iTunes 12.7 Tosses The App Store Out The Window

It's a flurry of announcements coming out of Cupertino but some are not as welcome as others. Apple has announced, silently or otherwise, the updates that will be coming to its software and platforms. One update however, might be something that users might prefer not to install, though they might not have much choice in the matter. iTunes 12.7 is just around the corner and its integrated App Store won't be coming along for the ride.

Truth be told, Apple has no one to blame but itself. iTunes is, first and foremost, a program to manage your media files and your Apple device. That was a simple case with the iPods but when the iPhone and iPads arrived, Apple decided not to have a separate app management software and repurposed iTunes instead.

Now it might look like the bad guy for yanking out the app section, but it's all for the purpose of keeping iTunes focused on entertainment content. So starting iTunes 12.7, you won't see the dedicated Apps section for your device/ That also means some major changes in the way you manage iOS apps on your Mac or PC.

Which is to say, you won't anymore. Any app you have previously downloaded prior to this new iTunes version will be found in the iTunes' Media folder. if you want to reinstall the apps, Apple recommends you install via the iOS App Store. If they're no longer available on the App Store, however, simply drag and drop those apps in the Media folder to your device. That's pretty much all you can do now.

There are other changes to other types of content too, but not as disruptive as this. iTunes U, for example, has been moved to the Podcasts section. Internet Radio is now under Music. Ringtones are gone too, but that's because you can simply redownload them on your iPhone or iPad via the iOS App Store, without even connecting to a PC or Mac.

SOURCE: Apple