While MP3 has been the most popular music format for decades, and iPhones have been the best-selling smartphones around the world, they haven’t worked well together natively for a long time.
On Mac and iPhone, iTunes (now called Music) has been pushing its own AAC format, which was designed to become the successor to MP3 by generating higher sound quality at the same bit rate. AAC (or M4A) is still the predominant audio format when you buy or download songs from the iTunes Store.
However, there are more than a few ways to add MP3 directly to iPhone from your Mac. So if you are wondering how to transfer MP3 from iPhone to computer or vice versa, this guide is for you.
How to Transfer MP3 to iPhone with Music
When you want to add download MP3 to iPhone, Mac Music is probably the first choice that comes to your mind. The Music app first appeared in macOS Catalina (10.15) and is a direct descendant of iTunes, which has now been split into Music, Podcasts, and TV.
If you’ve used iTunes to transfer songs before, then Music will look very familiar on its interface. So here is how to add MP3 directly to iPhone from Mac.
Note: Apple Music subscribers do not need to actively sync their music between devices, as it is done automatically through iCloud.
- Launch music from apps
- Connect your iPhone via USB cable (you may need to unlock it)
- Make sure your iPhone appears in the Music sidebar
- Navigate to your library (songs, albums or artists)
- Select the songs you’d like to transfer (hold ⌘ to choose many)
- Drag and drop your selection on your iPhone
If you have checked “Sync music to…”, your iPhone can sync with your entire library automatically as soon as you connect it to your Mac. This is why many people find Music or iTunes confusing. Fortunately, there are many other ways to add MP3 directly to iPhone.
How to sync music using Finder
For a long time, iTunes used to be the only way to add MP3 to iPhone. But in the latest versions of macOS, Apple has opened up the option for files to be transferred using a regular Finder window, which finally answers the question, “How do I transfer MP3 from computer to iPhone without iTunes?”
So here is how to transfer MP3 to iPhone with Finder:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable
- Open Finder and select on your iPhone in the sidebar
- Click Manage Storage… at the top.
- switch to songs
- Drag and drop any music from your Mac there to sync
Similarly, you can use Finder to remove any music or other media from your iPhone. But if you want to have a more holistic approach to iPhone management, you have to use a different type of app.
How to manage your iPhone with ease
It is important to know how to transfer MP3 to iPhone. But there is much more to manage your smartphone effectively. How about transferring videos or photos, updating backups, moving data to a new phone, mirroring the screen on your Mac, and even changing ringtones?
AnyTrans for iOS can do all of that and much more. A smart alternative to iTunes, AnyTrans makes transferring any type of files or data between your devices a breeze and is a brilliant solution to the “how do I transfer MP3 files to my iPhone without iTunes” problem.
First, AnyTrans makes sure that all your devices are perfectly in sync. It then backs up all your data, including third-party apps like WhatsApp, so you’re always ready to switch phones or recover your data if you lose yours. Finally, it helps you download any media from over 900 websites directly to your phone, bypassing all the regular syncing rules we’ve covered above. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
How to Add MP3 to iPhone from Cloud Storage
If you prefer a more direct way of handling your music files and don’t want to risk the Music app converting your MP3s to M4A, you can skip the sync process entirely and rely on the third-party cloud to move your files. .
Nowadays, we all use cloud services, be it Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive or something else. Most of them have apps for Mac and iPhone, which automatically sync all files with each other.
The process for moving files to the cloud is basically the same:
- Open Finder and click on the cloud service in the sidebar (for example, Google Drive)
- Drag and drop files from your desktop to the cloud or specific folder
- Open that cloud service app on your iPhone and download the newly transferred files
However, if you use multiple cloud storage apps (especially in free tiers), this process can be a bit troublesome. So you’d be better off with a unifying cloud storage solution.
Dropshare not only merges all of your cloud services into a single icon in your menu bar, but also adds an entirely separate layer of features on top, from importing scanned documents directly to your phone to annotating screenshots and sharing. files in seconds with automatic links. Finally, you’ll have full control of your files like never before.
How to Transfer MP3 to iPhone via AirDrop
Another way to transfer MP3 from iPhone to computer as well as any other files is by using the built-in AirDrop feature.
AirDrop is a native service for sending files across all iOS and macOS devices first released in 2011. It uses a combination of WiFi and Bluetooth to transfer data and currently has no file size restrictions.
How to sync folders and backups between devices
While we’ve covered plenty of ways to transfer files and even automatically sync them to Music or Finder, there are other ways to keep your information up to date across all your devices. Using a file sync manager.