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 iTunes Radio on an iPhone runningiOS 7 | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Launch date | September 18, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-09-18)[1] |
| Discontinued | January 28, 2016 (2016-01-28) |
| Platform(s) | iOS 7—iOS 9,OS X 10.7—10.11,Windows,Apple TV Radio |
| Pricing model | Free (ad-supported) iTunes Match (ad-free) |
| Availability | United States, Australia (Discontinued, all functions of iTunes Radio is now integrated and is part of the Apple Music subscription service.) |
| Website | www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-radio at theWayback Machine (archived June 8, 2015) |
iTunes Radio was anInternet radio service byApple Inc. that let users listen to automatically generated playlists based on direct input as well as collected data on music preferences. It was launched on September 18, 2013, as part ofiOS 7 and was available in the Music app oniOS devices andApple TV (2nd generation and newer) as well as iniTunes 11.1 onOS X (10.7 Lion; it requires Mac OS 10.7.5 or newer to run) andWindows.[1][2] It was only available in the United States and Australia.[3]
With the release ofiOS 8.4 and iTunes 12.2, nearly all functions of iTunes Radio have become part of Apple's music streaming serviceApple Music and was henceforth called just Radio or Apple Music Radio.[4] On January 15, 2016, Apple announced that effective January 28, 2016, iTunes Radio stations, barringBeats 1, will only be accessible by Apple Music subscribers.[5]
Apple announced the Internet radio service at its June 10, 2013Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote speech.[6] The service launched in the United States on September 18, 2013,[1] the same day as the release ofiOS 7,[6] and in Australia on February 11, 2014.[3] Reports of a streaming music service from Apple circulated for weeks before the announcement.[7]
As of January 2015[update], iTunes Radio was only available in the United States and Australia. Apple had announced plans to offer the service in other countries.[8][9] In October 2013, Bloomberg reported that Apple had plans to expand the service to the UK, Canada, and New Zealand by early 2014.[10] With the release of Apple Music, most functions of iTunes Radio had become available in 100 countries, although iTunes Radio itself remained limited to the United States and Australia as a free service.[11]
On January 15, 2016, Apple announced that effective January 28, 2016, iTunes Radio stations, barring Beats 1, will only be accessible by Apple Music subscribers.[5] On January 29, 2016, the iTunes Radio channel was automatically removed fromApple TV devices (3rd Generation and earlier).[12]
iTunes Radio was a free,ad-supported service available to all iTunes users, featuringSiri integration on iOS. Users were able to skip tracks, customize stations, and purchase the station's songs from theiTunes Store.[2] Users could also search through their history of previous songs. The number of track skips was limited likePandora Radio's service.[7]iTunes Match subscribers could be able to use an ad-free version of the service.[13] The service has pre-loaded stations, including a playlist of trending songs onTwitter.
The service also generated a radio station based on input like a single artist with songs by them and others similar. The service's selection was expected to learn the user's preferences from input whether the user likes or dislikes the track.[7]
Former Apple CEOSteve Jobs was previously opposed to the idea of music subscription services.[14] Through its purchase of audio equipment makerBeats Electronics in 2014, Apple gained ownership of its own serviceBeats Music.[15][16] With Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers also becoming responsible for the ad-supported iTunes Radio service,[16]Business Insider later reported that Apple was planning to merge the two services. Apple also hired noted British radio DJZane Lowe to serve as a music curator.[17]
After a period of rumors and anticipation, the Apple Music music subscription service was announced at Apple's June 2015Worldwide Developers Conference.[14] The "one more thing" reveal had been confirmed bySony Music CEODoug Morris andThe Wall Street Journal reports prior to the announcement.[18][19] Apple Music launched on June 30, 2015,[18] and Beats Music was later discontinued, with all subscribers being migrated to Apple Music.[20]
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