My iPhone for Seniors, Second Edition (2016)

Try a different app or task. If you aren’t hearing sound from only one app and everything else sounds normal, you know there is a problem with that app. Try deleting and reinstalling it. If you still don’t hear sound from any app, you know the problem is more general.

Move to Sounds in the Settings app.

Make sure the volume slider is set to at least the middle position.

Tap Ringtone.

Tap one of the default ringtones. You should hear it. If you do, you know the problem is solved. If not, continue.

If you aren’t hearing sounds when the EarPods aren’t plugged in, connect the EarPods and repeat the sound you should be hearing. If you hear the sound only when the EarPods are plugged in, try removing the EarPods and plugging them back in a few times to see if that solves the problem. If not, your iPhone needs to be serviced by an Apple authorized repair center or you can take it to the Genius bar in an Apple Store.

Getting Help with iPhone Problems

If none of the previous steps solves your problem, you can get help in a number of ways:

• Apple’s website—Go to www.apple.com/support/. On this page, you can access all kinds of information about iPhones, iTunes, and other Apple products. You can browse for help, and you can search for answers to specific problems. Many of the resulting articles have detailed, step-by-step instructions to help you solve problems and link to more information.

• Web searches—One of the most useful ways to get help is to do a web search for the specific problem you’re having. Just open your favorite search tool, such as Google, and search for the problem. You are likely to find many resources to help you, including websites, forums, and such. If you encounter a problem, it’s likely someone else has too, and has probably put the solution on the Web.

• Genius bar at an Apple Store—All Apple Stores have a Genius bar staffed with people who will try to help you with problems. If you can’t resolve a problem on your own, going to an Apple Store is often a great solution because the Apple geniuses can help you with any problem, whether it’s software or hardware. In many cases, the help they provide is free, too (though you might be charged for some hardware problems). You can register for an appointment at a Genius bar by going to www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/.

• Me—You’re welcome to send an email to me for problems you’re having with your iPhone. My address is bradmiser@icloud.com. I’ll do my best to help you as quickly as I can. (I do respond to every email I receive, though at times, it might take me a few days to get back to you. I am not able to respond to FaceTime or Messages requests so please use email to reach me.)

Finding and Listening to Music

In this chapter, you explore how you can use the Music app to enjoy all sorts of music. Topics include the following:

Understanding sources of music

Setting up and finding music with My Music

Setting up and finding music with Apple Music

Finding music with iTunes Radio

Playing music

Using AirPlay to listen to your iPhone’s music on other devices

Apple’s very first portable “i” device, the original iPod, did only one thing—though it did that one thing better than any other device ever—which was to enable people to take their music with them and enjoy it anywhere. While the iPhone has evolved way beyond anything the first iPod could do, one of the best reasons to have an iPhone is that they continue to be amazing devices for listening to all kinds of music. The Music app enables you to quickly move to and play any music in your personal music library, or you can access Apple’s enormous music library through Apple Music and iTunes Radio.

Understanding Sources of Music

There are different sources of music that you can listen to using the Music app. It’s important to understand the types of music to which you want to listen because what you can do with that music depends on where the music comes from. In the Music app, you can listen to music from the following sources:

• My Music. This source contains music that you own. You can store and listen to music that you own or that you’ve added through using Apple Music on your phone for no additional cost, and you don’t need to connect to the Internet to listen to your music that is stored on the phone.

The benefit of this source is that once you’ve paid for the music or as long as you keep your Apple Music subscription current, you can listen to it for no additional cost (unless you also use iTunes Match, which requires an annual subscription fee). If you don’t use Apple Music, don’t have a large music collection already, or aren’t willing to spend quite a lot of money to build up a music collection, the selection of music available to you is likely a bit limited.

This source is best if you tend to listen to a limited variety of music, and you already own most of the music you want to listen to.

• Apple Music. This subscription service from Apple enables you to access its huge music library. You use Apple Music to stream music onto your phone. You can also download it to the phone so that you can listen to it when your phone isn’t connected to the Internet or if you want to avoid using cellular data to stream music.

The benefit of Apple Music is that the amount of music available to you is both enormous and extremely diverse. Unless you have very niche musical tastes, you are likely to find any music you want to listen to in Apple Music. And, you can stream that music directly onto your phone or download it there. And, you can add Apple Music to the My Music source (however, if you let your Apple Music subscription expire, you won’t be able to listen to that music anymore).

As you listen to music, and indicate you like it by tapping the Heart button while you listen to it, Apple Music presents other music you might enjoy so that you can constantly explore and discover more music to which you want to listen.

The downside of Apple Music is that it requires a monthly subscription fee.

If you enjoy exploring music and like listening to different music frequently, Apple Music may be a great source for you.

• iTunes Radio. This source, which is free to use, consists of streamed music that “goes together” and is organized in stations. You can listen to existing stations or you can create your own stations based on songs or playlists that you like. Your phone must be connected to the Internet to be able to listen to iTunes Radio.

iTunes Radio is nice because it is free to use and you can choose from a broad range of existing stations as well as create your own.

The downside of iTunes Radio is that you must be connected to the Internet to listen to it, but more significantly, the selection of music you listen to is largely not in your control. When you choose a station, you hear the music in that station as it is. Even when you create a station based on a song or playlist, the songs you hear are determined by the iTunes Radio feature.

iTunes Radio is nice when you want to discover new music based on specific songs you like and when you don’t really care about the specific music you want to hear.

Of course, you can mix and match these sources. For example, you may already own music and also use Apple Music and iTunes Radio to expand the music available to you.

To listen to music in the Music app, you must first find the music to which you want to listen. How you do that depends on the source of that music. For example, finding music from Apple Music is a bit different than finding music already stored on your phone, such as music you have downloaded from the iTunes Store. Once you’ve selected the music you want to listen to, the tools you use to control the music are similar.

Following are three sections on configuring your Phone for the different music sources described in the previous list and using those sources to find music. The section found later in this chapter, titled “Playing Music,” covers listening to music from any of these sources.

Setting Up and Finding Music with My Music

To listen to music you own, you first add your music to the Music app. Then, you can find the music you want to listen to in a number of ways.

Adding Your Music to the Music App

You can add your music to the Music app in two primary ways:

• You own music that you purchase from the iTunes Store using the iTunes app. The steps to find and download music from the iTunes Store are provided in Chapter 6, “Downloading Apps, Music, Movies, TV Shows, and More onto Your iPhone.” Once downloaded, you can access that music using the My Music source.

• You also own music you’ve added to the iTunes app on a computer, either by downloading it from the iTunes Store or importing it from audio CDs into iTunes. You copy music from the iTunes app onto your phone by syncing music onto the phone. Connect the iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. Select your iPhone on the menu at the top of the iTunes window. Then, click Music on the toolbar along the left side of the iTunes window. Check the Sync Music check box, and then configure the music you want to copy onto the phone, such as picking specific albums or songs to copy. Click the Sync button and the music you selected is copied onto the phone. You use the My Music source to find and play it.