Apple is ending iTunes but your music collection is here to stay.

After 18 years of iTunes, Apple has announced that they are splitting up iTunes into three individual apps, consisting of Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. The Apple Music app is focused on music and personalized recommendations, the Podcasts app lets you search with the help of machine learning and the TV app will blend content from networks such as HBO and Showtime, along with original programming from Apple.

If you own an iPad or iPhone, this change probably won’t make much of a difference since the apps have been separated on those devices for some time. The change will, however, make it even easier to sync content between all of your devices.

Here’s what you need to know about the change:

Does iTunes still work today?

Yes. iTunes is still advertised on Apple’s website and will continue to exist for the time being. However, the next Mac operating system (MacOS Catalina) will not support iTunes when it is released this Fall.

Will my iTunes Collection Disappear?

No! Every song you have ever bought, ripped, uploaded, or imported will already be part of Apple Music when your computer upgrades to MacOS Catalina. All of the files on your computer will remain. Apple isn’t liquidating anything you already own, but it will reorganize where the files live on your computer.

What if I use iTunes to back up my device, restore settings, or sync settings?

iTunes is the app you think of for backups and syncs, and those capabilities will exist with MacOS Catalina, just not in the Apple Music app. You’ll find them by opening the Finder tool in Mac. That’s the one with the square, stylized icon of a smiling face that serves as the operating system’s file manager. Open it, and you’ll see device will appear in the Finder menu, for example: “Jessica’s iPhone”.

What if I use iTunes on my Windows computer?

iTunes will continue to work on Windows as is.

Will iTunes still work on older versions of MacOS?

You can still use iTunes on a version of Mac that predates MacOS Catalina (e.g. High Sierra or Mojave), but it won’t be available when you make the upgrade.

How is Apple Music Different than iTunes?

iTunes is a free app to manage your music library, music video playback, music purchases and device syncing. Apple Music is an ad-free music streaming subscription service that costs $10 per month, $15 a month for a family of six or $5 per month for students.

Do I have to subscribe to use the Apple Music app library?

No. You can still access your music collection if you don’t subscribe to Apple Music. That is completely opt-in.

What about the Apple TV app – is that where my iTunes movies will live?

Yes. Any movies you’ve bought via iTunes will move to the Apple TV app for Mac.

The Apple TV app (yes, for all your devices, not just an Apple TV) is where TV shows, movies and music videos will live on the Mac, including HBO and Showtime, and those iTunes movies you bought. It’ll support 4K HDR playback with HDR 10 and Dolby Vision graphics and Dolby Atmos audio playback.

Source:
CNET