How to Transfer MP3 to iPhone Without iTunes: Easy & Free

How to transfer MP3 to iPhone without iTunes? 5 ways are listed here to help you easily make it and FoneTool will be your best choice!

Kathy

By Kathy / Updated on July 12, 2024

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How to transfer music without iTunes?

I usually transfer MP3 files to Apple Music through iTunes on my Windows computer but going through the iTunes app especially on Windows has been fairly inconvenient. I've tried looking for alternatives but there doesn't seem to be a clear option. Can I put MP3 files on my iPhone without iTunes?

- Question from Reddit

Can you transfer MP3 to iPhone without iTunes?

iTunes is a traditional iOS transfer tool for iPhone users to sync music, so they can enjoy songs on their iPhone at any time. However, iTunes does not work very well in all conditions because of some shortcomings. For example, when you sync iTunes playlists to iPhone from Windows, the newly added music will erase the old one every time. And you can only download the music purchased on iTunes.

Mp3

So lots of users would like to find another way to add music to iPhone without iTunes. Actually, you can do it! Next, you can refer to the following content and use the 5 free ways below to make it with a USB or wirelessly!

Method Connection Storage Limitation Difficulty Speed
FoneTool >> Go Wired No Easy Super Fast
Youtube Music >> Go Wireless No Moderate Slow
Dropbox >> Go Wireless Yes Moderate Slow
Email >> Go Wireless Yes Moderate Slow
Apple Music >> Go Wireless Yes Moderate Slow

Method 1. Fastest & easiest way to copy MP3 to iPhone without iTunes

To quickly play music on iPhone without iTunes, here we recommend FoneTool, which is a popular and professional iPhone data transfer tool. With its powerful feature, you can easily transfer music/ringtones from computer to your iPhone and vice versa.  

FoneTool
Easy iPhone Data Transfer Software
  • Quickly Send 1000+ mp3/ringtones within 10 minutes.
  • Various formats can be supported, including mp3, m4r, flac, wav, etc.
  • It's easy to use for everyone even for the first time.
  • Easily transfer purchased/non-purchased music between devices.
  • Fully supports various iOS devices and versions (iPhone 15/iOS 18).
  • Also allow to transfer photos, videos and contacts.

Then follow the steps below to see how to add mp3 to iPhone without iTunes efficiently.

Step 1. Download free and connect devices to transfer

Now you can download FoneTool on your Windows PC and connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable > If asked, tap Trust on your iPhone.

Step 2. Go to PC to iPhone transfer

Run FoneTool, and choose Phone Transfer on the left column. Move the mouse to PC to iPhone mode, and click Get Started.

Transfer to iPhone

Step 3. Drag and drop music as you like

Now you can click the box to choose music from your computer or drag files to the box to continue.

transfer music from pc to iphone

🌟Tip:

If need, you can also click the Ringtones icon to transfer ringtones from computer to iPhone, all MP3 files you have chosen will be converted to m4r. automatically during the transfer process and you can directly set them as your iPhone ringtone in the Settings app.

Step 4. Add content to the Music app without iTunes

Confirm the data you choose > Click the Start Transfer button to begin the task.

start transfer mp3 to iphone without itunes

Then just wait for seconds, and your targeted music will be shown in the Apple Music app on your iPhone.

🌟Tip:

FoneTool can also help you transfer music from iPhone to iPhone without iTunes even if they are using different Apple IDs, just go to iPhone to PC to transfer music from source iPhone to PC, then go to PC to iPhone and transfer files you need from computer to your target iPhone.

Method 2. How to upload MP3 to iPhone without iTunes using YouTube Music

YouTube Music service is widely used around the world. You can upload your music to YouTube Music from your computer. Then you can enjoy your music with your iPhone.

Step 1. Access YouTube Music from your computer and sign in with your account.

Step 2. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner and click on Upload Music.

Step 3. Select the music files you have saved on your computer and upload them. You can also select multiple uploads at once.

upload music to youtube

Once it's uploaded, you can listen to your music on your iPhone. Also, you can make it offline.

Method 3. How to transfer MP3 to iPhone without iTunes via Dropbox

Dropbox allows users to upload files to the cloud and share them on their different devices. Then we can use this way to send music to your iPhone.

Step 1. Download Dropbox on both your computer and iPhone, and install it. Then, sign in to Dropbox with the same account.

Step 2. Download free music from the internet (Dropbox supports music with file extensions like mp3, aiff, m4a, wav, etc.).

Step 3. Open the Dropbox folder on the laptop or desktop via the Dropbox app, then drag and drop all the music you want to listen to into this folder.

transfer mp3 with dropbox

Step 4. Open the Dropbox app on your iPhone and listen to these songs via a network. But if you don’t have an internet connection, you can mark songs as "Favorite" to make them available offline.

⚠️Note: To make songs available offline, you can swipe the song you want to keep on your iPhone from left to right, then tap ☆ to store songs.

Method 4. How to add MP3 to iPhone without iTunes wirelessly

If you need a convenient wireless way to transfer songs from computer to your iPhone, sending emails is also available.

Step 1. On your computer, create an email and add the targeted music files to the email as attachments.

Step 2. Send the email to your own account > Browse the target email from your device.

Step 3. Tap the files to load. When it has done, close the music playing window and tap the "Share" icon on the screen.

sync with itunes

Step 4. Choose to open the song with another app. Then you can select a music app as you like to add the song to your iPhone.

Method 5. Transfer music to iPhone without iTunes via Apple Music

To put MP3 files on your iPhone without iTunes, streaming apps are also available. Then Apple Music will be the best option. It has over 90 million songs ad-free. You can try it for 3 months free before upgrading. To finish the process, just follow the steps below.

Step 1. First, subscribe to the Apple music streaming service. Then sign in with your Apple ID. Just launch Apple Music, then click Account > Choose Sign in and key in your Apple ID and password to continue.

Step 2. Next, you need to sync the Library on your iPhone. Just go to the Settings option > Choose Music and toggle on the Sync Library option.

sync music

Step 3. Once your music is synced, you can now freely listen to your music on your iPhone.

Final words

This is all about how to transfer MP3 to iPhone without iTunes, you can try the above ways to add them and aiff, m4a, wav, etc to your iPhone or even iPad/iPod Touch.  Hope these methods can really work. But by contrast, FoneTool can be the most nice choice. When you can’t transfer music to iPhone from iTunes, it can help you easily solve the problem for free.

Kathy
Kathy · Editor
Kathy is an editor of FoneTool, who prefers to help more users address a series of iOS-related problems. She likes traveling and being close to nature makes her relax. She is also keen to engage in social activities and spend much free time with her friends.