- Under macOS Catalina, as the new version of the Mac operating system is called, Apple is nixing iTunes in favor of three apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. For die-hard iTunes users.
- Now that macOS 10.15 Catalina is in the hands of Mac users around the globe there’s likely one question on a lot of lips – where did iTunes go? The answer is a complicated one, because while iTunes as we know it is now gone, everything that made iTunes what it was is still there. It just isn’t called iTunes anymore.
Under macOS Catalina, as the new version of the Mac operating system is called, Apple is nixing iTunes in favor of three apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. For die-hard iTunes users. Apple is planning to split iTunes into three apps in macOS Catalina: Music, Podcasts, and TV, which, when combined, will replicate much of the functionality that's currently available through.
Now there's an app for every media type
With macOS Catalina, your music, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks are organized in to their own dedicated apps — the Apple Music app, Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts app, and Apple Books app. You can also access your iTunes Store purchases in these apps.
If you have a PC, you can continue to use iTunes for Windows to manage your media library, make purchases, and manually sync and manage your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Use Finder to sync and manage your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Finder is the new place to back up, update, or restore your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Just connect your device to your Mac and it appears in the Finder sidebar. And you can easily drag and drop files to your device.
Use Finder to manage your devices.
Upgrade your iTunes library
After you update to macOS Catalina, just open the Apple Music app or Apple TV app to use your iTunes library in the new apps. Have multiple iTunes libraries? Learn how to switch between them in macOS Catalina.
If you open the Apple Podcasts app or Apple Books app first, you won't see any of your media until you open the Apple Music app or Apple TV app.
Here are some things to know
- The Apple Music app and Apple TV app read the contents of your iTunes library — so don't delete your iTunes library.
- If you open the Apple Music app and don't see all of your album artwork, leave the Apple Music app open so your album artwork can finish downloading.
- If you previously used multiple iTunes libraries, your audiobooks are imported in to the Apple Books library and podcasts are imported in to the Apple Podcasts library on your computer.
Where's my media?
Here's where you can find your entire media collection, access your iTunes Store purchases, and synced libraries.
All of your music is now in the Apple Music app
The Apple Music app is where you can find all of your music, including music that you imported in to iTunes, purchased from the iTunes Store, and playlists and smart playlists that you created in iTunes. And if you subscribe to Apple Music, you can stream and download millions of songs, and access your entire music library across all of your devices.
Explore the Apple Music app.
Looking for the iTunes Store?
If you don't see the iTunes Store in the sidebar, here's how to find it:
Itunes U On Mac Catalina
- Open the Apple Music app.
- In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences.
- Go to the General tab and select iTunes Store.
- Click OK.
Everything you watch is now in the Apple TV app
The Apple TV app is the new home for all of your movies, TV shows, and home videos — including your purchases from iTunes. Browse movies and TV shows that you can buy, rent movies, and subscribe to just the channels that you want to watch. And soon you can discover new favorites with Apple TV+.
Discover the Apple TV app.
Find podcasts in the Apple Podcasts app
Find all of the shows that you’ve subscribed to or added to iTunes in the Apple Podcasts app. Continue listening to your favorite podcast episodes. And discover new shows that you might like based on the ones that you’re already listening to.
Listen with the Apple Podcasts app.
Listen to audiobooks in the Apple Books app
Find your audiobooks, including the ones that you purchased from iTunes, in the Apple Books app. Discover new books to read in the Book Store. Or buy audiobooks from the new Audiobook Store so you can listen on the go.
Check out the Apple Books app.
The Apple Music app, Apple TV app, Apple Podcast app, and Apple Books app aren’t available in all countries and regions. Learn what’s available in your country or region.
With macOS 10.15 Catalina, Apple killed iTunes, but its heart still beats in different apps across the operating system. Judging by email received, knowing where to find them can be a treasure hunt. Here’s how iTunes was split up.
Music
Remember when iTunes was all about music? You no longer have to remember, because the Music app replaces most of iTunes’s features and is, true to its name, all about Music. In Music, you find your music library, manage an Apple Music subscription, and purchase songs, albums, and music videos from the iTunes Store. (See, iTunes isn’t really dead!)
Subscriptions
You used to rely on the iTunes account feature to view and manage subscriptions. That’s migrated in Catalina to the App Store. You can reach this either from the Apple ID preference pane’s Media & Purchases view by clicking Manage Subscriptions or launching the App Store and choosing Store > View My Account, click View Information, enter your password if prompted, and then under the Manage section, click the Manage button in the line that starts “Subscriptions: number (all time).” That’s…a lot of steps. In my account, I see an iOS in-app purchase subscription, an entry for iTunes Match, and my AppleCare+ monthly billing. To exit, click Done and then scroll down to find the second Done button on the Information screen.
Podcasts
Podcasts were grafted into iTunes many years ago, because it was another form of audio. In Catalina, Podcasts gets its own stripped-down app that handles finding podcasts, subscribing, downloading, and listening.
TV
The TV app is nearly identical to the iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS versions. It centralizes your own downloaded, purchased, and rented videos (except music videos), as well as subscriptions to premium services and the upcoming Apple TV+. It also incorporates purchasing, split into Movies, TV Shows, and Kids as in the other platforms’ apps.
Voice Memos
For whatever reason deemed appropriate, Voice Memos used to be part of iTunes, and were no longer seen as the right thing to be associated with the new Music or Podcasts. There’s a new Voice Memos app that will be quite familiar to anyone who has used it in iOS. It’s both where you’ll find synced voice memos and where you can record new ones.
Install Itunes On Mac Catalina
Finder: Accessing your iOS device
So you’re wondering where you access your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad when it’s plugged into your Mac, since iTunes has been the hub since the iSync software disappeared many moons ago. Apple integrated mobile device settings directly into the Finder, and this is the one we hear the most about.
With an iOS or iPadOS device connected, you see an entry under Locations in the Sidebar in any Finder window. Click it, and the Finder reveals a view that is effectively transplanted from the old iTunes. You can manage backups, set syncing of photos and other media if you don’t use iCloud Photos and similar services, and restore or update a device.
Apple ID logins
With Apple having split apart these different functions, the company also now lets you control which Apple ID is used with nearly all of them. You can use one Apple ID for iCloud syncing via the new Apple ID preference pane, another for the Mac App Store, another for Music, another for Books, and another for TV.
That seems excessive, but I have two accounts for historic reasons, and I know people with three or more. (The Podcasts app has no account option. Choosing Account > View Apple ID opens the iCloud tab in the Apple ID preference pane. But for me, it uses the Apple ID I associated with the App Store, not with iCloud!)
When you’re logged into a different Apple ID for various stores and services, you will see either that account or a popup menu with all of the different accounts in the Apple ID preference pane under Media & Purchases.
Ask Mac 911
Install Itunes On Mac Catalina
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