October 31, 2011
With iOS 5, iTunes now includes the Tone Store, which gives you access to many different types of ringtones and sound effects for your iOS devices. From iTunes on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap the More button in the lower right, then tap Tones to reach the Tone Store. On each page Ringtones appear at the top and Alert tones at the bottom (scroll down to reach them). Tap the images on the left to sample the sounds. You can also reach the Tone Store through the Sounds section in the Settings app where you can browse by use -- Ringtone, Text Tone, New Voicemail, New Mail, etc -- and select from among the sounds that came with your device and ones you've already bought. To shop for more from the Tone Store, scroll up to the top of the pages and tap Buy More Tones.
On iPad, to go directly to the Tone Store in iTunes tap the Music tab on the bottom left and the Genres button on the top left and pick Tones from the list that will appear. And as with iPhone and iPod touch, go to Sounds under General in the Settings app where you can browse and pick from your sound library by use and find a Buy More Tones button at the top of each page.
October 24, 2011
From the Purchased section in iTunes, the App Store, and iBookstore in iOS 5, and in iTunes 10.5 on your computers, you can hide past music, TV show, app, and book purchases in your purchase history, as well as download them again to your computers or devices. Think of it as the digital equivalent of packing away stuff you don't want to see when you're looking around but don't want to throw away either. On iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, swipe across items in the purchase history to produce touchable Hide buttons. On the computer screen, move the pointer over items to produce a clickable "X" to the right of the entry if you're viewing a list (for example, Songs in Music) or in the upper left of the image if you're viewing albums, TV shows, apps, or books. To find items you've previously hidden, go to your Account Information page and look in the iTunes in the Cloud section.
On iPhone and iPod touch, the Purchased tab appears on the lower right in iTunes and the iBookstore. In the App Store, tap Updates on the lower right and then Purchased at the top. On Pad the Purchased tab is on the lower right in all of the stores. The Apple ID button that will take you to your Account page is at the bottom of most of the main pages. On the computer, links for both Purchased and Account are in the Quick Links section on the upper right of the main iTunes Store page.
October 3, 2011
Whether you shop on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can use Tell a Friend and Gift This App to share your enthusiasm with friends. On an app's page in the App Store on the computer, click the downward pointing triangle next to the Buy App or Free App button to see the options--Tell a Friend, which lets you send an email link, and Gift this App, which lets you buy the app for someone else. On the iPhone and iPod touch, scroll down to the bottom of an app's page to find the buttons for those options. On the iPad, use the links on the upper right of an app's page. In all cases, you'll be asked to sign in with your Apple ID if you haven't already, before you complete your intended action.
