Does Apple Still Support iTunes?

Apple still supports its legendary iTunes software for legacy Macs and Windows PCs. Even though the company discontinued its software aggregator for music, films, podcasts, audiobooks, TV shows, and more in 2019, there are still references to it on current macOS. If you're running anything after macOS Catalina or a Windows 10 version from at least early 2024, you'll have to use different apps for your Apple products.

During WWDC 2019, Apple announced that macOS Catalina would phase out iTunes for standalone Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV apps, while other iTunes features would be spread out of the operating system. For example, syncing an iPhone or iPad requires users to open a Finder window on macOS and select their device from there. With that, every little iTunes integration that people knew from several years before went to standalone apps.

The most likely reason why Apple decided to move away from iTunes is that it was focusing on a bigger subscription push, where instead of people buying songs or renting movies, they should subscribe to Apple Music or Apple TV, and use iCloud to seamlessly sync their devices online at any time. Still, after all those years, iTunes is present as the iTunes Store and iTunes Match continue. Apple also lets users with legacy software still enjoy this hub of data with their devices.

In early 2024, Apple kind started phasing out iTunes for Windows, so PC users got standalone apps like Apple Music, Apple TV, and a new Devices app, letting users update, sync, and back up their Apple devices. Still, for those managing podcasts or audiobooks, they can continue to use iTunes to sync those files with their other products. In other words, while Windows users were able to enjoy for longer a single app to deal with anything related to their iPhones, they're now required to use at least five apps (Music, TV, Devices, iCloud, and iTunes) to have somewhat the same experience as before.

However, there are third-party apps that get the job done, especially if you don't like having several apps to manage the data on your iPhone. TouchCopy is similar to iTunes, letting you organize your music library, transfer all your important audio files, messages, call history, and even back up photos to a PC or Mac. Other options include MediaMonkey, which grants full control of your music library, as you can choose specific media to copy between your PC and iPhone or your entire library; and Waveform Music Player lets you sync your music, but also create playlists, download missing album/artist artwork, and more.

Even in 2026, Apple proves there's no way to escape iTunes. On macOS Golden Gate, which is expected to be released in the fall of 2026 with the all-new Siri AI, iTunes continues living on. When opening the Apple Music app, there's still an iTunes Store section where you can buy your favorite songs and albums. The UI looks outdated, but everything is still there. Moreover, if you scroll down the page, you can find iTunes Match, a service that can store your entire music library in iCloud, including music from CDs, offering you the ability to listen to 256 kbps DRM-free songs.

What's so special about the service is that it can even improve sound quality if the original version has a lower quality. Besides that, Windows users continue to have access to iTunes to manage their podcasts and audiobooks. While Apple has been slowly phasing out the service step by step, it still feels like iTunes will continue to be a living memory and experience for users — especially because those who can't update their computers still manage to access the prior iTunes experience.