For years, Apple has been transitioning PCs away from iTunes and towards standalone music, video and device management applications. The process is almost complete with the Cupertino giant's media app being steadily released to all Windows users. It's unclear how much time iTunes has left of its own.
All Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can now download Apple's Music, TV and mobile device management apps from the Windows Store. The Windows iCloud app has also been visually overhauled. Traditional iTunes is still available, but Apple wants users to transition to the new app and eventually stop using the old all-in-one software.
AppleMusic allows users to manage songs purchased through iTunes, organize non-iTunes songs, and enjoy the company's music streaming service through a subscription. Apple TV can handle purchased movies and TV shows, while letting users watch streaming content from Apple TV+ and Major League Soccer Season Pass. AppleTV and Netflix are the only streaming apps on Windows that support 4KHDR.
Finally, the AppleDevices app syncs content between your computer and iPhone or iPad. It also allows users to back up, restore and manually update mobile devices.
Users must choose to install only iTunes or all three new apps. Downloading one of these programs prompts the user to install other programs, which then check and integrate the user's existing iTunes library out of iTunes. After the switch, the old iTunes app will only handle podcasts and audiobooks.
Windows computers that don't support the new app can still use iTunes. While Apple stopped updating iTunes on macOS last month, it continues to make regular updates to the Windows version. It's unclear how long Apple plans to continue supporting the 20-year-old software.
Apple divided iTunes on MacOS into three parts for the first time in 2019. The process of unbundling Windows systems began in 2022 with the launch of preview versions of Windows 11 media apps. The official version will introduce them to Windows 10 users, who still account for the majority of Windows installation users.
In addition, Apple also launched a new interface for Windows iCloud applications. The functionality remains largely unchanged, but the updated interface is cleaner and has fewer prompts. It also introduces support for physical security keys. However, users may need to reconfigure iCloud Drive and File Explorer integration.