If you signed up for Apple Music on your iPhone or iPad but also want to enjoy the service on your Mac, you might be up for a surprise when you launch iTunes and realize Apple Music is not showing up.
This could just be a bug, or maybe just a box that hasn't been checked. Regardless of the cause, we will show you how to turn on Apple Music in iTunes on your Mac.
Happy Emoji Day, everyone!
Apple has joined the festivities by taking over the rotating carousel on its iTunes Store for movies with a bunch of emoji-themed banners. These have replaced standard movie banners for popular flicks such as Stephen King's “It” remake, “Kong: Skull Island”, “Get Out”, “Arrival”, “Logan”, Disney's action-film remake of “Beauty and the Beast” and more.
Apple has not discounted the movies promoted with emoji banners.
July 17, is celebrated as World Emoji Day.
Why July 17?
Because this date is famously displayed on the iOS Calendar Emoji, which is the date that iCal for Mac was first announced at MacWorld Expo in 2002. The Calendar emoji was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.
Thanks, Carlos!
Strong competition from the likes of Amazon and Comcast has halved Apple's market share when it comes to movie sales and rentals, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
The numbers should be taken with a grain of salt because, as the article states, no third parties track market share in the digital-movie business. While that makes exact figures impossible to obtain, Hollywood majors do different amounts of business with Apple and several of them have confirmed “a marked decline in iTunes’ leadership position.”
Sources said iTunes' market share for renting and selling movies has been falling for years, tumbling to between 20 percent and 35 percent from well over 50 percent as recently as 2012.
By comparison, Amazon's market share in that business has recently climbed to around 20 percent, studio executives said. As for Comcast, it now claims about 15 percent of the combined market for movie sales and purchases in the US.
Bernstein Research estimates that iTunes video, music, book and magazine sales in 2016 accounted for an estimated $4.1 billion in revenue, making it the second-largest services business behind App Store sales.
Apple says it's focused on providing users with premium entertainment via video apps on App Store. The company takes a fifteen percent cut on subscriptions sold via App Store.
An excerpt from the article:
An Apple spokeswoman, who didn’t dispute the market-share estimates, said Apple is focused on providing customers with video content across subscription services such as Netflix and HBO, as well as iTunes, where she said movie purchases and rentals have increased over the past year and hit their highest level in more than a decade.
It is no secret that video-subscription services are growing in popularity at the expense of on-demand rentals and movie purchases. Why pay five bucks or more to stream a single movie via iTunes in high definition if you can get a full Netflix or HBO NOW subscription for the price of a single movie download (new movie downloads are priced at $19.99 on iTunes)?
Movies, like music, are meant to be streamed no matter what Apple says about it.
Just like iTunes' market share for digital music purchases has been decreasing as part of the overall industry decline due to the rise of streaming services like Spotify, the same thing is now happening in the digital movie industry.
Apple has offered movies and TV shows on iTunes since 2003.
Apple has been trying for years to persuade Hollywood studios to let it build a so-called skinny bundle of the best channels from the likes of Disney, ESPN and others, to no avail.
Last year, total digital-movie sales and rentals rose a combined twelve percent to $5.3 billion in the US, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
With the right dongle to connect your Apple Watch to iTunes through its diagnostics port, you can easily enter Apple Watch DFU mode.
Have you ever tried to play a music collection or playlist from your iPhone or iPad only to find that some of the music wouldn’t be appropriate for the current circumstances?
A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed SkipME by iOS developer candoizo lets you filter certain music from your listening experience to tune your entertainment for certain moods or for sensitive audiences.
If you live in France or Turkey and don't have a credit or debit card, you can now buy apps, media and Apple Music subscriptions from Apple's content stores and have those purchases billed to a monthly mobile phone bill from your carrier.
iTunes carrier billing in France is currently supported for Bouygues Telecom customers.
In Turkey, the feature works with Paycell.
According to Apple, carrier billing is now available in the following countries:
Austria (Drei) Belgium (Pay by Mobile) France (Bouygues Telecom) Germany (Vodafone, O2 and partner brands) Italy (Three) Japan (KDDI, Softbank and NTT DOCOMO) Norway (Telenor) Russia (Beeline and Megafon) Saudi Arabai (Zain) Singapore (M1 Limited) Switzerland (Swisscom) Taiwan (APTG, FET, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and T Star) Turkey (Turkcell) United Arab Emirates (Etisalat and Du)Our step-by-step tutorial explains the process of setting up carrier billing as a payment method for App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store purchases across your devices.
