Control iTunes on your computer from your iPhone remotely using Remtoe app

Get this app:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/remote/

How to setup:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1947

Troubleshooting:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1741


The only problem I faced during first time setup was some firewall settings - iTunes was allowed on public network, but not on private network. I just allowed it on both networks and the whole setup worked like a charm.

Once first time setup has been done, next time you want to use iPhone to control the iTunes on your computer, follow following steps (this is the only sequence of steps which has been working for me consistently):

1. Close iTunes on your computer.
2. Launch 'Remote' on your iPhone.
3. Start iTunes on your computer within a few seconds.
   
4. 'Remote' on the iPhone should show the iTunes library on the computer.
5. In the Settings of 'Remote' on the iPhone, set "Stay Connected" = ON.

Once 'Remote' gets disconnected from 'iTunes', you need to restart iTunes and Remte app both which is a pain in the ass. Even if you keep Remote app running on iPhone, it will disconnect from iTunes after a some idle time. Even with the setting "Stay Connected" = ON.

This feature look cool, but I am not how much useful this feature will be since I don't have a desktop (I have a laptop) and I play my music by connecting speakers to my iPhone. What I needed was a way to control my iTunes on iPhone from my laptop. There are some solutions out there, but they require jailbreaking, but I have been avoiding jailbreaking because that's a whole new beast - lot of features, apps and security issues.