This article is about the application software. For the media store and the app that was simply named “iTunes” on iOS until iOS 7, seeiTunes Store. For other uses, seeITunes (disambiguation).
iTunes is a media player, media library, andmobile device management (MDM) utility developed byApple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running theWindows (and formerlymacOS) operating systems, and can be used torip songs from CDs as well as to play content from dynamicplaylists. It includes options for sound optimization and wireless sharing.
iTunes was announced by Apple CEOSteve Jobs on January 9, 2001. Its original and main focus was music, with a library offering organization and storage ofMac users' music collections. With the 2003 addition of theiTunes Store for purchasing and downloading digital music, and a Windows version of the program, it became an ubiquitous tool for managing music and configuring other features on Apple's line ofiPod media players, which extended to theiPhone andiPad upon their introduction. From 2005 on, Apple expanded its core music features with support for digital video,podcasts,e-books, andmobile apps purchased from theiOS App Store. The release ofiOS 5 in 2011 made these devices less dependent on iTunes, though it could still be used to back up their contents.
Though well received in its early years, iTunes received increasing criticism for abloated user experience with the incorporation of non-music features. Beginning with Macs runningmacOS Catalina, iTunes was replaced by separate apps, namelyMusic,Podcasts, andTV, withFinder taking over device management capabilities.[1][2] This change did not affect iTunes running on Windows or older macOS versions.[3] In February 2024, most features of iTunes for Windows were split into the Apple TV, Music, and Apple Devices apps. iTunes is still used for podcasts and audiobooks as there is currently no Windows version of Apple Podcasts.[4][5]
SoundJam MP, released byCasady & Greene in 1999, was renamed "iTunes" whenApple purchased it the next year. The primary developers of the software moved to Apple as part of the acquisition, and simplified SoundJam's user interface, added the ability to burn CDs, and removed its recording feature andskin support.[6][7] The first version of iTunes, promotionally dubbed "World's Best and Easiest To Use Jukebox Software",[8] was announced on January 9, 2001.[9] Subsequent releases of iTunes often coincided with new hardware devices, and gradually included support for new features, including "smart playlists", theiTunes Store, and new audio formats.[9]
Apple released iTunes for Windows on October 16, 2003.[10]
On April 26, 2018, iTunes was released onMicrosoft Store forWindows 10,[11] primarily to allow it to be installed on Windows 10 devices configured to only allow installation of software from Microsoft Store.[12] Unlike Windows versions for other platforms, it is more self-contained due to technical requirements for distribution on the store (not installing background helper services such asBonjour), and is updated automatically through the store rather than usingApple Software Update.[13]
The role of iTunes has been replaced with independent apps, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, and Apple TV; with iPhone, iPod, and iPad management integrated into theFinder starting withmacOS 10.15 Catalina, and appearing as Apple Devices starting withWindows 10.[14][15]
iTunes features a music library. Each track has attributes, calledmetadata, that can be edited by the user, including changing the name of the artist, album, and genre, year of release, artwork, among other additional settings.[16][17] The software supports importing digital audio tracks that can then be transferred toiOS devices,[18] as well as supportingripping content from CDs.[19][20] iTunes supportsWAV,AIFF,Apple Lossless,AAC, andMP3 audio formats.[21] It uses theGracenote music database to provide track name listings for audio CDs. When users rip content from a CD, iTunes attempts to match songs to the Gracenote service. For self-published CDs, or those from obscurerecord labels, iTunes would normally only list tracks as numbered entries ("Track 1" and "Track 2") on an unnamed album by an unknown artist, requiring manual input of data.[22]
File metadata is displayed in users' libraries in columns, including album, artist, genre, composer, and more.[23] Users can enable or disable different columns, as well as change view settings.[24]
Introduced in 2004,[25] "Party Shuffle" selected tracks to play randomly from the library, though users could press a button to skip a song and go to the next in the list.[26] The feature was later renamed "iTunes DJ",[27] before being discontinued altogether, replaced by a simpler "Up Next" feature that notably lost some of "iTunes DJ"'s functionality.[28]
Introduced in iTunes 8 in 2008, "Genius" can automatically generate a playlist of songs from the user's library that "go great together".[29] "Genius" transmits information about the user's library to Apple anonymously, and evolves over time to enhance its recommendation system. It can also suggest purchases to fill out "holes" in the library.[30] The feature was updated with iTunes 9 in 2009 to offer "Genius Mixes", which generated playlists based on specific music genres.[31][32]
"Smart playlists" are a set of playlists that can be set to automatically filter the library based on a customized list of selection criteria, much like adatabase query. Multiple criteria can be entered to manage the smart playlist.[33] Selection criteria examples include a genre likeChristmas music, songs that have not been played recently, or songs the user has listened to the most in a time period.[34]
Through a "Home Sharing" feature, users can share their iTunes library wirelessly.[35] Computerfirewalls must allow network traffic, and users must specifically enable sharing in the iTunes preferences menu.iOS applications also exist that can transfer content without Internet.[36] Additionally, users can set up anetwork-attached storage system, and connect to that storage system through an app.[37]