If you don't set up one of the supported payment methods for your Apple ID, you won't be able to upgrade your iCloud storage or buy music, movies and TV shows from iTunes Store, apps from App Store and Mac App Store, books and audiobooks from iBooks Store and more.
That's where an iTunes or Apple Music gift card should come in handy.
Upon redeeming, the amount shown on the card is added to your Apple ID in the form of good-as-cash credit that can be used for each purchase you make in Apple's content stores.
In this tutorial, you'll learn about the types of gift cards Apple supports, how they should be used, as well as how to redeem your iTunes or Apple Music gift card and apply the credit toward an individual Apple Music membership or to top up your Apple ID balance.
About iTunes and Apple Music gift cardsiTunes gift cards and Apple Music gift cards can be purchased from Apple, PayPal, Amazon, eBay, Best Buy and a number of other retailers. iTunes gift cards typically come in $25, $50 and $100 denominations. Apple Music gift cards are currently available in $30 and $100 denominations for three or twelve months of service, respectively.
You can buy them in physical form for delivery via mail or opt for a digital gift card, in which case your redemption code will be delivered straight to your inbox.
The 16-digit redemption code is hidden underneath the label on the card's back.
The redemption code always starts with an “X”.
The redemption code may appear in different places on the back of your card.
Redeeming an iTunes gift card adds store credit to your Apple ID.
Store credit is used for each purchase you make in iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store until it's gone. iTunes billing system always uses your store credit first, as long as the value of the item that you're buying is less than or equal to the value of your credit balance.
If you don't have any store credit left, the payment method that you designate when you sign up for an Apple ID is charged for the entire purchase.
You can use your store credit to buy the following items:
Apps from App Store and Mac App Store In-App Purchases Songs, albums, movies, TV shows and more from iTunes Store Books and audiobooks from iBooks Store iCloud storageStore credit cannot be used to purchase more gift cards or iTunes Gifts.
NOTE: Some purchases might require that you have a credit card on file, even if you're using your credit balance to make the purchase. For instance, you must have a credit card on file in order to use store credit to pay for your iCloud storage upgrades.
You cannot use store credits for:
App gifting—When you gift an app or media item to someone else the payment method on file is always billed for the entire purchase, not the store credit. Family Sharing—You cannot share your store credit with other family members.Even if a Family Sharing member buys something and the family organizer has store credit on their account, the item cost is still billed to the organizer's payment method on file rather than being deducted from their store credit.
TUTORIAL: How to gift apps
If a Family Sharing member with a credit on their account buys something from Apple's content stores, the amount is billed to their own account unless there's a remainder, in which case it bills to the family organizer's payment method.
You can use the credit from your Apple Music gift card to:
Sign up for a new Apple Music membership Extend your Apple Music membership by the number of months shown on the card Credit the amount to your Apple ID, like an iTunes gift cardRead Apple's support document for more on how iTunes Store purchases are billed.
How to redeem iTunes or Apple Music gift cards on iPhone and iPad1) Open iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks on your iOS device.
2) In iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks, tap the Featured tab, then scroll to the very bottom of the screen and tap the Redeem option.
3) Sign in with the Apple ID that you use for iTunes Store or Apple Music purchases.
Tip: You can quickly get to the redeem feature by visiting the link below on your Apple device:
To redeem an iTunes gift card, follow this link To redeem an Apple Music gift card, follow this linkTIP: If your device has 3D Touch, you can press the iTunes Store or App Store icon and select the Redeem option from the Quick Actions menu on your Home screen.
4) Choose whether you'd like to type in your code manually or have the card scanned:
Scan the redemption code—If you have a physical gift card with a box around the code, use this option to redeem it via your built-in camera. Tap Use Camera, then hold the back of the card up to your iPhone's camera until it scans the code. Only gift cards with a focus box around the redemption code are redeemable via a camera. This feature is not available in all countries and regions. Type in the redemption code manually—Tap the field labeled ”You can also enter your code manually”, then peel off the label on the back of the card and type in the redemption code or paste the code from your purchase confirmation email.When you redeem an iTunes gift card, your updated store balance appears onscreen. An error message appears if you try to redeem a gift card that's already been used.
Upon redeeming an Apple Music gift card, you're given the choice between topping up your iTunes store credit or using the code toward an individual Apple Music membership.
This is what happens if you choose to use the code for your Apple Music membership:
Apple Music members—Applying the credit to your ongoing membership extends your date of renewal by the number of months shown on the card. Apple Music non-members—Applying the credit signs you up for a membership.If you've never been an Apple Music member, you can still get your free three-month trial in addition to the number of months your Apple Music gift card card is worth.
