Apple Is Working on Music and Podcasts Apps for Windows

The company has been testing the apps as part of a closed beta process and may choose to release them for Xbox consoles, too.

Apple is reportedly going to port its native Music and Podcasts apps for the Mac to Microsoft's platforms later this year, offering Windows users an alternative to iTunes.

iTunes was split into a collection of standalone apps like Music and Podcasts with the 2019 release of macOS Catalina. 9to5Mac now claims in a new report that these apps will probably be coming to the Microsoft Store at some point in 2021.

Sources told 9to5Mac that Apple has been testing both Music and Podcasts apps for Microsoft platforms in a private beta. We cannot confirm if the apps will be compatible with Windows PCs or if they were developed to work exclusively with Xbox, just like the Apple TV app.

If they're being tested, Apple could soon release them.

Xbox Versions Are Also Possible

A year ago, Neowin spotted Apple's job listing for engineers to build "the next generation of media apps for Windows". According to the job listing on LinkedIn, experience with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is a "big plus." The UWP frameworks allow programmers to write and distribute software that runs on Windows 10, Xbox, and HoloLens.

Related: The Best Apps for Listening to Podcasts on Mac

It's what's helped Apple bring the Apple TV+ app to Xbox consoles in November. Which means that no technical hurdles exist that would prevent the company from bringing the Music and Podcasts app to Microsoft's consoles.

The Fate of iTunes for Windows?

Apple currently does not offer any other Windows app on the Microsoft Store aside from iTunes. Its fate, however, remains murky because 9to5Mac doesn't make it clear whether Apple might discontinue iTunes for Windows, too. Doing so would inhibit customers because iTunes is currently required to sync iPhones and iPads with PCs.

On the Mac, device syncing is baked into the Finder itself.

If iTunes for Windows gets pulled, Apple will need to introduce new ways of syncing iOS devices on Windows. Apple rarely updates the app so we wouldn't be surprised the slightest bit should the company decide to put iTunes for Windows on the chopping block next.

Image Credit: Apple

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