iTunes includes sound processing features, such asequalization, "sound enhancement" andcrossfade. There is also a feature calledSound Check, whichnormalizes the playback volume of all songs in the library to the same level.[38][39]
Introduced on April 28, 2003, The iTunes Music Store allows users to buy and download songs, with 200,000 tracks available at launch. In its first week, customers bought more than one million songs.[40] Music purchased was protected byFairPlay, anencryption layer referred to asdigital rights management (DRM).[41] The use of DRM, which limited devices capable of playing purchased files,[42] sparked efforts to remove the protection mechanism.[43] Eventually, afteran open letter to the music industry by CEO Steve Jobs in February 2007,[44] Apple introduced a selection of DRM-free music in the iTunes Store in April 2007,[45] followed by its entire music catalog without DRM in January 2009.[46]
In June 2011, Apple announced "iTunes in the Cloud", in which music purchases were stored on Apple's servers and made available for automatic downloading on new devices. For music the user owns, such as content ripped from CDs, the company introduced "iTunes Match", a feature that can upload content to Apple's servers, match it to its catalog, change the quality to 256 kbit/sAAC format, and make it available to other devices.[47][48]
When iTunes was first released, it came with support for theKerbangoInternet radio tuner service.[49] In June 2013, the company announced iTunes Radio, a free music streaming service.[50] In June 2015, Apple announced Apple Music, a subscription-based music streaming service, and subsequently integrated iTunes Radio functionality. Music tracks provided by Apple Music via iTunes are available at up to 256 kbit/sAAC fidelity. The Apple Music app also integratesApple Music 1, a livemusic radio station.[51]
In May 2005, video support was introduced to iTunes with the release of iTunes 4.8,[53][54] though it was limited to bonus features part of album purchases.[55] The following October, Apple introduced iTunes 6, enabling support for purchasing and viewing video content purchased from theiTunes Store.[56] At launch, the store offered popular shows from theABC network, includingDesperate Housewives andLost, along withDisney Channel seriesThat's So Raven andThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody. CEO Steve Jobs told the press that "We're doing for video what we've done for music — we're making it easy and affordable to purchase and download, play on your computer, and take with you on your iPod."[56]
In 2008, Apple and select film studios introduced "iTunes Digital Copy", a feature on select DVDs and Blu-ray discs allowing a digital copy in iTunes and associated media players.[57][58][59]
In June 2005, Apple updated iTunes with support forpodcasts.[60][61] Users can subscribe to podcasts, change update frequency, define how many episodes to download and how many to delete.[61]
Similar tosongs, "Smart playlists" can be used to control podcasts in a playlist, setting criteria such as date and number of times listened to.[62]
Apple is credited for being the major catalyst behind the early growth of podcasting.[63]
On July 10, 2008, Apple introduced nativemobile apps for itsiOS operating system. On iOS, a dedicated App Store application served as the storefront for browsing, downloading, updating, and otherwise managing applications, whereas iTunes on computers had a dedicated section for apps rather than a separate app.[64] In September 2017, Apple updated iTunes to version 12.7, removing the App Store section in the process.[65][66] iTunes 12.6.3 was released the following month, retaining App Store functionality, with9to5Mac noting that the secondary release was positioned by Apple as "necessary for some businesses performing internal app deployments".[67][68]
In May 2007, Apple announced the launch of "iTunes U" via theiTunes Store, which delivers university lectures from top U.S. colleges.[69][70] With iTunes version 12.7 in August 2017, iTunes U collections became a part of thePodcasts app.[71] On June 10, 2020, Apple formally announced that iTunes U would be discontinued at the end of 2021.[72]
iTunes was required to activate earlyiPhone andiPad devices. Beginning with theiPhone 3G in June 2008, activation did not require iTunes, making use of activation at point of sale.[73] Later iPhone models are able to be activated and set-up on their own, without requiring the use of iTunes.
iTunes also allows users to backup and restore the content of their Apple mobile devices, such as music, photos, videos, ringtones and device settings,[74] and restore the firmware of their devices. However, as of iTunes 12.7, apps can no longer be purchased and installed using iTunes.[66]
With the release of iTunes 10 in September 2010, Apple announced iTunes Ping, which CEO Steve Jobs described as "social music discovery". It had features reminiscent ofFacebook, including profiles and the ability to follow other users.[75] Ping was discontinued in September 2012.[76]
The Telegraph reported in November 2011 that Apple had been aware of asecurity vulnerability since 2008 that would let unauthorized third parties install "updates" to users' iTunes software. Apple fixed the issue before theTelegraph's report and told the media that "The security and privacy of our users is extremely important", though this was questioned by security researcherBrian Krebs, who told the publication that "A prominent security researcher warned Apple about this dangerous vulnerability in mid-2008, yet the company waited more than 1,200 days to fix the flaw."[77]
iTunes has been repeatedly accused of beingbloated as part of Apple's efforts to turn it from a music player to an all-encompassing multimedia platform.[65][78][79][80][81] FormerPC World editorEd Bott accused the company of hypocrisy in its advertising attacks onWindows for similar practices.[82]
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