Apple’s music player

iTunes is best known as Apple’s official multimedia app. Apple devices have it by default. However, to access your media files, you have to install this program. Simply going through the devices’ folders will only display images, at most. Any changes that you wish to apply, such as importing or deleting files and changing metadata, always require this program due to Apple security.

First and foremost, you’ll be using iTunes to manage your device’s music. The program allows audio files from external files such as your own ripped songs or those downloaded online—although the supported formats are limited. The metadata for these will depend on whatever’s written for your file, so you may have to manually edit them if you like being organized. You can even upload album artwork for your files using whatever image you have. 

However, you can also directly purchase songs and soundtracks from its online component, iTunes Store. Similar to other online stores, iTunes Store allows you to browse and download copies after buying them. The files will automatically be curated to your iTunes library. You can then sync them to your device to transfer them. From creating playlists to customizing your audio tracks’ information, this program has been performing as a great music app for years.

Not just for music

iTunes didn’t just stick to music, though. Due to its capabilities as a mobile device management tool, the program also became an avenue for other media to be managed. It eventually took on videos such as movies and TV shows, podcasts or radio broadcasts, digital documents such as e-books, and even mobile apps for your touchscreen gadgets. Just like with its music, you can access these categories’ own online stores.

By this alone, iTunes will act as your sole external device manager. However, handling it can be a hassle at times, especially whenever you have to connect to your PC to update or import new files. Unlike the simple way of opening up folders to view your collection, this software will automatically sync with your gadget to make a new backup. While that’s definitely practical, it can be a pain if you’re in a hurry. 

Another thing is that as mentioned, you can’t access your files by simply opening the device folder. You need iTunes for this, even with just importing, and the library won’t let you copy its items for external use. Fortunately, you can just visit iTunes’ own folder to see the original files. However, the amount of bloatware in the later versions became so frustrating that in macOS Catalina, the iTunes components have been split into standalone apps.

Best to stick to one focus

Overall, iTunes bit is a multimedia library that’s handy enough for different uses. Whether you’ll be using it for music or other stuff, it has enough features to support you in easily handling your device. The user interface itself is quite straightforward, so you don’t need advanced know-how for this. However, the software still has some issues for those used to fast file management. Nonetheless, this is still one of Apple’s official programs.