ITunes goodbye: how to sync iPhone with Mac

Apple's media management software is being deleted and split into three different applications. Now to manage the iPhone you will have to go through the Finder

On Monday, Apple released the new version of macOS, the operating system for desktop and laptop computers from the bitten apple. Among the many new features introduced with macOS Catalina 10.15 there is a very important one, which marks the end of an era, or rather, the end of a software: iTunes.

Initially designed to play and organize multimedia files on Mac, iTunes has become essential over time, first to manage the iPod, then the iPhone and later the iPad. Now, the arrival of macOS Catalina eliminates iTunes and replaces it with three applications divided and designed for different uses: Music, TV and Podcasts. It's a very unclear choice to divide an app into three different applications, but only with time we'll understand what are the real intentions of the developers of the bitten apple.

How to synchronize iPhone with Mac

Having solved the mystery of functionality (with Music we'll listen to songs, TV will be used to play video files and so on), now the question remains: how to synchronize the iPhone with the Mac? Now that the "ad hoc" software is gone, how will it be possible to connect the iPhone to the PC and check its status or make backups?

It's much simpler than you think. With the new operating system, the iPhone connected to the Mac via cable will appear in the Finder as a normal external disk. The iPhone appears in the left-hand column of the Finder window, where external devices such as USB sticks or portable hard drives are normally displayed.

Clicking on the iPhone entry brings up a screen identical to the one that used to be shown in iTunes to manage the Cupertino smartphone, in particular to backup or update it, as well as restore the phone. However, there is one difference, for example, if you want to upload songs to your iPhone, from now on you'll have to create a special folder in the new "Music" app and not take them directly from iTunes as you used to do.

Backing up your iPhone

Also backing up all the data on your iPhone is done through the Finder. By selecting the "General" item on the screen, you can select the backup mode, i.e. decide whether to save all the data to iCloud or locally, directly to your computer.