Apple killed iTunes. This is what happens to your music now

iTunes is dead. Long live Apple Music. That's why Apple wants you to take control of your decision to stop updating the 18-year-old iTunes service, and channel your listening to Apple Music, Apple podcasts and Apple TV, on all your devices. The change took place this week at WWDC's annual tech titan event in San Jose, accompanied by a host of other future updates for iPhone. ($ 1,000 at Amazon), iPads ($ 249 at Walmart) and Mac, including iOS 13, iPadOS and MacOS Catalina software. They are all coming into effect this fall.

The musical movements of Apple underline the renewed attention of the company for the services. Apple has long appreciated its ability to create high-end experiences that allow loyal users to be invested in the brand's ecosystem. For an initially hardware-based company, iTunes was one of Apple's first major successes in this field. People who bought Apple's music were less likely to go astray. Now, Apple is betting that Apple Music will largely resume where iTunes has stopped.

But what happens to your iTunes music now? Close iTunes raises big questions for those of you who have made music collections over the years. What should you do, if any, to keep your investment intact? What if you use iTunes for Windows? And what happens to iTunes Match?

Here's what we know about Apple's plans to transfer you to Apple Music and others.

Is ITunes still working today?

Yes. Apple is still advertising iTunes on the website. iTunes will still exist for the moment, but Apple will not support it in MacOS Catalina, with the upgrade scheduled for this fall.

Why does Apple finish iTunes?

Apple said that iTunes initially focused on burning and mixing songs on Mac, before suggesting that it was too big and too inflated and that it had lost its reason d & # 39; be. "How about the calendar in iTunes?", Joked Craig Federighi, technical manager at Apple, during the presentation. "I mean, you can have all your appointments and your best songs in one application!"

Apple described Apple Music as extremely fast, suggesting that iTunes' performance had become slow.

Do I still have access to the same number of songs with Apple Music?

Yes, Apple publishes a catalog of more than 50 million songs, as well as collections of music videos (via Apple TV) and podcasts (via the Apple Podcasts app). Scroll to the end for more details.

Does my iTunes collection disappear?

No way. Every song you have already purchased, extracted, downloaded or imported will already be part of Apple Music when you upgrade your current version of Mac OS to Catalina. All files already on your computer will remain. Apple will not liquidate anything you already have, but it will reorganize the location of the files.

Even my CDs, MP3s and torn playlists?

Yes, even those. You'll find them in your Apple Music library.

Can I still burn a CD with Apple Music?

Yes, if you have an external CD player and the necessary cables, although this has not yet been tested.

How about backing up my device, restoring my settings and syncing settings?

iTunes is the application that you think about for backups and synchronizations. These features will exist with Catalina, but not in the Apple Music app. You will find them by opening the Finder tool under Mac. It's the one with the square and stylized icon of a smiling face that serves as the file manager for the operating system. Open it and you will see that the device will appear in the Finder menu, for example: "Jessica's iPhone".

How will I transfer music to a device?

If you want to transfer music to a device, open one of your multimedia applications, click and drag from your music library to the folder of your connected device, and the transfer will work.

What happens when I sync my iPhone or another device?

Today, iTunes appears when you plug your iPhone to sync devices, but this is not the case with Apple Music. If you want to synchronize, you will find the settings in the Finder sidebar. Apple does this more opt-in (you trigger synchronization in the Finder) rather than opt-out (you close the window if it appears and you bugs).

What happens to people who use iTunes under Windows?

iTunes will continue to work under Windows as is.

Will iTunes still work on the older version of MacOS?

You can still use iTunes on a Mac version earlier than MacOS Catalina (Mojave, for example), but this version will not be available during the upgrade.

I'm confused. What is the difference between Apple Music and iTunes?

iTunes is a free application for managing your music library, playing video clips, purchasing music and syncing devices. Apple Music is a streaming music subscription service, without advertising, which costs $ 10 a month, $ 15 a month for a family of six, or $ 5 a month for students.

Apple Music is in close competition with Spotify and you can listen to offline songs on your devices.

Do I have to subscribe to use the Apple Music Apps Library?

Yes, you can still access your music collection if you do not subscribe to Apple Music. It's completely opt-in.

Is the iTunes Store disappearing?

The iTunes name will disappear, but Apple will retain the store and its features in the Apple Music app. You can access it if you want to buy new songs and albums, but if you subscribe to Apple Music, you probably will not use much of a store.

What happens to iTunes Match?

iTunes Match is a feature that gives you access to a song purchased through another service, such as Amazon. Apple Music already has built-in functionality, so you will not miss it if you subscribe.

And if I like to make my own mixes?

If you like DJ your own collection and albums, you can import these tracks into Apple Music and listen to them on your Apple devices.

What about the Apple TV app – will this be where will my iTunes movies live?

Yes! All movies you have purchased via iTunes will be transferred 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 the iTunes movies you bought. It supports 4K HDR playback with HDR 10 and Dolby Vision graphics as well as Dolby Atmos audio playback.

Where does the Apple Podcasts app come from?

Good question, since Apple is broadcasting iTunes features. Apple podcasts are pretty simple: you listen, search and sign up for shows. In MacOS Catalina, Apple podcasts also allow you to enter a few words or letters to find a show or episode.

Change is difficult. Is there a reason why I should ignore the Catalina upgrade?

In addition to accelerating these applications, Apple encourages you to upgrade to the latest version for ongoing updates of privacy and security. Learn more about all the changes made to your Mac with the MacOS Catalina upgrade this fall.