iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks | How to use the new features of iTunes 9

CrazyMike writes another article for iPhone Life magazine, Winter 2010 Vol. 2, NO 1

iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks
How to use the new features of iTunes 9
by Michael Vallez

Apple continues to improve their legendary iPhone and iPod Touch interface with the release of iTunes 9. This newest version of iTunes tweaks some old favorites, like the Genius feature, and brings us some new favorites, like Home Sharing. This article will help you better understand some of the new features available to iTunes 9.0 users.

Setting up Home Sharing
Until the release of iTunes 9, the computer you used to purchase music from the iTunes Store was the computer the music lived on. It was possible to play it on another computer, but you had to jump through some hoops to do so. iTunes 9 includes a feature called Home Sharing which allows you to share music, videos, and other media on up to five authorized computers in your home network. Here’s how it works:

1) Open up iTunes 9 on your computer.
2) Select “Home Sharing” in the left sidebar. (If it’s not visible, click on the Advanced menu and select “Turn On Home Share.”) This displays the Home Sharing screen.
3) )Enter your iTunes user name and password, and then click “Create Home Share.”
4) Repeat these steps on each computer you want to share music on.
5) To import items from another computer, select the computer from the list below “Shared” in the left sidebar and drag the desired songs from its library to yours.

Using App Genius
New to iTunes with version 9, App Genius helps you locate apps that similar to ones you have already installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. Since there are over 85,000 apps to choose from, this new feature should help you cut down on the time you spend searching the App Store. Here’s how it works:

1) From your iPhone or iPod touch, tap on the App Store icon.
2) Tap on the button labeled “Genius” in the upper right corner of the display.
3) Tap on “Turn On Genius” and you’re prompted to fill in your iTunes password. Do so and hit OK. (Note that turning on Genius sends information about the apps you have installed to Apple. If you have a problem with this, don’t use Genius.)
4) You will be asked to agree to Apple’s conditions of using Genius. After you have agreed, Genius will take a minute or two to analyze your apps and send you its suggestions. These may include both paid and free apps, depending on the apps you have installed. You can purchase or download these suggestions directly from this screen.

Using the Sync Applications feature
My favorite new feature is Sync Applications. I have over 500 apps in my iTunes library, which until now has been rather difficult to manage. This feature makes it easy to install and uninstall apps and move icons around Home pages. Here’s how it works:

1) Connect your iPhone or iPod touch into computer and sync.
2) -Go to the Applications tab in iTunes. This tab displays a list of the apps you’ve purchased is on the left side of the screen and a representation of your Home screen(s) on the right side.
3) –To install an app, drag it from the left-side list to one of the Home screens or simply check the box next to the box next to the app in the left-side list.
4) To uninstall an app, uncheck the box next to it in the left-side list.
5) To move app icons, click and hold on them on the right-side screen and drag them to the place you want them. You can move them around the screen they are currently on or drag them to another Home screen.

The Sync Applications tab has a very helpful Search feature located immediately above the purchased apps list. It is particularly useful if you’ve purchased or downloaded a lot of apps and want to fine one without having to scroll through the list. Simply start typing the name of the app you are looking for and it will appear after you’ve entered a few letters of the name.

Auto-Syncing and syncing preferences
A cool feature added to iTunes 9 automatically fills any remaining space on your iPhone or iPod touch with songs. Here’s how it works:
1) Connect your iPhone or iPod touch into computer and sync.
2) Select your device in the left sidebar.
3) Click on the Music tab and check the box labeled “Automatically fill free space with songs.”

You can request iTunes to fill the extra space with songs from a specific playlist, higher-rated songs, and so on. Here’s how it works:
1) Connect iPhone or iPod Touch into computer and sync
2) Go to the Music tab
3) Under sub box “sync music” check the box marked “automatically fill free space with songs
4) This can be customized by checking different selections you may have in your iTunes music library
5) You can add genres, songs, artist’s, videso, etc
This functionality specifically lets you add more songs and videos without having to make another playlist or adding one song at a time. This feature takes some of the busy work off your plate.

Finally, iTunes has some additional preferences that help you better control what music, podcasts, TV shows, etc., are downloaded to your device. These can be found under the corresponding tabs.
This article discusses a few of the more important new features in iTunes 9 and shows you how to use them. However, there are many more new features that add power to iTunes. For a more complete description of these features, check out iTunes A-Z.