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Transfer items to your Mac, or they will be removed from your phone - Why do Apple make an issue out of this? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I get this prompt sometimes when I connect my phone to my computer. It doesn't tell me what items it's referring to, but I know I don't want anything on my computer that isn't there already. But it looks like if I don't go ahead with it, the mystery items will be removed from my phone.

Anybody know what the thinking is behind this? Maybe it's just a sync setting I've set myself, but it reads like some kind of crazy ransom note :)

I chose 'Don't Transfer' in the end. I have no idea what the consequences are. I don't notice any differences on my phone.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

It's a carryover from the iPod days. You can thank the music industry's DRM for this.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

That sounds credible because the message is so vague, it’s as if it was written for a single-purpose device.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

It makes more sense when you think of how syncing music worked for iPods.

Music went from your PC to the iPod, and that was the only way. You're syncing your iPod with your PC to make your iPod match your PC. The iPod touch came out and let you download music on the device, but when you went to sync to make the data match you gotta make it match. Either copy the data to your PC, or delete it from the iPod.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

…iTunes Store stuff maybe? If they are purchased, and thus attached to your account, you shouldn't be able to permanently lose those items anyhow.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Could be. If the items are still downloadable, I wonder why they want them on both devices or neither. I’m so confused.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

This is the sync workflow that iPhones used to start with, right? The one that you used to use iTunes for at first, then Finder later.

I mean, it's sync. Having the same state on both sides after a transaction is pretty much the name of the game.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

But these days purchases show up on both devices whether they’re downloaded or not. There’s a little cloud or arrow symbol beside them if I want to download them (eg Apple Music). So it’s confusing that there’s a separate policy that insist on both devices having the same content.

But I see in macOS Finder, when I navigate to my device there’s a checkbox enabled labelled “Sync music onto iPhone”. So maybe this is why (and I likely set that myself, I rarely ever connect my phone these days).

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

@FarraigePlaisteach It's a money thing. This way half the people forget how it works or even that they have the content already and then they might buy it again.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

If you try to purchase something from the App Store or iTunes Store that you already own, you get a download button instead of a buy button.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

@reddig33 Unless you buy a newer/different version - most visible with music 🙃

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

What the fuck. I hope I never see this. I will start swearing like a sailor.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I know. It’s like “Would you like to be shot? (If you choose not to be shot, you will be hung)”.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I get that message when I'm turning off iCloud stuff. It's basically making sure I know I'm deleting whatever was being shared in iCloud off my phone. Since that's what I do want, I say yes and it goes about its business.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I’m familiar with that one too, yes.

this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025
11 points (100.0% liked)

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