Chapter 22
iTunes on Your Device
In this chapter, you will learn how to locate, buy, and download media using the iTunes app right on your iPhone. With iTunes, you will be able to download music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks. You will also learn about free educational content from leading universities from the iTunes U section on iTunes, as well as how to redeem iTunes gift cards.
Some of us still remember going to the record store when that new single or album came out. It was an exciting feeling to look at all the music we wanted, browsing first through all the vinyl albums, then tapes, and, finally, CDs.
Those days are long gone with the iPhone. Music, movies, TV shows, and more are available right from the iPhone itself.
iTunes is a music, video, TV, podcast, and more store. Virtually every type of media you can consume on your iPhone is available for purchase or rent (and often for free) right from the iTunes store.
Getting Started with iTunes
Earlier in this book, we showed you how to get your music from iTunes on your computer into your iPhone (see Chapter 3: “Sync With iCloud, iTunes, and More”). One of the great things about iTunes is that the store makesit very easy to buy or obtain music, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks, and then use them within minutes right on your iPhone.
The iPhone allows you to access the iTunes site (the mobile version) right on your device. After you purchase or request free items, they will be downloaded to your Music or Videos app on the iPhone. If you have have iCloud and have turned on automatic downloads, any music you buy will automatically be downloaded to your other iOS devices and iTunes on your PC. Movies will transfer the next time you sync with your desktop ITunes library.
A Network Connection Is Required
You do need an active Internet connection (either Wi-Fi or 3G/cellular) in order to access the iTunes store. Check out Chapter 4: “Network Connectivity” to learn more about this.
Starting iTunes
When you first received your iPhone, iTunes was one of the icons on the first Home screen page. Touch the iTunes icon, and you will be taken to the mobile version of the iTunes Store.
NOTE: The iTunes app changes frequently. Since the iTunes app is really a web site, it is likely to change somewhat between the time we wrote this book and when you are looking at it on your iPhone. Some of the screen images or buttons may look slightly different than the ones shown in this book.
Also, iTunes content can vary considerably from country to country. Depending on where you live, you might not have access to movies, TV shows, or other media. However, Apple continues to add iTunes content to more and more regions, so be sure to check back occasionally.
Navigating iTunes
The iTunes app uses icons similar to other programs on the iPhone, so getting around is quite easy. There are three buttons at the top and five soft keys at the bottom to help you. You can customize these soft keys and we show you how In the next section.. Notice in the image to the right the soft keys at the bottom. Scrolling in iTunes is just like scrolling in any other program; move your finger up or down to look at the selections available.
Customizing iTunes Soft Keys
It's simple to customize the soft keys shown at the bottom of the iTunes screen. Tap the More soft key in the lower left corner. Then tap Edit in the upper right corner.
Now, you can change the soft keys by dragging and dropping any of the icons from the top down onto the soft key toolbar at the bottom. Any item you drop will replace the icon that was currently there.
Tap Done to complete the changes and return to iTunes.
Finding Music with New Releases, Top Tens, and Genres
Along the top of the screen of the iTunes music store are three buttons: Featured, Top Charts, and Genius. By default, you are shown the Featured selections when you start iTunes.
Top Tens: The Popular Stuff
If you like to know what is popular in a particular category, you will want to browse the categories under Top Tens. Tap Top Tens at the top, and then tap a category or genre to see what is popular in that category.
CAUTION: Items in the Top Tens categories are selling well, but that doesn't mean that they will necessarily appeal to you. Always preview an item and check out its reviews before you pay for it.
Genres: Types of Music
Touch the Genres button to browse music based on a genre. This is particularly helpful if you have a favorite type of music and would like to browse just that category.
There is an extensive list of genres to browse; just scroll down the list as you would in any other iPhone app.
Go ahead and browse through the music until you see something that you would like to preview or buy.
Browsing for Videos (Movies)
Touch the Movies, TV Shows, or Movie Videos buttons on the top to browse all the video-related items.
You can also use your finger to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to check out the links there, including these links in particular:
- Top Tens
- Genres
TIP: At the very bottom of most pages, you can also Redeem a gift card or log out of your Apple ID and log into another Apple ID account. This is useful if someone (maybe your children) has changed the Apple ID and you want to get back to get back to yours.
Tap any movie or video to see more details or preview the selection. You have the option to rent or buy some movies and TV shows:
- Rentals: Some movies are available for rent for a set number of days. Click this button to rent a title.
