This article covers the most effective ways to transfer music from one iPhone to another. If you need to transfer music from your computer to your iPhone, you’ll need to follow a different method. 

What to Know

  • Apple Music: Open Settings > Music > toggle on Sync Library. Your music will sync to any other iPhones signed in to the same account.Home Sharing: Tap Music > Library > Home Sharing. You’ll need to set up Home Sharing on your Mac first.AirDrop: On the source iPhone, tap Music. Select the song, then tap the three dots icon > Share > AirDrop. Tap the destination iPhone.

How to Download Music to iPhone Using Apple Music

If you subscribe to Apple Music, it’s straightforward to download music to a different iPhone or to share Apple Music across multiple devices on the same account. This method requires an active subscription to Apple Music and for you to use the same account across all devices. 

  • On your main iPhone, tap Settings.
  • Scroll down and tap Music.
  • Tap Sync Library to toggle it on.
  • Your music will now sync across to any other iPhones that are signed in on the same account. You don’t have to do anything else to see the music.

How to Transfer Music Between iPhones Using Home Sharing

If you want to share music (or other files) between your iPhones and they’re all located on the same Wi-Fi network, you can use a feature called Home Sharing to make it possible. It’s available through iTunes, allowing up to five computers in your household as well as all your iOS devices and Apple TVs to share content. This method is ideal if you also want to share other files such as photos with devices such as your home’s Apple TV. Here’s how to set it up between your iPhones using your Mac as a go-between. 

On your main iPhone, tap Settings.

Scroll down and tap Music.

Tap Sync Library to toggle it on.

Your music will now sync across to any other iPhones that are signed in on the same account. You don’t have to do anything else to see the music.

  • On your Mac, click the Apple icon.
  • Click System Preferences.
  • On a Windows device, you can open iTunes and skip ahead to the below steps.
  • Click Sharing.
  • Click Media Sharing.
  • Click Home Sharing.
  • Sign in with your Apple ID and click Turn On Home Sharing.

Enable Home Sharing on Your iPhone

Now that Home Sharing is activated across all your devices on the same Wi-Fi network, it’s simple to use on your iPhone. Here’s what to do.

You need to be signed into the same Apple ID for every computer or device on the Home Sharing network. You also need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as you’ll only ever be streaming content rather than downloading it. 

On your Mac, click the Apple icon. 

Click System Preferences.

On a Windows device, you can open iTunes and skip ahead to the below steps. 

Click Sharing.

Click Media Sharing.

Click Home Sharing.

Sign in with your Apple ID and click Turn On Home Sharing.

  • On your iPhone, tap Music.
  • Tap Library.
  • Tap Home Sharing.
  • If you can’t see the Home Sharing playlist, tap Edit > Home Sharing > Done to add it to your list.
  • You now have access to the Home Sharing Library of music any time you’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

How to Transfer Music Between iPhones Using AirDrop

AirDrop is an often forgotten simple way of transferring content between any Mac or iOS device. Impressively, it even works for transferring music, and it takes seconds. Here’s what to do.

On your iPhone, tap Music.

Tap Library.

Tap Home Sharing.

If you can’t see the Home Sharing playlist, tap Edit > Home Sharing > Done to add it to your list. 

You now have access to the Home Sharing Library of music any time you’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

  • On the source iPhone, tap Music.
  • Find the song you want to transfer.
  • Tap it then tap the three dots icon.
  • Tap Share.
  • Tap AirDrop.
  • Tap the iPhone you want to send it to.

Both iPhones need to be within Bluetooth range for AirDrop to work. 

On the source iPhone, tap Music.

Find the song you want to transfer.

Tap it then tap the three dots icon.

Tap Share.

Tap AirDrop.

Tap the iPhone you want to send it to.

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