iOS5 and WiFi sync

[Qbah]

So how will that work? Will an iDevice on the same WiFi network be detected in iTunes and then everything else will work as if it's plugged via the cable? That would be quite awesome, as stuff like USB Disk would be extremely useful!

Right now, when I plug in my iPhone, I can copy stuff over to/from the phone in the Apps section in iTunes (no regular sync needed, can be a totally random PC that has iTunes too). If the WiFi sync works the same way, you could "upload" and "download" stuff from your iDevice over air with zero setup (apart from iTunes, but that's a minor thing).

Anyone can confirm?

 

[rugby]

When I plug my iPhone 4 or iPad 2 into power when on my home wifi network they automatically sync to my main computer in the office. Or you can it manually from the Preferences.

 

[Qbah]

The reason I'm asking is that the picture on Apple's website for this feature shows a MBP and an iPhone next to each other and you can see iTunes with "Devices" and an iPhone listed.

http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html

So you can't access your iDevice over WiFi as if it was plugged in via the cable?

 

[rugby]

Yes you can, it shows up the same way as if plugged in directly. My iPad 2 keeps wanting to restore for some reason in iTunes, but it syncs eventually.

 

[BD2003]

Can the iphone wake the computer to sync, or does my mac need to be running 24/7 now?

 

[Qbah]

Thanks for the confirmation 🙂 Apparently we should get identical functionality, it's just not working that great in the beta (no wonder, it's a beta 😛).

 

[gorcorps]

Ah, so Wifi Sync is something they're going to be officially including in iOS 5? At first I thought this was about the other Wifi Sync app... the one that's been available to jailbroken users for over a year and that Apple rejected from their own app store.

If Apple can get their own version working as well as this app, then it'll act just like it was plugged in via USB. It'll obviously be a little slower in transfer speeds vs. wired but for quick syncs it's great.

edit: I just looked at the description on Apples site:
"Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection. Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source (say, overnight for charging), it automatically syncs and backs up any new content to iTunes. So you always have your movies, TV shows, home videos, and photo albums everywhere you want them."

It sounds incredibly limited compared to what's already available to us in 3rd parties. The other app just basically toggles USB mode when you launch the app, and then you close it and it goes out of USB mode. Simple... no need to be plugged into a power source.

 

[Qbah]

Ah, so Wifi Sync is something they're going to be officially including in iOS 5? At first I thought this was about the other Wifi Sync app... the one that's been available to jailbroken users for over a year and that Apple rejected from their own app store.

If Apple can get their own version working as well as this app, then it'll act just like it was plugged in via USB. It'll obviously be a little slower in transfer speeds vs. wired but for quick syncs it's great.

edit: I just looked at the description on Apples site:
"Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection. Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source (say, overnight for charging), it automatically syncs and backs up any new content to iTunes. So you always have your movies, TV shows, home videos, and photo albums everywhere you want them."

It sounds incredibly limited compared to what's already available to us in 3rd parties. The other app just basically toggles USB mode when you launch the app, and then you close it and it goes out of USB mode. Simple... no need to be plugged into a power source.

Yea, the description is weird (hence the thread 😛). It suggests a one-way communication only (iDevice->iTunes) and only when you plug your iDevice into a power source. But from the examples I've seen, rugby's posts (and I also asked a friend who is using the betas), the device is listed in iTunes and you have the usual functionality (however the File Sharing part doesn't work yet, you click add, select a file and nothing happens - it's not getting uploaded to your device).

However, once this goes live it will be an awesome functionality!