Best way to transfer music and photos from one iPad to another?

[thomasp]

What is the best way of transferring photos and music from one iPad to another, without having to e-mail them (very slow internet here!)? If necessary, what third party apps are recommended? I've tried searching for suitable ones, but can't find any.

A bit of background...

At the moment, my parents have two iPads, one iPad 2 on iOS5 and one iPad Mini 1 on iOS6. Both can be upgraded to iOS7 if required (the mini most likely will very soon). However, because of the age of the iPad 2, AirDrop in iOS7 won't work, because I believe that requires a retina iPad or newer.

My parents would like to transfer photos primarily, and the odd music track, between the two iPads, without the faff of e-mailing them, which takes quite a long time (plus, you can't e-mail music tracks!). Can anyone recommend the best way, using 3rd party apps if necessary, to achieve this. Both iPads are connected to the same wifi network.


Thanks for the help

 

[MrGuder]

The easiest way is through iTunes.

The photos and music first need to be on your home PC that has iTunes. If it's not already you will first need to get all the photos and music on your ipad on your home PC. Once you have done that then...

When you connect the ipad to your PC launch iTunes then click on your device on the left side (will show your iPad with it's name you gave it) then there are tabs at the top showing general, photos, music, etc. you need to check the box that says synch all my music and photos from pc to my ipad.

Do this for each iPad you connect. This will get what is on your PC to each iPad. Works the same way for iphones and ipods.

You can't just connect the ipads together and switch stuff from one to the other. The photos and music need to be on your main home PC, then iTunes is the gateway to getting your music and photos from the PC to each device you have be it an ipad, iphone, ipod etc...


This is another reason I do not buy songs on my devices....I buy songs from my home main PC through iTunes, this way the song and artwork is bought through itunes on my PC and kept safe on my PC and then I just connect each of my devices to my home PC through iTunes and it downloads the songs to each of my devices. It's easy. I have an iPhone and iPod and all my music is on both devices the same.

 

[thomasp]

The easiest way is through iTunes.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately your suggestion most likely won't work as each iPad has a different iCloud/iTunes account on it. There is only one computer, which has the iTunes account of the iPad Mini on it. Therefore, am I right in thinking that if the iPad 2 was synced with the computer, everything on it would be erased and replaced with the contents of the iPad mini? The two iPads are owned by different people.

Are there no apps around for sharing just photos between the two? Music is less of a priority than the photos.

 

[MrGuder]

Oh I thought they were the same account. In that case you would need to use a service like Dropbox. There is an app in the app store. If you know someone that already has dropbox they can send you a link to join dropbox in doing so you will get more free space and they will for referring you to join.

If you don't, you can still download dropbox they give you 2 Gigs of free space I believe.

Here is info on dropbox and how it works
https://www.dropbox.com/tour

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[Sirious]

Try using the free "Bump" app from the App Store!

 

[MisakixMikasa]

You can try an Mac app called iTools... You just pull photo of your choice to computer first, then you connect other iPad to your computer, open iTools again to copy photo and music to your iPad

 

[xlii]

iPad4 and iPad Air come with airdrop. Older iPads have beam.

 

[thomasp]

Oh I thought they were the same account. In that case you would need to use a service like Dropbox. There is an app in the app store. If you know someone that already has dropbox they can send you a link to join dropbox in doing so you will get more free space and they will for referring you to join.

If you don't, you can still download dropbox they give you 2 Gigs of free space I believe.

Here is info on dropbox and how it works
https://www.dropbox.com/tour

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I did consider Dropbox, but as that has to transfer via the internet, it would take quite a while to send a large number of photos on our 1Mbit download broadband.

Try using the free "Bump" app from the App Store!

I'll give both Bump and Dropbox a go, but am I right in thinking Bump also sends files via the internet, rather than a direct connection across a network between the two devices?

iPad4 and iPad Air come with airdrop. Older iPads have beam.

What's Beam? I've not come across that.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

If your parents each have their own iCloud accounts, you can activate up to two accounts on a device. If they have separate iTunes accounts, then it won't work.

If they each have one account, then upgrade to iOS 7, and the activation set up will prompt each device to log in to its iCloud account. Note that you can select the option to login to a separate itunes account on that page. Then you just sync each iPad with the computer and select music and photos in iTunes. Photos will need to be in iPhoto on a Mac or stored on Windows PC that can run iTunes.

I do this with my boyfriend's iPhone and iPad to sync music and movies from my iTunes account. He has his own iCloud account for managing his devices and apps. I also have a separate iCloud account to manage my devices.

Otherwise Dropbox may be your only option. A faster internet connection may be worth looking into as more things work over the internet instead of syncing with a computer via USB.

 

[Armen]

Photos should be easy. Any time you connect an iPad/iPhone to a PC Windows detects the internal storage on it (where the camera roll is). You can copy/paste the pics directly from here to the desktop and then sync that folder of pictures with whatever iTunes account you like since photos have no DRM.

Music takes a bit more work. You have to sign in to the itunes account that purchased that music to begin with and transfer the songs to the PC. Sign out of itunes and sign in as the second user and sync them back to the 2nd iPAd.

Again this should work since Apple removed DRM from mp3s a while back.

 

[thekb]

There's a free app called "Wi Fi Transfer" that works great for me. You can transfer between iOS devices, or between iOS and OSX devices. Can't do music though.

 

[charlituna]

What is the best way of transferring photos and music from one iPad to another, without having to e-mail them (very slow internet here!)? If necessary, what third party apps are recommended? I've tried searching for suitable ones, but can't find any.

Dropbox or the like might be your only course of action for something relatively easy. If you can get the files transferred. Otherwise you have to involve a computer.

That is assuming that these aren't iTunes purchases, cause those you can just redownload from your account

 

[charlituna]

Therefore, am I right in thinking that if the iPad 2 was synced with the computer, everything on it would be erased and replaced with the contents of the iPad mini?

yes and no. the iPad 2 would be erased and synced to the iTunes library content, which can be a combo of both accounts if stuff from both were downloaded to the computer.

but the iPad wouldn't get 'the contents' of the iPad Mini unless you restored a backup to the Mini

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Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately your suggestion most likely won't work as each iPad has a different iCloud/iTunes account on it.

makes it a little more difficult but not impossible. Assuming both of these devices are on the current software there's always shared photo streams. You can simply set up a stream on some account and invite the other to view it. Both should be able to feed into it. 1000 photos per stream and they are not on the 30 day timer of a personal stream

 

[Apple blogger]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately your suggestion most likely won't work as each iPad has a different iCloud/iTunes account on it. There is only one computer, which has the iTunes account of the iPad Mini on it. Therefore, am I right in thinking that if the iPad 2 was synced with the computer, everything on it would be erased and replaced with the contents of the iPad mini? The two iPads are owned by different people.

Are there no apps around for sharing just photos between the two? Music is less of a priority than the photos.

It doesn't matter if the iCloud accounts are diff.. U can sync how many ever devices u want... ..

Music can only be done via iTunes (which is easiest)or third party ...photos as replied earlier can be do e via iTunes... Or else use the shared photo streams for sharing.. That way u can share all your pics + save the memory if their devices..

For music if the other guys iPad already has music in it.... Go to the PC it was originally synced.. Turn on "mannually mange music an videos" and then connect it to your computer.. Nothing will be erased...

 

[joefey]

Can't I sync them to iCloud and then transfer data from iCloud to another iPad?