With the release of iOS 5 (Beta 2) last night, Apple has turned on the ability to sync your iOS device over a Wi-Fi connection. This means that you can initiate a sync with iTunes even when your device(s) are not connected via Apple’s 30-pin dock connector cable.
And we mean completely wirelessly. After WWDC, a number of sites, (including ourselves), incorrectly reported that Wi-Fi sync required the device to be plugged into the AC in order to activate such wireless syncing capabilities.
However, in actual fact, the real truth of the matter is you don’t need any cables or wires at all. iOS 5 (Beta 2) now makes it possible to initiate a sync with iTunes anytime you wish, manually. If you happen to plug your iOS device(s) into the AC, however, iTunes will begin backing up and syncing your device automatically.
We break down the whole process on how setup your iOS device for iTunes wireless syncing, right after the break.
Step 1. Download iOS 5 (Beta 2) and iTunes 10.5 (Beta 2) from Apple’s iOS Developer Center.
Step 2. Backup your iOS 5 (Beta 1) device with iTunes 10.5 (Beta 1) – FIRST!
Step 3. Install iTunes 10.5 (Beta 2) downloaded from Apple’s iOS Developer Center
Step 4. Connect device(s) running iOS 5 (Beta 1) to iTunes 10.5 (Beta 2) and follow your normal iOS developer update procedure. If you don’t know what this is, you shouldn’t be using the software. Period.
Step 5. Wait for iOS device(s) running iOS 5 (Beta 2) to restart and appear in iTunes 10.5 (Beta 2) again.
Step 6. While device(s) running iOS 5 (Beta 2) are still connected, head to the “Summary” tab in iTunes 10.5 (Beta 2) and tick “Sync over Wi-Fi connection”. Hit Sync in iTunes. You only need to do this once for each device you wish to sync using Wi-Fi.
Step 7. Unplug device(s) and head to Settings > General > iTunes Sync in iOS. Whenever you wish to initiate a wireless sync with iTunes, just tap “Sync Now”. After about 25-30 seconds, iTunes will find your device over your local Wi-Fi network and start syncing everything over automatically.
Developer? – Let us know how it went for you in the comments!
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