iTunes For Windows is Sticking Around

newitunes122logoIn macOS Catalina, Apple is sunsetting the iTunes app and has split it into three apps instead: Music, Podcasts, and TV, which has left questions about what's happening to iTunes on other platforms.

Apple told Ars Technica that on Windows, there will be no changes. Those who use iTunes on a PC to manage their devices, listen to music, and make iTunes purchases will be able to continue to do so.

There were no details provided, however, on what's going to happen when the Music, Podcasts, and TV apps gain new features over time. Whether those features will also come to iTunes on Windows remains to be seen.

For now, though, Windows users will see no changes to iTunes on the Windows platform.

As for Mac users, installing Catalina removes iTunes and replaces it with Music and Podcasts (TV is coming this fall). Device management is still present in macOS Catalina, and you'll see an iPhone or an iPad plugged into your Mac listed as a device in the Finder sidebar.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

Top Rated Comments

alexandr Avatar
84 months ago
ok, time to switch over to windows!
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wozmatic Avatar
84 months ago
Windows user here, not sure what to think except that Apple seems to be consistent in "If it ain't broke, break it" thinking.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
84 months ago
To everyone that are afraid of iTunes going away on macOS. There isn't anything to worry about. I installed the macOS 10.15 BETA on a spare MacBook Pro today they have just separated iTunes into four separate pieced instead of having one massive, bloated application.

Finder has all the same synchronisation options as iTunes used to have. It looks and behaves the exact same. The only thing that seems to be missing is support for ringtones and that's pretty much it. You connect your iOS device, open Finder and you will see your device in the sidebar. Click on it and you have the exact same view as you used to have in iTunes. They pretty much ripped out the code from iTunes and put it into Finder.

Same goes for the new Music-app. The UX-design has been slightly updated but the features are exactly the same as you had in iTunes. You can add local files, you can RIP CD's, you can access songs purchased through iTunes Store, you can purchase additional songs, you can connect to iCloud Music Library and you can access Apple Music. It's much faster and more fluid as a standalone application, but the functionality and underlining code seems to be 99% the same.

The new Podcast application? Not much different. Just like with the Music-application it has the exact same features and capabilities as the Podcast function in iTunes used to have. And just like the Music-application the performance and fluidity seems to have greatly improved by the code being separated into it's own application.

Those wondering about Audiobook's? They are automatically moved over to the Book's application and behave pretty much exactly the same as they did in iTunes just faster and more fluid. If you have imported audiobook's from Audible your authorisation gets automatically transferred and your audiobook's are all still there.

TV-app you say? Same story. You will find all your movies and TV-shows purchased or rented in the new TV-app. It's snappier and more fluid as compared to navigating your library in iTunes.


This is all great, but some might be somewhat disappointed that there are so little changes to the applications and their functionality. They are 99% the exact same as they were in iTunes, just separated into separate applications which obviously has improved the performance and there are some slight UX-design changes and improvements as a result of the application being more dedicated towards a single purpose. But there is no re-imagining or re-work of anything.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rafterman Avatar
84 months ago
Who uses Windows anymore ?
90 percent of the world.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MisterAndrew Avatar
84 months ago
The info in the article about the Apple TV app isn't correct. The app is working properly right now in Catalina beta. It shows your library with existing videos too.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Smartass Avatar
84 months ago
If you want the best-in-class experience then you've always had to choose macOS over Windows. The story remains unchanged with this news.
hahahahha please stop embarassing yourself
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)