5) In the upper-right corner, tap Done to finish the process.
If you'd like to redeem another iTunes or Apple Music gift card, tap Redeem Another Code.
TIP: If you received your gift card via email, click the Redeem Now link in the email.
To get information about your iTunes Store or Apple Music balance:
iTunes Store balance—You can find your store balance underneath your Apple ID at the bottom of the Featured tab in iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks on your iOS device. Apple Music balance—To view your Apple Music membership, go to Settings → [your name] → iTunes & App Store and tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen. Tap View Apple ID, then Subscriptions. From the list, choose the subscription that you want to see more information about.Your account balance automatically updates in iTunes Store, App Store and iBooks Store after redeeming the card. If your store credit does not update automatically, sign out and back in on all of your devices for it to refresh properly.
How to redeem Apple Music gift card in iOS Music app1) Open the Music app on your iOS device.
2) Switch to the For You tab at the bottom of the screen.
3) Tap your profile image in the upper-right corner.
4) Tap the Redeem option.
5) Use your iPhone to scan the redemption code on the back of the card or enter it manually, then tap Redeem to continue.
7) Tap Done when finished redeeming the code.
How to redeem Apple Music gift card on Android1) Open the Apple Music app on your Android device.
You can download Apple Music for Android free from Google's Play Store.
2) Tap tap the Menu icon in the upper-left corner.
3) Tap your Apple ID.
4) Tap Redeem.
5) Enter the code from the back of the card, then tap Redeem again.
An error message will appear if you try to redeem a card that's already been used.
How to redeem iTunes or Apple Music gifts card on Mac and Windows PCs1) Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.
2) Choose Music, Movies, TV Shows or Apps from the popup menu near the top-left corner, then click the Store tab near the top of the screen.
3) Click the Redeem link under the Quick Links heading on the right side.
Tip: Alternatively, choose the Redeem option from iTunes' Account menu.
To get to the Redeem feature faster, visit the link below on your computer:
To redeem an iTunes gift card, follow this link To redeem an Apple Music gift card, follow this link4) Enter the password for the Apple ID you use for iTunes Store purchases or your Apple Music membership, then press the Return or Enter key on your keyboard, or click the Sign In button.
5) Choose how you'd like to redeem the code on the card:
Scan the redemption code—Use this option to redeem a physical card via your Mac's built-in camera. Click the Use Camera button, then hold the back of the card up to the FaceTime camera until it scans and redeems the code. Only gift cards with a focus box around the code are redeemable via a camera. This feature is not available in all countries and regions. Type in the redemption code manually—Click inside the field labeled ”You can also enter your code manually,” then type in the redemption code from the back of the card or paste it from your purchase confirmation email.6) Click Redeem to continue.
You'll be asked if you'd like to apply the credit toward your individual Apple Music membership.
If not, select the option Use Credit for iTunes or App Store to add the amount shown on the card to your Apple ID store balance like a regular iTunes gift card.
Your updated store balance appears onscreen.
7) Click Done to finish redeeming the card.
To redeem an iTunes gift card in iBooks or App Store on your Mac:
iBooks—Open the iBooks app from your Dock, Launcher, Spotlight or the Applications folder. In the upper-left corner, click the iBooks Store button, then click the Redeem link underneath the Quick Links heading on the right side. App Store—Open the App Store app from your Dock, Launcher, Spotlight or the Applications folder. Click the Featured tab at the top, then click the Redeem link underneath the Quick Links heading on the right side.An error message appears if you try to redeem a card that's already been used.
Related tutorialsYou may find the following how-tos useful:
How to gift iTunes or App Store credit on iPhone and iPad How to redeem iOS app promo codes How to redeem Apple TV app promo codes Redeeming iTunes gift cards with iPhone's camera Redeeming iTunes gift cards with Mac's camera That's all, folks!If you have a question, post a comment below and we'll do our best to answer it. Please share this tutorial on social media and pass it along to the folks you support.
Submit your ideas regarding future coverage via tips@iDownloadBlog.com.
Alongside public releases of the iOS 10.3.2, watchOS 3.2.2, tvOS 10.2.1 and macOS Sierra 10.12.5 software updates for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, Apple earlier this morning also posted a minor update to iTunes for Mac and Windows PCs.
iTunes 12.6.1 contains only minor app and performance improvements, according to Apple's release notes.
A security document reveals that the app fixes a WebKit exploit on Windows 7 and later which may allow arbitrary code execution after processing maliciously crafted web content.
“Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling,” Apple states. The vulnerability was discovered by the user “lokihardt” of Google Project Zero.
Windows maker Microsoft announced today at its Build conference for developers that Apple is working on bringing iTunes to Windows Store with full support for Apple Music and iOS device syncing. TechCrunch reports that users will essentially enjoy the same iTunes experience from Windows Store that the existing iTunes for Windows download currently offers.
While Microsoft didn’t show any screenshots of what this experience might look like, Apple may be required to tweak iTunes’ look and feel to match Microsoft’s new Fluent Design system.
The development is especially important in light of Windows 10 S, a slimmed down version of Windows 10 for inexpensive Chromebook-like computers aimed at education, because Windows 10 S customers can only install officially sanctioned apps from Windows Store.
As a result of the restrictions, many popular apps such as Apple iTunes, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Spotify are currently unavailable on Windows 10 S systems. According to The Verge, iTunes is one of the apps Windows users search for most often on the store.
Unless iTunes is available on Windows Store, people in the market for a Surface Laptop, for example, won't be a be able to synchronize their iOS devices with their Windows 10 S-powered PC unless they upgrade to Windows 10 Pro to remove all restrictions.
Windows 10 is now on half a billion devices and Office 365 recently passed its hundred-millionth monthly user, Microsoft revealed at the Build conference.
Podcast listeners are traditionally creatures of habit when it comes to the app of choice to access all their favorite shows. Thus, whenever a new gateway to podcasts comes along, it often cops the ‘not as good as Overcast’ treatment and is passed into oblivion.
The guys and girls at Breaker, a fresh podcast app available on your iPhone, look poised to buck that trend by trying something novel in the rubric: marry a solid podcast app to a social network, enabling the community of listeners to discuss, recommend and share the content.
A particularly cruel proverb says there's more than one way to skin a cat. True or not for cats, its intended meaning certainly applies to sending iTunes gifts and gift cards to your loved ones. For years, Apple has done their homework to make sure we can easily swoop up gift cards for iTunes at most retailers, online through services such as PayPal and also directly gift apps or music we come across and want to share immediately.
On top of the bevy of options available, there's another simple trick to send (any desired) iTunes credit to a fellow application user, right through iTunes or the App Store on iOS. While on no account a hidden gem, we haven't called attention to it before on iDB, so let's bring you up to speed on it if necessary.
In older versions of iTunes, you could easily open a playlist in a separate window. It was both a great time-saver and a boon to your productivity, especially on large screens.
For reasons unknown, Apple has removed that functionality from the iTunes 12 update which was overhauled around a single-window workflow.
Thankfully, the company has reinstated the ability to open playlists in new windows with iTunes 12.6. Here's how to open your playlists in their separate windows using iTunes for Mac.
How to open your playlist in a new iTunes window1) Launch iTunes on your Mac.
2) Choose Music from the menu near the upper-left corner, then click the Library tab.
3) In the lefthand column, right-click or Control (⌃)-click your playlist underneath the All Playlists heading, then select the option Open In New Window from the popup menu.
This will open a new iTunes window containing the selected playlist, as shown top of post.
You can drag songs at will between the playlist windows and open as many playlists in separate windows as you like. I don't have that many playlists created in iTunes so I was able to open “only” four playlist windows, but it worked like a charm.
How to open an Apple Music playlist in a new windowPlaylists on Apple Music cannot be opened in their separate windows unless they're in your iTunes library. To do so, follow the steps below:
1) Launch iTunes on your Mac.
2) Choose Music from the popup menu near the upper-left corner of the window, then click either the Library or the For You tab.
3) Find a playlist on Apple Music and click the three dots in the lower-right corner of playlist graphics to bring up the contextual menu, then choose the option Add to Library.
4) With the selected Apple Music playlist now in your iTunes library, switch to the Library tab, right-click it underneath the Apple Music Playlists heading in the lefthand column, then select the Open in New Window command.
Just like that, the selected Apple Music playlist from your library opens in a new window.
iTunes playlists windows and Split ViewSadly, playlists windows in iTunes don't support macOS's useful Split View feature.
If iTunes supported Split View properly, it could have been a great multitasking feature. In other words, you cannot browse your iTunes library in the main window and have your favorite playlist in its separate window in macOS's Split View mode.
And that's it, boys and girls!
Pass along this article to other Mac users you support and don’t forget we accept your submissions regarding future coverage ideas via tips@iDownloadBlog.com.
If you have any questions, please post a comment below.