How can I play music from my iPhone through my computer?

Question

Now that I've had my iPhone for a few months, I'm trying an experiment to see if I can't replace the laptop I carry around with my iPhone + internet connected computer. To this end, I've been trying to find a program that will let me play the music on my iPhone through the hardware and software on the host computer.

If I recall correctly this was possible a few years ago with the iPod - Linux software like Rhythmbox and Banshee was able to read the music off an iPod and play it through the speakers. I even thought I recalled iTunes itself being capable of this at one time.

Now, however, iTunes greys out/disables the music on my iPhone and I can't find any documented support for the iPhone in any other music program. Is this really no longer possible? Am I limited to using the headphone jack to get music to play?

(note: I am using an iPhone 3G with the 3.0 software. I am attempting to play music on computers other than the one I sync with)

Answer 1

I know I'm replying on an old question, but I came in here googling. My iPhone 4 had the same behavior, I just updated to iTunes 10 and I my music is no longer greyed out.

In essence: upgrade to iTunes 10 and you should be able to do this.

Answer 2

I came across this question via a Google search and registered just to post what I've discovered relating to this problem. I have a similar situation: I have a home computer that I'm using to sync music with my iPhone 3G S, and a work computer that I'd like to play the music on (without copying the music to the computer). The work computer can see all of the music but it is all greyed out, and when I do the "Erase and Sync" dance I get the same results that you do.

Until I got my iPhone last week I used to play its music through my work computer without issue with my 80GB iPod 5.5 gen.

Despite what the other answers here say, everything I've read indicates that this is not possible with an iPhone. I suspect that the other people who have said it works do it with their iPods and just assume it works with the iPhone as well.

Disappointed that I was losing a feature important to me by replacing my iPod with an iPhone, I set out to find a workaround. The best one I've found so far is this:

http://www.andrewgrant.org/2008/03/30/how-to-sync-an-iphone-with-two-or-more-computers.html

The author refers to this technique as a method to allow you to sync with two computers, but I've found it also enables playback of my iPhone's music flawlessly on my work computer. You are essentially tricking the iPhone into thinking it's connected to the exact same instance of iTunes in either location.

Hope this helps you!

Answer 3

The only way to play the music from your iPod or iPhone is to set iTunes to 'Manually manage music and videos' on your device.

To do this just select your iPhone under 'Devices' on the left, and make sure "Manually manage music and videos" is selected.

Click 'Apply', and now your music should not be greyed out and you are free to play it. You should then be able to use Apple's Remote iPhone application to control iTunes from your device.

Edit: If you have all your music (and everything else) backed up already, just try it. iTunes can manage iPods funny sometimes and can do strange things (such as warnings like you describe that don't amount to anything). I have done this before to watch a video on another and no content was removed from my iPod touch at all.

Answer 4

Try using manual sync? I have only an iPod Classic, but I can still play the music on other computer's using iTunes when I use manual sync...

I believe I remember reading somewhere that with Auto Sync, you can only use your own library no matter what.

Answer 5

You can do this with iTunes itself. Enable "manual sync mode" and you can then read right off the disk for playback.

Here is an article with further details.

Answer 6

You're talking about DAAP, which is what is used to present and stream music in iTunes (although iTunes also has encryption & friends, but we'll leave that out of the conversation for the moment).

I think that this article on an app that allows you to turn your iPhone into a DAAP server might be of considerable interest to you. As in, it allows you to stream your music from your iPhone to another DAAP-capable client, like iTunes...or Banshee...or Rhythmbox...

Anyways, if that doesn't work, you at least know what you're looking for...and that's half the battle. Find a DAAP server for iPhone and you're pretty much set.

Answer 7

I haven't been able to get my iPhone 3G to play the music on the phone via iTunes and through the Work PC, but I have been able to connect a 3.5mm audio cable from the iPhone dock to the PC's line in, and then I plug a set of headphones into the PC.

I have to choose songs, play/pause on the iPhone, and control the volume on the PC. (It's a royal pain).

The iPhone's songs in iTunes remain greyed out, and in fact you don't even need iTunes installed for this to work (In some ways its better if it isn't installed, since then iTunes doesn't launch everytime you dock the iPhone).

I too would prefer a solution that would let me listen to the music on the iPhone but via software installed on the PC, since then I could choose songs, have shortcut keys to play/pause/skip etc, but so far I haven't found anything yet.

Answer 8

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-sync-music-to-your-iphone-without-itunes/ This works.

Answer 9

Check this out geeks. Ya know that typically green Auxillary plug that connects your speaker system to your pc? Well plug it in! plug it in! There is nothing like looking to far for something and then stepping on it and not looking what your stepping on WOW

Answer 10

Scott, spot on! No need to go through getting iTunes setup at all.. Simply treat the iPod/iPhone as a CD player going through your computers input jack.

Answer 11

update your firmware to the latest iOS firmware, then download a program called shairport4w. Open it up and select the "change" option, then rename the Name and create a password. Now start playing music on your iphone and press the icon next to the next track button (it looks like a Arrow pointing into a rectangle) And choose the option that will be whatever you named your computer in shirport4w. you will now be able to play your music through your PC's Speakers - you can change the volume through your iphone/ipod touch.

Answer 12

Like Scott said- Just plug your i phone into your speaker jack on the speaker with the volume controls (headset location) with a 1/8 inch jack and it plays through your computer speakers.