After five years of waiting, Apple has finally retired the iTunes application on Windows, and it will be replaced by three applications: Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices. These apps are now available in the Microsoft Store and will limit iTunes functionality when installed.
Windows finally gets Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices apps
The Mac version of iTunes retired in 2019, and then Apple launched a series of applications to fill this gap, especially Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Podcasts. While some people still prefer the consolidated nature of iTunes that puts all services on the same platform, apps separated by category are more beginner-friendly and work in the same way that Apple does on iPhones and iPads. Dramatically reduce operational differences between macOS and mobile systems.
Regardless, most Windows users will eventually transition from iTunes. The current version doesn’t include books or podcasts yet, so if you used iTunes to play audiobooks or podcasts on your Windows computer before, you still have to continue listening from iTunes. The Apple Devices app, which doesn’t exist on macOS, will let you sync files with an iPhone, iPad, or older iPod (on a Mac, Finder handles these tasks). For any of these apps to work properly, you must have all three installed.You also need to use your Apple ID to authorize your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer. For more detailed instructions, see Apple official website。
Please note that the Apple Music and Apple TV apps still rely on legacy iTunes folders. If you have a large media collection in your iTunes folder, it will automatically appear in Apple Music or Apple TV App. Deleting the iTunes folder will prevent you from seeing any local media. And, in case you’re wondering, Apple Music can play local media files, so you don’t need to subscribe to the Apple Music service.
You can download the Windows versions of Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices from the Microsoft Store. If you still want to use iTunes for music or device management, don’t install these apps because they limit iTunes functionality to podcasts and audiobooks only. New apps are still not available on older versions of Windows, but that’s not surprising since most apps now exclude Windows 7 and 8.1.
