Category: Cell Phone Talk
I have spent much time on iTunes on the computer, so thought it might be helpful to cover some of the aspects of it on your iPhone, or devices.
Again, I am open to suggestions, corrections, and anything else anyone would like to add, because this is my method, and how I get it done.
I am using an iPhone 4S for this. Apple keeps things same, so this should work on any iPhone, iPod, or iPad I’d be willing to bet.
Your screen layout may vary, but things will work as described.
I have tested it on an iPhone 5 as well, because it has a larger screen, so I thought it might be different. It isn’t
To get started, I suggest using a speaker, or some sort of headset. My reasons for this, is it is better to have your phone on a flat surface, not in your hand, so it is easier to navigate until you understand where things are. I also suggest removing it from any case that has sides that may cover some of the items on the screen. Use a cloth, or something as well to protect the back of it from being scratched, in case you slide it around a bit.
ITunes uses data, so it is best to make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi, or have an unlimited data plan.
Here is the Layout or how it should look.
You understand the iPhone has 2 views, Landscape, and portrait. The landscape view is when the home button is on the left, and the earpiece is to your right. The volume and mute switches are on the top right.
This view is great when visually playing games, or viewing video, or things that cover the screen. It also works well with some applications.
The portrait view, is when the earpiece is on top, the home button at the bottom, and the volume and mute switches are on the left side at the top. It is called portrait, because it is the way pictures most times are viewed.
For iTunes, I prefer Portrait, because things are laid out in a fashion that makes sense to me
To change the view, before you open iTunes, turn your phone in your hand left and right until you hear the view you want. I’ll be describing from portrait however.
You should find iTunes on the first page of your home screen. If your phone has been altered, this will depend.
When you open it here is how it should be.
Starting at the bottom, just above your home button moving from left to right, you have, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Search, and more.
All the screens will be laid out in the same fashion except if you select Search, or More.
To select, place a finger on the one you want and touch the screen with another finger. That creates the double tap. I’ll select Music for my example.
At the pop of the screen, moving from left to right you have, Genres, Featured, Tracks, and History. In the middle of the screen, depending on what you select, is the content, or information you want to see.
If you select Genres, you’ll find a list of these. To find them all go down the screen with a finger. You have 3 pages of these, so if you don’t find the Genres you want, scroll up or down.
To scroll, I use 3 fingers firmly placed on the screen about the middle, then I slide them up to go forward, and down, to go back a page.
To select the Genres you want, double touch it.
Before you select the Genres, choose either featured, or tracks. The page changes to the section and shows you what is available in that Genres when you select it.
If you decide to stay on the Genres you were on, you will find a cancel button at the top right side.
Featured, and tracks are exactly the same as on the computer. The featured might show tracks, and albums, and the tracks shows an assortment of single tracks. These results are determined by the Genres you’ve chosen. Each time you want to see other types, you much change the Genres.
A page of results might have more than one page, but this is not always the case.
History, is exactly as it sound. It is the history of stuff you’ve previewed. When you select it on the top left side you find clear, and on the top right side done. Your history content will be in the middle, and also might have several pages.
If you select clear, the phone will ask if you want to clear it. That is found about the middle of the screen. The yes and cancel buttons are under the question. Selecting done, means you are finished and returns you to the previous screen you were on.
The Movie, and TV Shows screens work exactly the same, with the exception of how you play and look at the content. Once you understand the music screen, you’ll be a pro, and these screens will be no problem.
The search screen is blank when you select it for the first time. At the top you find search file, and it invites you to double tap to edit. When it is selected, the keyboard appears, and you type in your search value.
After you have finished typing, your results appear automatically, if there are any, or it will say no results found.
On the right side top you’ll find the clear texts button. When you press this the screen invites you to double tap to dismiss. When you do this you are now back to a blank screen.
The more files, or just more has many things under it.
This screen is where you can find audio books, tones, Genius recommendations, your purchased history, and things that are waiting to be downloaded.
On the top right is an edit button. This allows you to change the other of things in your screen, just like moving things on your home screen. The phone gives you helpful tips on how to make it work.
These screens are selected by double touching the one you want, audio books, for example.
Under that you’ll find a selection or stuff, a back button on the top left, and across the top some choices to select. All buttons work as described.
The purchase, and download screen will be different.
Genius, is a system that selects things you might like based on the things you have purchased, or listened to. These selections are not things you have. It is a neat way to find new content.
To make it work, it must be turned on under settings, in your iTunes store account. I find this best done using the computer, not the phone. Genius is not always setup for you.
You have 2 roles of options in this screen instead of just one across the top, so look carefully, and you’ll find them.
The purchase screen is where you find all the content you own. In this screen you select the type of content you want to see, then can look at it.
Example, when I select music, I find at the top, all, or, not on this iPhone.
Not on this iPhone list the things that have not been downloaded, and this happens depending on your settings and various other reasons.
You might have removed some content from your phone, but it remains available to you in the iCloud, for example.
I’ll leave mine set to all. The first artist on my list is Anita Baker. If I run my finger to the right I find a number 5. That number tells me how many tracks I have of hers.
If I tap her name, the next screen brings me to these albums, or songs.
On the top of that screen, on the left is back, to my right top is a download all button. I also have the album and a star button that opens it or a download it, so you’ll find lots of choices in these screens. You can even play the music from this screen to decide if you want to download it.
I suggest just looking around to see what you find.
In my case, all my songs came from one album, so in this screen I see it, or the list of them.
I’ll talk about playing content later, and this screen is an exception as to where the play buttons are located.
The Downloads screen is where you find the new content you have purchased, but not downloaded. This also depends on your settings.
ITunes can be set to automatically download, only use Wi-Hi to download, or use the cellular data when you aren’t connected to download.
