How to Add Music to iPhone

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: July 28, 2022 Tested

Syncing Your iTunes Library

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Buying Music

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Streaming Apple Music

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Other Streaming Apps

|

Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to add music to your iPhone's Music app. You can do this by synchronizing your computer's iTunes library onto your iPhone, by purchasing music in your iPhone's iTunes Store, and by using an Apple Music subscription. You can also use a free music streaming service such as Spotify or Pandora to listen to free music if you don't mind ads.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Syncing Your iTunes Library

1
Open iTunes. Its app icon resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background.
2
Add music to iTunes if needed. Aside from purchasing music, there are a couple of different ways that you can add music to iTunes:
- MP3 file - You can add MP3 files to iTunes by double-clicking them if iTunes is your default music player, or you can click File, click Add Folder to Library, select a folder that contains your music, and click Select Folder in the bottom-right corner of the window.
- Audio CD - You can add a CD's contents to iTunes by inserting your audio CD into your computer's CD tray, clicking the CD's icon in iTunes, and clicking Import CD.
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3
Attach your iPhone to your computer. Plug the USB end of your iPhone's charger cable into one of your computer's USB ports, then plug the other end of the cable into your iPhone's charging port.
4
Click your iPhone's icon. It's the iPhone-shaped button in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window. Doing so will open your iPhone's page.
- Your iPhone's icon won't show up for a few seconds, so don't worry if you don't see it immediately after
5
Click Sync. It's a grey button in the lower-right side of the iTunes page. Your music will begin adding to your iPhone.
6
Wait for your music to sync. Depending on how many songs you have to add to your iPhone, the amount of time that this process takes will vary.
7
Click Done. It's a blue button in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will close the iPhone's page and return you to the Library page. Your music should now be on your iPhone.
- If some of your music doesn't properly transfer, close and re-open iTunes, then try syncing again.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Buying Music

1
Open your iPhone's iTunes Store app. Tap the iTunes Store app icon, which resembles a white star on a magenta background.
2
Tap Search. It's a magnifying glass-shaped icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3
Tap the search bar. You'll find this at the top of the screen. Your iPhone's keyboard will appear on-screen.
4
Search for music. Type in the name of a song, an artist, or an album, then tap Search in the bottom-right corner of your iPhone's keyboard.
5
Select music. Tap the album or artist for which you searched, then find a specific piece of music (e.g., an album or a song) that you want to download.
- If you searched for a specific song, just look for that song on the results page.
6
Tap the music's price. This will usually be to the right of the song or album that you decided on.
7
Confirm the purchase. When prompted, scan your Touch ID or enter your Apple ID password. The music will begin downloading into your iPhone's Music app.
8
Wait for the music to download. This can take a few minutes if you're on a slow wireless connection or if you bought a whole album. Once the music finishes downloading, you'll be able to find it in your iPhone's Music app.
- If you purchase an album, songs that have finished downloading will have a PLAY button to the right of them.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Streaming Apple Music

1
Open your iPhone's
Settings. Tap the Settings app icon, which resembles a grey box with gears.
- In order to add music to your iPhone with Apple Music, you'll need an Apple Music account.
2
Scroll down and tap Music. This option is the iTunes logo that's about halfway down the "Settings" page.
3
Tap the grey "Show Apple Music" switch
. It will turn green
. Doing so will allow you to access the Apple Music library.
4
Tap the grey "iCloud Music Library" switch
. It will also turn green. Enabling this option will let you download music from the Apple Music library directly to iTunes.
5
Tap Keep Music when prompted. Doing so allows you to save all original copies of your music in addition to anything you download from Apple Music.
6
Tap the grey "Automatic Downloads" switch. This ensures that any music you add to your iCloud Music Library will be downloaded to your iPhone's storage so you can play it even while offline.
7
Press your iPhone's Home button. Doing so will minimize the Settings app and return you to the Home Screen.
8
Open Music. It's a white app with a multicolored musical note on it.
9
Tap Search. This option is in the bottom-right corner of the screen, just below a magnifying glass icon.
10
Tap the search bar. It's at the top of the page, just below the "Search" heading.
11
Tap Apple Music. This tab is on the left side of the page and below the search bar; selecting it will cause your search queries to look through Apple Music instead of your library.
12
Type in a song, artist, or album name. You can download individual songs or entire albums from Apple Music.
13
Tap Search. It's the blue button in your iPhone's keyboard. Doing so will search Apple Music for your item.
14
Tap ＋ to the right of a song. For an album, tap the album first, then tap +ADD near the top of the album page. Doing so will download your selected media to your iPhone's Music library.
- You'll be able to listen to any downloaded Apple Music items even when you're offline.
- Downloaded Apple Music items will have a cloud icon to the right of their names.
- You may have to confirm your choice to download the song or album before it will download.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Other Streaming Apps

1
Connect to Wi-Fi if possible. Streaming music can eat up your mobile data plan pretty quickly, so try to limit streaming to wireless networks if possible.
2
Open your iPhone's App Store
. Besides adding music from your computer or purchasing it from iTunes, you can stream music using free streaming apps. These apps are typically supported by ads that play after a few songs.
3
Download a streaming app.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.} There are a variety of streaming services available. Below are a few of the more popular apps, all of which have free streaming options:
- Spotify
- Pandora
- Google Play Music
- Slacker Radio
4
Download the app. Tap GET to the right of your selected streaming service, then enter your Apple ID password or Touch ID.
5
Open the app and create an account. You'll need an account, even if you're streaming for free. The account creation process varies depending on the service you are using, but generally you'll just need to enter your email and create a password.
- Spotify can use your Facebook account to log in.
- Google Play Music can use your Gmail account to log in.
6
Find a song or artist to listen to. Different streaming apps will offer different options for starting music. Generally you can search by artist or song and start radio stations based on that search.
- For example, Spotify allows you to pick the exact songs you want to listen to, while Pandora will create stations based on artists, songs, or genres that you enter.
7
Start listening to your music. As long as you have an internet connection, you'll be able to stream your selected music. If you're using a free account, you'll likely hear some ads every now and then.

Community Q&A

Question

Why is iTunes saying my old songs will be deleted when I add new songs?

Community Answer

This occurs because the iPhone can only contain songs from a single iTunes library. If you added music to your iPhone on another computer, the old music will be deleted before new music can be added.
Question

How do I open downloaded music using UC Browser or Opera Mini?

Community Answer

You will have to click on the "download" option inside of the menu in Opera or UC. There isn't a way to take downloaded music from UC or Opera and put it inside of your music library.
Question

How do I get music on my iPhone for free?

Community Answer

You can convert videos from YouTube to MP3 to put on your phone; check out wikiHow to Convert YouTube to MP3.