NOTE:The rental period in the US is 24 hours, and the rental period in Canada is 48 hours. The rental periods for other countries may vary slightly.
- Buy: Clicking this button allows you to purchase and own the movie or TV show forever.
Finding TV Shows
When you're done checking out the movies, tap the TV Shows button at the top to see what is available from your favorite shows.
When you tap a TV series, you will see the individual episodes available. Tap any episode to check out the 30-second preview (see Chapter 15: “Viewing Videos” for more on watching videos). When you're finished with the preview, tap the Done button.
When you are ready, you can buy an individual episode or the entire TV series. Many, but not all, TV series allow you to purchase individual episodes as shown in Figure 22–1.
For example, you might want to get your fix of Modern Family and see the pilot episode that you missed. You can do this quickly and easily on your iPhone.
Figure 22–1. Buying a TV season or episode
NOTE: There is also a Free TV Episode category, where you can get samples and bonus content.
Audiobooks in iTunes
Audiobooks are a great way to enjoy books without having to read them. Some of the narrators are so fun to listen to that it is almost like watching a movie. For example, the narrator of the Harry Potter series can do dozens of truly amazing voices. We recommend that you try out an audiobook on your iPhone; audiobooks are especially great when you are on an airplane and want to escape from the rest of the passengers, but don't want to have the light on.
TIP: If you're a big audiobook listener, getting an Audible.com subscription can get you the same content at cheaper prices.
If you are an audiobook aficionado, be sure to check out the Audiobooks section in iTunes.
You can click the one of the top three buttons to browse the following areas in Audiobooks:
- Featured
- Top Tens
- Categories
iTunes U: Great Educational Content
If you like educational content, then check out the iTunes U section.You will be able to see whether your university, college, or school has its own section.
One good example we discovered in just a few minutes of browsing was a panel discussion with three Nobel Prize–winning economists moderated by Paul Solman (the economic correspondent for the PBS News Hour). You can find the podcast by navigating through the following menus: iTunes U 
Universities & Colleges Boston University BUNIVERSE - Business Audio. Like much of the content in iTunes U, this podcastis free!
If you are in a location with a good wireless signal, you can tap the title of the audio or video item, and then listen to or watch it streaming. If your signal gets interrupted, however, you will lose your place in the video. There are many advantages to actually downloading the file (if possible) for later viewing, not least of which is that you get more control over the video-watching experience.
Download for Offline Viewing
If you know you are going to be out of wireless coverage for a while, such as on an airplane or in the subway, you will want to download the content for later offline viewing or listening. Tap the Free button to change it to a Download button, and then tap it again. You can then monitor the download progress (some larger videos may take ten minutes or more to complete) by tapping the Downloads button at the bottom right of the screen. When the download is complete, the item will show up in the correct area of your Music or Videosapp.
NOTE: Any file larger than 20MB cannot be downloaded over the 3G network; you must use Wi-Fi for larger files.
Searching iTunes
Sometimes you have a good idea of what you want, but you are unsure where it is located or perhaps you don't feel like browsing or navigating all the menus. The Search tool is for you.
In the top-right corner of the iTunes app (as in virtually every other iPhone app), you have a Search window.
Touch Search, and the Search window and the on-device keyboard will pop up. Once you start typing, the iPhone will begin to match your entry with possibilities.
Type in the artist, song name, video name, podcast name, or album you are searching for, and the iPhone will display detailed matches. You can be as general or as specific as you like. If you are just looking to browse all particular songs by an artist, type the artist's name. If you want a specific song or album, enter the full name of the song or album.
When you locate the song or album name, simply touch it and you will be taken to the purchase page.
Purchasing or Renting Music, Videos, Podcasts, and More
Once you locate a song, video, TV show, or album, you can touch the Buy or (if you see it) Rent button. This will cause your media to start downloading. (If the content is free, then you will see the Free button, which turns into a Download button when you tap it.)
We suggest you view or listen to the preview, as well as check out the customer reviews first, unless you are absolutely sure you want to purchase the item.
NOTE: You can also purchase tones for your phone from the iTunes store. Make sure to check out Chapter 9: “Using the Phone,” where we show you how to create your own tones for free!
Previewing Music
Touch either the title of the song or its track number to the left of the song title; this will flip over the album cover and launch the preview window.
You will hear a representative clip of 90 seconds of the song.
Touch the Stop button and the track number will again be displayed.
Check Out Customer Reviews
Many items in iTunes offer customer reviews. The reviews range from a low of one star to a high of five stars.