If you have a large data plan, or it is unlimited, setting the phone to use it is okay. I suggest, if not, make sure the phone is set to always use Wi-Fi when downloading content.
This setting is not found in iTunes, but in your main settings under iTunes/app store. When you open it you’ll see several choices.
Very nicely done. And thanks.
Now, I’d like to talk about how to play content, review it, and other things.
Before I do, I want to correct something I learned after I posted last.
You can turn on Genius with your phone. In the apps store when you open it, look across the bottom at the selections, and you’ll find genius. Click this on and look in the screen. You’ll buy now understand how to activate it.
The Apps Store is just like iTunes, on your first page of the home screen.
When you click it, you have to agree to some terms of service, and the agree button will always be near the bottom. If you look, you’ll find it.
You can also chose not to agree, but with all these type services, if you think you’re not going to agree, you are better not even starting to set them up. We must either agree, or not use it.
That button will be found at the top, right, and a cancel button.
Now I am going to try to explain how to play content on the phone. I say try, because it depends on the situation how you do it, or even if content is available to play.
For you that have used iTunes on the computer, you know that something’d are there, but are pre order items, or not yet available, but get much talked about as if they are. This is also true on the iPhone, but confusing at times.
At the time of this writing, Justen Timberlake has a new album coming, and that album is $10.99, and can be purchased, but, you can’t preview it.
To know this, you have to scroll through several pages, reading before you find that fact.
On the computer, this is easier to me to see, but on the phone requires some work, and seeking.
Only because I’ve used iTunes lots, do I understand right away, if I don’t see certain things on the first, or second screens, I’m not going to be able to preview it, but for the novice, I can understand if you decide iTunes is jinxed.
For this posting I’m going to set my selections to tracks, and go from there.
Remember, I explained you should select your Genres first, then when you select, Featured, or Tracks, you’ll have the type of music showing you want to listen to.
When I select tracks sliding my finger down the left side I hear buttons. These are play and stop in
One.
In the middle I hear the title of the song, and at the right price button.
You have to keep your finger going across the same line to keep the information the same for the song you find.
If you stop on a play button and touch the screen with another finger, the song will play. To stop it, don’t move your finger, and touch the screen again and that song will stop. If you move your finger you’ll either not be able to stop that song, or play another one.
These buttons are sort of tight, so I suggest moving slowly.
If I like what I hear and want to buy it I go to the right and double touch the button with the price on it.
My method to make sure I am getting the right song is to count down how many it is, sliding my finger down the middle to hear the song titles. When I know it is number 4, I go to the right and count down 4 price buttons
Don’t be nervous about choosing the wrong song, because before you actually buy it, iTunes ask if you are sure you want to purchase it anyway. You also will need to provide your Apple ID password.
Now, if you have been reading, you remember I said the play buttons are not always in the same place.
The purchase screen under more is an example of this. You’ll find these buttons on the right, instead of the left.
I suspect, this is the case, because you already own the title, so you don’t require a buy button again in this screen, but that is only my idea.
Sometimes when you click on an album title, in that screen you’ll find a line of options. Sound, Review, and related. If you select songs, directly under it, you’ll find either numbers as you go down on the left, or the buttons I described. Most times it is numbers, because these correspond to the number the song is on the album. The numbers work exactly like the buttons, in that if you place a finger on number 6, and touch the screen, number 6 plays. Keeping your finger on number 6 and touching the screen again stops it.
Review, and Related, are self-explaining.
I realize I have only given you a small amount of information about iTunes on your phone, but as always, post any questions and I’ll try to answer them, or hopefully someone else will for you.
I just think it rocks!
Once you have used it for a while, and gotten used to it, it will be really easy to use. Just remember, to go up and down and left to right to see what is available in a screen. Also scroll, because if you don’t see the content in a screen, chances are it might have more stuff to read.
Enjoy, and happy shopping.
Here are a few notes, tips, and observations that might be helpful.
I spoke some about playing the sings, and you understand that if you click on the song title, you’ll go to a page about that specific song. In my opinion, that is the best page to do things with it.
It is easier to purchase it, share it, and other options.
On the top of a contents page is where you find the share button, over to the right just little past the earpiece. The history button is last, and under that you have several options on how you want to do it. That is where you locate the gifting.
You can give a song to someone else buy using the gifting option directly. This charges your iTunes account.
When playing content in iTunes, and you stop and go do something else, when you come back, I think it is a good idea to move to a different place, or open your songs menu on the phone.
It seems that when using a headset if you press the play, you will still be listening to the content you were last on iTunes, so if you’ve moved away from your Wi-Fi connection, you might be using data.
Music video uses more data, so as a blind person, if I’m only wanting to hear the song, I chose that over the video if I’m on data.
In your regular stored songs, on the top left of the main screen you’ll find a store button. That is another quick way to get in to iTunes, and your cloud content, if you have it.
A headsets button functions work when using iTunes. Stop, skip, and such things.
Here is another tip that might be helpful.
I have said setting up your iTunes account is just easier on the computer, and I still feel that way.
This weekend, however, I was setting up someone’s iPhone, and didn’t have access to a computer, so used the phone to do it.
I think the best, and easier way to get this done is to go to settings on the phone.
Scroll down until you find iTunes/app store, tap it on.
Next, if you already have an Apple ID setup, tap it, if not tap on set it up.
In my case, I had done the setting up before, I had just signed out, because I needed to change the payment method, so the ID was already there.
If you tap it on you’ll see it, and view. When you tap on view you’ll need to provide the password. After you do this you’ll find all the account settings. This is a great way to sign in to all the services iTunes and the App store offer, or make your choices.
Remember I talked about the first page already, so you’ve got that covered.