How to Get Free Games on iPod Video
Apple's iPod series of MP3 players have changed the way we listen to music. The latest models of the iPod Classic, iPod Nano and iPod Touch also offer games to enhance your iPod experience. As of May 2010, only the iPod Touch supports games that are free. However, Apple.com notes that the 5th generation of the iPod Classic does come with three free games (Vortex, iQuiz and Klondike) preloaded. For the iPod Touch, free games can be downloaded from the Apps store via your iPod or through iTunes on your computer.
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Things You'll Need
- iPod Touch
- USB connection to computer with iTunes account or Wi-Fi access for iPod
- Active iTunes account linked to your iPod Touch
Instructions
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Downloading Games Directly from iPod Touch
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Ensure you have a strong signal for your Wi-Fi connection on your iPod touch. The signal strength is in the top-left corner of the screen. An active Wi-Fi connection will be displayed in light blue.
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2
Press the "App Store" button located in the lower right-hand corner of your screen next to the "Safari" button. This will open the Apple Apps store where you can download free games.
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Press the "Search" button in the lower right-hand corner to bring up a search box.
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Touch the search bar to bring up a keypad on the bottom of the screen and type "free
games" into the search bar. -
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Press the blue search button in the lower-right corner, or select free games from the suggestion list. This will list all of the current free iPod touch games.
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Flick your finger up or down on the iPod screen to scroll through the list of games. To the right of each game, the word "free" with an arrow will appear. Click on the arrow to view the game information.
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Touch the "Free" button in the top-right corner of the screen next to the game title to verify that you would like to download the game. The button will turn green and say "Install."
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8
Press the "Install" button to enter and verify your iTunes account password. Once your password has been accepted, the game will begin downloading on your last page of apps. You can begin playing your new game once the game has completed the installation process.
Downloading Games From Your Computer
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Open iTunes on your computer.
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10
Click on the iTunes Store tab from the left menu bar.
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Type "free games" into the search bar in the top right-hand corner of the iTunes store.
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Click on the "Free" button for the game you would like to download. A "Downloads" menu will appear under the subhead "Store" in your left menu bar as the game downloads to your iTunes library. The "Downloads" menu will disappear once the game has been downloaded successfully.
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Connect your iPod touch to your computer using the USB cable that came with your iPod. Once your iPod is connected, it will automatically be displayed in your menu bar under "Devices" on the left side of your iTunes screen.
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Click on your iPod to display your iPod information and click on the Apps tab.
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Click the "Sync Apps" check box in the top-left corner of the screen and verify that your new game is checked off in the list of apps.
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Click the "Apply" button in the bottom right-hand corner to sync your new games with your iPod. Once the syncing process is complete, your iPod will display your new game in your list of Apps.
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Tips & Warnings
If you know the name of a game you would like to download, you can search for the game itself instead of typing "free games" into the search bar. Any free versions of the game will say "Free" next to the game title.
To access the preloaded iPod Classic games, Apple.com notes these and other click wheel games for iPod and iPod classic are located under "Extras" in the main menu.
As of May, 2010, iPod Nano (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations) and iPod Classic and iPod (5th generation only) only support iPod Click Wheel Games.
According to Apple's website, the only way to get iPod authorized games (free or otherwise) is through the iTunes apps store.
References
- Photo Credit ear buds image by Darrell Sharpe from Fotolia.com
