CopyTrans Manager Review – Music Manager for iOS Devices Without iTunes

very good
key review info
application features
  • Edit, delete and add new media to iOS devices
  • (7 more, see all...)

Most iPod, iPad and iPhone users are always in a hurry to add new music and movies to their iOS devices. The go-to application for this job is iTunes and most software developers that have come up with simpler and less demanding utilities still need iTunes to run properly.

CopyTrans Manager stands out from the crowd in this matter. Designed as a fast, highly intuitive and good-looking Windows utility for users of Apple products, it provides the essential features needed to manage the device library when it comes to adding, removing and editing audio and video clips. It is wrapped up in a lightweight package that does not need installation and it is free to use by anyone with a computer and an iOS device.

No installation necessary, except for missing drivers

The CopyTrans Manager pack consists of a single executable file that immediately launches the app. However, the Apple Mobile Device Service driver is still required. If it does not already exist on the computer, users may consult the manual available on the developer's website to download and install this driver.

Unlike most installers, CopyTrans Manager does not modify Windows registry settings or create extra files on the disk without permission, thus leaving no traces behind after its removal.

Elegant and intuitive interface

The GUI has a clean look and it is very simple to navigate. Once the iOS device is plugged into the computer, the software utility automatically populates the list with music and video playlists, enabling users to view categories, artists and albums, along with the title, artist, album, rating, play count, duration and last played date for each item in the collection, in addition to the cover art (if any).

More data types can be shown in the list by opening the right-click menu of any column. CopyTrans Manager offers numerous information in this regard, such as bit rate, sample rate, BPM, podcast URL and RSS, file type and name, together with the date of last modification and last skipped date.

Add new tracks and delete duplicates

If multiple Apple devices are connected to the PC, then a preferred one can be picked from a drop-down menu. In order to clean up music and movies, CopyTrans Manager can be set to display only duplicates in the list, thus allowing users to delete cloned files while leaving out the originals.

Tracks can be deleted from the iOS device or just their entries can be removed from the playlist, while new files can be easily imported into the library and organized into existing and new playlists. A search function that shows results in real time is accessible on the upper right corner of the screen.

Play media and edit metadata

CopyTrans Manager integrates a useful feature that allows users to load any audio or video files in a small, built-in media player, seek a position in the playback, pause it, create a playlist with multiple objects to play, adjust the volume, as well as enable shuffle or repeat mode.

What's more, it is possible to give ratings and edit audio track information when it comes to the title, artist, album, composer, genre, track and disc number, media type, year, comment, lyrics and artwork (JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TGA  or TIF format). Customizable video details include the show name, episode ID, description and TV network. Two or more tracks can be edited at the same time in terms of tags by simply making a multiple selection.

Configure program settings easily

As far as app configuration is concerned, users may hide the welcome window on startup, ask the tool to immediately apply changes to the iOS device without requesting confirmation, disable the automatic checkup for software updates, restore the library from a backup file, switch to another UI language, consolidate all track tags based on the library contents (cannot be undone), as well as configure advanced settings. Options may be restored to their factory parameters.


The Good

The tool worked smoothly during our evaluation, without causing the operating system to hang, crash or pop up error messages. It adds new media files to the Apple devices quickly while using low CPU and low-to-moderate RAM.

OS compatibility starts with Windows XP and ends with Windows 8/8.1 on both 32- and 64-bit architecture types. Multiple UI languages are supported and help documentation is available.

Overall, CopyTrans Manager is so simple to work with that no previous experience with iTunes or another PC/iOS data transfer software is needed. Apart from adding new music and movies to the device (drag-and-drop is supported), it is possible to edit tags for existing tracks in single or batch mode, seamlessly identify and remove duplicates to clean up the collection and make room for more files, as well as to preview media in a built-in player and even put together a playlist.

The tool does not need to be installed, works without iTunes and is free to use.

The Bad

If the Apple Mobile Device Service driver is not already installed on the computer and users follow CopyTrans Manager's steps to set it up, the application may be confusing to some users. It advises them to download another app made by the same developer that needs to uninstall existing Apple tools, including iTunes, QuickTime, Apple Mobile Device Support and Apple Software Updates. When installing the needed iOS drivers afterwards, it offers two methods: automatic and manual setup. The first one automatically obtains data from Apple's website, while the second prompts users to select the iTunes setup kit in order to extract the driver.

The Truth

Considering that it is free to use, CopyTrans Manager is a great tool for easily managing music and movies files on iPod, iPad and iPhone devices without resorting to the complicated and resource-hogging iTunes. However, users should keep in mind that it does not sport as many features as the Apple software solution.

user interface 4
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good
 

CopyTrans Manager (8 Images)

Easily manage music and movies on Apple devices
Plug in one or multiple iOS devices to get startedInstall the missing driver with the help of this appView categories, playlists and extended informationPlay audio and video files in a built-in player
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