Not keen on using one iTunes library to manage several family member’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad content and curious how multiple iTunes libraries work? While it’s not exactly obvious it is fairly easy to use multiple iTunes libraries on the same Windows or Mac PC. We’ll show you how after the break!
When we posted one how to manage syncing multiple iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads with a single iTunes library, many of you commented that you preferred using multiple libraries. Fair enough!
Creating multiple iTunes libraries
If you don’t already have multiple libraries here’s how to create them:
- Make sure iTunes isn’t running. Quit it if it is.
- Hold down ALT (Windows) or OPTION (Mac) and click the iTunes icon.
- A dialog box will pop up. Click the button that says Create Library…
- Browse to where you want the library to be located and give it a distinctive name (we recommend having one folder for all your libraries and then naming libraries after your devices or members of your family so they’re easy to identify later).
- iTunes will open with a new, empty library that can you can fill with music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, apps and other content just for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad you want to sync it with.
- Repeat these steps for each additional library you want to create.
Switching libraries
To switch from one iTunes library to another:
- Quit iTunes if it’s running.
- Hold down ALT (Windows) or OPTION (Mac) and click the iTunes icon.
- A dialog box will pop up. Click the button that says Choose Library…
- A file browser will launch. Navigate to your library and choose the one you want to open.
- Your iTunes library will open. Plug in your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and sync away!
More
Multiple libraries are good for more than just multiple devices and family members. For example you might want a separate library for seasonal content like Christmas music that you only sync for a few weeks out of the year. Maybe you’re going on a special trip and want apps and media that you won’t sync again once you get back home. Anything that you want to keep clean and separate is a good candidate for its own iTunes library.
If you have any questions or any iTunes ninja tips of your own to share please let us know in the comments. If you’re already using multiple libraries, let us know how it’s working for you!
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Beejive is probably one of the most popular IM clients for iOS, and for good reason. It supports almost any messenger client you can think of and is completely customizable. Beejive has been making IM clients for a very long time, and it shows. I remember purchasing Beejive for my Blackberry several years ago. Even then, it was an extremely reliable choice.
eBuddy is another IM client that has a pretty large user base. It boasts several great features such as themes, push notifications, picture sharing, and much more. eBuddy also offers a free version of the app that is ad supported and has fewer features. So you can always try before you buy.
While eBuddy and Beejive have rather large user bases, so does IM+. These are probably the three most used clients for iPhone users. IM+ offers just as much as the previous two. And again, it’ll probably come down to personal preference. It boasts most of the same features of the previous two but also has some other features that make it unique such as viewing Twitter feeds and advanced chat histories. I like the fact that you can access chat history on your device or on the web. This can be extremely convenient for people who need to save chat histories for work reasons.
A lot of people may be asking why I’m including a client that doesn’t support half the features the big 3 support. The answer to that for me is simple; Verbs looks like a client Apple themselves wrote. The UI itself is simply gorgeous. As of now, Verbs doesn’t support the feature set the others boast, but I think it’s a client to keep our eye on. 
Kik Messenger has an extremely easy to use interface and push is extremely quick. But there’s a catch. Kik is proprietary. The other user must be using Kik messenger also. They provide cross-platform support for iOS, Android, and Blackberry. The downside is that you won’t be able to link AIM and some other popular messaging clients. If your messaging needs are small and the few people you need to talk to have Kik (or you can get them to download it), this will work just fine. Apps like Whatsapp Messenger and Ping! also offer the same proprietary system as well. It’ll really come down to which you prefer to use the most (and probably which one your friends use). 
![3DBoard bringing 3D home screens to iPhone [Jailbreak]](http://www.tipb.com/images/stories/2011/01/Screen-shot-2011-01-28-at-9.32.34-PM.png "3DBoard bringing 3D home screens to iPhone [Jailbreak]")