CAUTION: Be aware that the reviews can have explicit language. Many of the reviews are clean; however, some do contain explicit language that may not be caught by the iTunes store right away.
Reading the reviews can give you a fairly good idea of whether you would like to buy the item.
Previewing a Video, TV Show, or Music Video
Pretty much everything on iTunes offers a preview. Sometimes you will see a Preview button, as with music videos and movies. TV shows are a little different; you tap the episode title in order to see the 30-second preview.
We highly recommend checking out the reviews, as well as trying the preview before purchasing items on iTunes.
Typical movie previews or trailers will be longer than 30 seconds. Some are two and a half minutes or longer.
Purchasing a Song, Video, or Other Item
Once you are sure you want to purchase a song, video, or other item, follow these steps to buy it:
- Touch the Price button of the song or the Buy button.
- The button will change and turn into a green Buy Now, Buy Song, Buy Single, or Buy Album button.
- Tap the Buy button.
- You will see an animated icon jump into the shopping cart. Type in your iTunes password and touch OK to complete the sale.
Tap the More button, then tap Downloads to see the download progress for each song on the album.
The song or album will then become part of your music library, and it will be synced with your computer the next time you connect your iPhone to iTunes on your computer. Note: iCloud will do this sync automaticlly.
After the download is complete, you will see the new song, audiobook, podcast, or iTunes U podcast inside the correct category within your Music app.
NOTE: Purchased videos and iTunes U videos go into the Videos app on your iPhone and podcasts will show up in the Music app.
Podcasts in iTunes
Podcasts are usually a series of audio segments; these may be updated frequently (such as hourly news reports from National Public Radio) or not updated at all (such as a recording of a one-time lecture on a particular topic).
You can click the top three buttons to browse the podcast categories in iTunes:
- What's Hot
- Top Tens
- Categories
Downloading a Podcast
Podcasts are available in video and audio varieties. When you locate a podcast, just touch the title of the podcast (see Figure 22–2). Luckily, most podcasts are free. If it is free, you will see a Free button instead of the typical Buy button.
Figure 22–2. Downloading an NPR podcast
When you touch the button, it turns into a green Download button. Touch Download and an animated icon jumps into your Downloads icon at the bottom bar of soft keys. A small number displayed in red reflects the number of files downloading.
The Download Icon: Stopping and Deleting Downloads
As you download items, they appear in your Downloads screen. This behavior is just like the behavior of the iTunes app on your computer.
You can tap the More soft key and then tap the Downloads tab to see the progress of all your downloads.
Where the Downloads Go
You can see all of your downloads in either your Music or Videos apps by clicking the More icon, which shows your downloads organized by category. In other words, if you download a podcast, you will need to go into your Music app, touch More, and then the Podcasts tab to see the downloaded podcast.
Sometimes, you decide that you do not want the all downloads you selected. If you want to stop a download and delete it, swipe your finger over the download to bring up the Delete button, and then tap Delete (see Figure 22–3).
Figure 22–3. Deleting a file while downloading it
Redeeming an iTunes Gift Card
One of the cool things about the iTunes app on your iPhone is that, just as with the iTunes app on your computer, you can redeem a gift card and receive credit in your iTunes account for your purchases.
At the bottom of the iTunes screen, you should see the Redeem button (see Figure 22–4).
Figure 22–4. Redeeming an iTunes gift card
Tap the Redeem button to start the process of entering your iTunes gift card number for an iTunes store credit.
Ping
Ping is Apple's social network for music. You can access it by tapping the Ping button at the bottom center of the tab bar.
With Ping, you can see what music is being bought and commented on by the artists and people you follow, and your followers can see the music you buy and comment on. Ping also lets you tweet out your purchases.
There are three sections in Ping:
- Activity: Shows you all the purchases and comments made by the people you follow. You can view either All activity, Artists activity only, or People (non-artists) only.
- People: Gives you a list of all the other Ping users you Follow; a list of Ping users that Follow you; and lists of Featured, Recommended Artists, and Recommended People that Ping thinks you might like to follow.
- My Profile: Shows you all of your own recent activity and gives you access to My Info, which displays your profile information and album art from music you like.
NOTE: At the time of this writing, Ping has not gained significant popularity. If you're a huge music fan, and you and your friends buy a lot of music from iTunes, then we certainly recommend you at least try it out. However, you might also find more established (if more generic) social networks like Twitter and Facebook more to your liking.