Simply put, the App Store is to Apple what the Google Play Store is to Google. However, there is a known difference for those who have used both.
The App Store is a digital platform developed and maintained by Apple for mobile apps, exclusively meant for the iOS operating system, unlike Google which allows their play store on an open “android platform”.
Whether you're an Apple user or not, everyone has definitely heard about Apple's video and audio offering called iTunes. The digital giant was the first one to offer a vast array of digital music and it was only after their debut that other players joined the scene.
A Little Bit About iTunes
Today the app boasts of more than 60 million songs, 25000+ shows, and 65000+ films!
The iTunes store is available on most Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, its variants, Mac (Music App).
Any video purchases made from the store can be directly viewed on the Apple TV app and some smart televisions. Let us see how to access the iTunes Store through the app directly.
How to Download
Go to the App Store on your Mac computer or iPhone or iPad. If you have already saved your login credentials, the home page will open up with sections like - App Culture, Lifehack, App of the day, etc.
On the bottom panel, click on the central button named “Apps’. Next, use the search tab and type in “iTunes” and hit enter.
You will get one of three options - open (if already downloaded), download from cloud icon (if downloaded on a server and not on the device) and third option will be “Get”.
Click this option and use your thumb for fingerprint confirmation or enter the password to download. If done right, the download should begin in no time.
Costs
Downloading the app is free of charge. However, the catch is that no content is free as such to download. For first-timers, Apple offers 3 free months of Apple Music with the facility to cancel anytime during that period to incur no future charges.
They offer ad-free content and unlimited song download for a monthly subscription of $9.99 per month, or $14.99 per month for a family subscription for up to six people (which requires iCloud Family Sharing)
Alternatively, one can pay per song or content that they like from the dashboard in case they are not into music a lot. Customers also have an option to pre-order new music from the iTunes store.
Lastly, adding a dollar amount as a credit to the Apple ID can also be used to purchase an iTunes subscription, buy content, gift content to friends & family.
Navigation
The iTunes dashboard is all about usability and ease of navigation for its customers. To start with, the top-left option called “Genre” allows you to quickly move to the choice of music that you love, depending on your location.
For example, a user in India can see “Bollywood’ as a genre. Whereas someone in the United States could see “Country”. Next, the layout is simple.
On top, you can see all the featured new soundtracks that keep rolling to the left one by one to give you a sense of what is available on offer.
The second section is all about new music based on your preferences and current usage trend. This is followed by the recent releases section.
Features
Apple allows users to have a great experience with its features that tracks user behavior. For example, one feature called “Genius” allows you to see what music and movies you love based on your recent purchases bought from iTunes.
All purchases are listed in the “Purchased’ section.
The “Top Charts” feature captures three sections – songs, albums, and music videos. It allows you to view and purchase whatever content you like as a one-stop-solution.
A dedicated section of features like Wishlist, Siri, and Previews captures what you like what you wish to buy later. Apple also allows you to send content as a gift to your family or friends.
Conclusion
iTunes is a popular and frequently-used offering available on the App Store.
Even though there is competition today in the market, iTunes has an upper hand as it is the built-in offering for Apple products.
Last updated on December 28th, 2022 at 06:35 pm
