such as the Bluesound Node 2 network music player) was added.
In January 2022, Tidal announced support for the Masters channel in the Android app and later extended it to iOS software compatible with Apple devices running iOS 11 or later.
Just like the Android version, the iOS app can perform first pass decoding of MQA files, decoding them into streams up to 24-bit/96 kHz.
But there is a better option. To fully decompress the MQA stream for playback and thus get a more accurate representation of the file based on your system's specifications, you can connect your Apple device to an MQA-compatible DAC - such as the AudioQuest DragonFly Red - and thus transfer the decoding process from the program (iOS Tidal app) to a digital-to-analog converter.
However, even in the absence of an MQA-compatible DAC, Apple owners will be able to take advantage of having an application that supports 96 kHz (or lower) output sampling rates. Just keep in mind that you'll need either Lightning headphones compatible with Hi-Res audio or a DAC to do this, as the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter's output is limited to 48 kHz.
Sync iPhone with iTunes Library
Just because you've added all the music you want to Apple's media player doesn't mean it should already appear on your iOS device. First you need to synchronize:
- We connect the device to the PC via Wi-Fi or using a USB cable;
- Launch iTunes if you have already hastily closed it;
- Go to the tab called “Overview”, then “Devices” and select our iOS device model;
- In the “Options”, check the “Process manually” checkbox, so you can get additional flexibility in the synchronization settings by group (genre, playlist, artist, etc.);
- In the “Music” tab, you need to check the box next to “Synchronize music”, after which the synchronization settings will become active. Here you can configure the principle of loading a group of files;
- After you have selected everything, click “Apply”. Now new music will appear on your mobile device.
