There are quite a few flaws with Apple's mobile products, and one that drives me crazy is their reliance upon iTunes for all your music syncing needs. If you want a song on your iPhone, you pretty much have to use iTunes to get it on there. Either that or buy it directly from the iTunes app on your device.
Now, don't get me wrong, iTunes is a good way to buy and organize your music library, but sometimes you just don't want to be locked down like that. So what are the alternatives? You'll probably be surprised, but there's actually more than one way to put music on your iPhone without using iTunes!
Cloud Services
There are some free, big-name cloud services that will let you upload your music collection to play on your iPhone, on or offline, and I'll be covering three of them below before we get to other options.
Google Play Music
Somewhat new to the scene of online music stores is Google Play Music, which allows users to upload up to 20,000 of their own songs for free. With the standard Google Play membership, you can upload your music into the cloud, listen to it on any device, and purchase new music from the Google Play store.
Currently, there's only an official Android app for Google Play Music, but an iPhone version is in the making and should be out very soon. Until then, you can use their web app in your iPhone's web browser to play your tunes.
To upload your music library to Google Play Music, you'll need to download the Music Manager onto your computer. Getting it on your iPhone is as simple as using the web app player. If you can't wait for more control over your music, like downloading onto the iPhone for offline playing, you can download third-party apps like gMusic ($1.99), GoMusic ($0.99), or Melodies(free).
Also, if you sign up for a trial of All Access (Google's version of Spotify)before June 30, 2013, you'll get one free month and pay $7.99 a month thereafter, instead of the normal $9.99 per month. If you're not much for streaming songs and making custom radio stations, the free version should suffice.
Google Play Music is a great way to listen to your own music library from wherever you are, not matter what device or computer you're using at the time.
Amazon Cloud Player
If you're not a Google person, Amazon also has a cloud music service that works with your iPhone called Amazon Cloud Player. However, unlike Google's offer for 20,000 songs, Amazon only allows a measly 250 songs from your own music collection to be uploaded to the cloud. After that, you have to pay $24.99 per year for up to 250,000 songs. This does not include MP3s purchased from Amazon, though, which are free to keep in the cloud player.
To upload your music to the cloud, you can use their Cloud Player desktop app. You can download the Amazon Cloud Player for your iPhone in the iOS App Store.
One major drawback is that if you want to purchase any music, you have to visit visit Amazon's website using the Safari web browser. You cannot purchase MP3s via the Cloud Player app. But on Amazon's website, you can browse the ample library of over 20 million songs and albums.
Once imported or downloaded, your songs are immediately uploaded to the Amazon cloud, where they can then be played via the Amazon Cloud Player app, and they work offline as well.
You can get the full rundown on features and pricing here. Now, all you need to do is sign in to your Amazon account to get started.
Dropbox
If you store your music collection on Dropbox, you don't need any other apps to play the files. Just go to your Dropbox account and select whatever song you wish to hear. The song will automatically play in the web browser.
You can also leave the browser and open other apps or navigate to anywhere on the device and the music won't stop playing! (I'm looking at you, YouTube.) If you don't want to use your browser, you can download the freeDropbox app and play your music there, too. It's a little smoother than using the browser and also continues playback when you leave the app.
Another nice feature is the ability to "star" songs or groups of songs for offline play. Dropbox is a super easy way to get new songs onto your iPhone and play them anywhere, anytime. If only you could create playlists, I may never need another music player again.
iTunes Alternatives
Don't want to use any of the big services? Here are a few programs you can use in place of iTunes to transfer music from your computer to your iPhone.
CopyTrans Manager for Windows
If you're a Windows user, there's a free program called CopyTrans Managerthat can fully replace iTunes and relieves you of some of its common annoyances. The freeware allows for on-the-go edits, drag-and-drop additions to your library, and can be copied to a flash drive for management on multiple PCs.
CopyTrans Manager also transfers your iTunes library to its own music player. This is great for people who already have a bunch of music on iTunes and are afraid of losing those songs by using another service.
Currently, CopyTrans is only available for computers running Windows 7, XP and Vista, but will probably work in Windows 8, too.
Media Monkey for Windows
Media Monkey is another free media player for Windows computers. Once installed, Media Monkey will scan your computer for audio files and automatically add them to the library. You can also sync your iPhone to Media Monkey and avoid iTunes altogether. The program utilizes add-ons and has a bunch of customizable skins and features.
You can download the free version or opt for the Gold edition, which runs for $24.95. The Gold edition includes a few extras like the automatic library organizer and faster CD burning speeds. If you don't want to buy Gold outright, you can also get a free copy by completing an offer with one of Media Monkey's partners (Apple, Gamefly, GAP).
Media Monkey only recently added compatibility with Apple products, but it's got all the features of iTunes and more. Check their list to see if your device is compatible.
Free Apps (Non-Jailbroken)
Don't want to mess with a computer at all? These apps can help you manage your music directly from your iPhone.
iBolt Downloader & Player
iBolt Downloader & Player looks to rescue you from iTunes by offering an easy way to download songs from the internet and store them on your iPhone.
Once the app is installed you can use the internal browser to find a place that offers free downloads (like last.fm, for example). Just click on the download link and download the song to your phone and the iBolt player.
iBolt lets you create and manage playlists, and you can download songs in the background while running other apps. There's also a pro versionavailable for $0.99, which removes ads and unwanted redirects.
MP3 Music Downloader Free
MP3 Music Downloader is another free app in the iTunes store that gives you the freedom to download MP3s directly onto you iPhone right from the browser.
You can edit song names and add them to playlists, and there are no limits or download restrictions.
You can add songs directly from your iPhone's iTunes library into the player, which is super convenient. The app also comes with a car mode which features a bunch of gesture-based functions. It is add supported, but you can remove adds by buying the pro version for $0.99.
Cydia Tweaks for Jailbroken iPhones
For the bad boys with jailbroken iPhones, here's a nice list of awesome apps that can import music directly onto your device.
Bridge
Bridge is an awesome Cydia application that allows you to import music and videos to your media library right from your phone. No need to plug into a computer or sync with iTunes.
Any media file that you have on your iPhone can be imported into your media library. If friends send you songs via email or if you download some music from Dropbox, you can use Bridge to add them to your iPhone's music library in seconds.
iFile
iFile is a complete file manager that uses root access to drag and drop files onto your device. You can add any type of file—PDFs, movies, iWork files, and, of course, all your music.
You can also send files via Bluetooth or copy them from your Dropbox account. iFile is a must-have for power users and is $4.00 in the BigBoss Repo.
MewSeek
MewSeek is a file manager and music app that you can find in the Cydia store. With MewSeek you can search, stream, and download music over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.
Thanks to this awesome feature, MewSeek is the priciest app on this list at $4.99, but if you plan on using it frequently it's worth it. MewSeek is compatible with iOS 4, 5 and 6.
Streaming
Of course, one of the most convenient ways to "add" music to your phone is via a streaming music player. Pandora, TuneinRadio, Rdio, and Spotify are a few popular music apps that let you stream music on your iPhone.
Just sign up for any of these free services and begin listening to new music instantly. The free versions of most of these applications do come with intermittent ads, but they can be removed with a paid app upgrade or monthly subscription.
And don't forget about YouTube, either. The app and the website are both pretty good for finding new, old, and hard to find music and playing it wherever and whenever you want. You may not be able to store those songs on your iPhone, but you do have access to a seemingly unlimited media library on the go.
Know any other ways to download or transfer music to your iPhone without iTunes? Have you tried any of these apps or programs already? Let us know in the comments section below.
iPhone photo via ijclark, Amazon player by AllThingsD
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