How to sync iPhone and iPad: messages, contacts, apps, email
Synchronizing your iOS devices can help you merge all the content you have on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and manage it from any device. You can listen to the music from your iPod on your iPhone during trips or keep your books and photos from the iPad on iPhone. In this article, you will discover how to sync your multiple iOS devices using your computer.
How to sync iOS devices
If you are using macOS or Windows, you can download the iTunes app to synchronize all your data from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. Just follow these simple steps. First, download and install iTunes to your computer if it’s not already installed.
On macOS
- The transfer procedure for macOS is pretty much the same as for Windows. Connect one of your iOS devices to the computer using a USB cable, open iTunes, and click on the device’s icon in the upper-left corner.
- Go to Summary.
- Choose the content you’d like to sync to your other devices.
- Now the content from one iOS device is synced with iTunes, and you can plug it out and plug in the other device. Follow the same steps above: Go to Summary and choose the content you’d like to synchronize. Press Done to start the transfer; after the procedure, you will see the related content on both devices.
On Windows OS
If you are using iTunes on Windows OS, open iTunes and connect one of your devices to your computer by using USB cable. When it is found by the software, the device icon will appear in the upper-left corner. Click on it, scroll down the page to your storage information, and click on Sync.
Select the data you want to transfer and click Apply, then Sync. Make sure the transfer process is finished and plug the device out. Now you can plug in the other iOS device and follow the same procedure to transfer the files.
How to sync iOS devices with Finder on Mac
Open Finder on your Mac and connect your iPhone, iPod, or iPad to your computer using the USB cable. Your device will appear in the left sidebar of Finder. Click on it and checkmark the content you’d like to sync: music, photos, movies, etc. Click on Apply and wait until the synchronization process is completed.
How to sync emails, messages, contacts, and apps with iCloud
The easiest and quickest way to sync your iOS devices is through iCloud. The iCloud server keeps all your backup data safe in one place, so all your devices are connected, and photo and video transfer is not a problem anymore. You can use it with or without a computer, which makes the process even easier.
To enable iCloud synchronization, you need to set it up on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. To do so, go to Settings > Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store; select iCloud and enter your Apple ID and password to log in. You should do the same procedure on all iOS devices linked to the same Apple ID.
Then, you can select the apps which will automatically transfer your files from your iPhone to your iPad, or vice versa. Scroll down to see which iOS devices are successfully synced with this one.
You can also access your files through the computer: just log in with your Apple ID to iCloud.com and you will see all your data stored there. You can download the iCloud app for Windows app to have all your data on deck.
Note: Make sure you have enough storage in iCloud, otherwise, the system will not be able to transfer the data automatically. The free iCloud maximum storage is 5 GB, but you can always upgrade it to 50GB, 200GB, or even 2TB. You can check different plans and pricing here.
How to sync with software
If, for any reason, you can not use one of the methods above, you can download and use the following software to synchronize your iOS devices.
- iMazing
A well-noted app called iMazing also serves as synchronization software to manage your iPhone, iPod, and iPad files. You can download it to your Windows computer or MacOS for free and transfer your files via a USB cable or Wi-Fi network. You can synchronize your favorite apps, photos, videos, even messages, and Safari data.
- CopyTrans
CopyTrans is an iTunes alternative that supports all iPod models and iPhones and runs on Windows. CopyTrans allows you to add music & video files to iPod and iPhone. You can download it from here.
Once installed, run the software and connect your iPod or iPhone to your PC. Your device will be detected, and its content will be loaded within seconds. To add music to your device, you can drag & drop files from your desktop or use the icons at the top of the interface.
- PhotoSync
PhotoSync app facilitates photos and video transfers between iPad, iPhone, and any computer (Windows, Linux, or Mac). Download the app and your iOS devices will be synced automatically, so all the photos and videos will be safely stored in case you lose your iPhone or iPad.
