Apple operates online stores, allowing users to buy and directly download music, videos and third-party software.

Prior to the release, iOS 4 was mostly criticized for the second-generation iPod Touch for not having multitasking and Home Screen wallpapers due to poor performance and lagging icon animations, while both the third and fourth-generation iPod Touches fully support all of the main seven and other hidden features covered in the Special Event.

[14] At WWDC in June 2010, as of iOS 4, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had "found a way" to make subsequent OS upgrades available free to iPod Touch owners.

[16][17] The following year, iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012, for the fourth- and fifth-generation iPod Touch models, contains 200 new features, including Passbook, Facebook integration, and Apple Maps.

iPod Touch units running iOS 4 or earlier were required to be connected to a Mac or PC for first-time setup.

iPod Touch units produced since October 12, 2011 have iOS 5.0 or later preloaded; they can be set up wirelessly,[19] without the need of a PC or Mac.

It is intended for developers and enterprises, though tools for sideloading outside of Xcode exist, and are mainly used for applications not allowed in the App Store.

Compared to a same-generation iPhone, an iPod Touch is thinner, lighter, and less expensive, while lacking some hardware and software features.

Newer models (fifth, sixth, and seventh generation) lack the ambient light sensor that makes automatic brightness available.

The iPod Touch has no cellular modem, and therefore cannot directly make phone calls on the public switched telephone network.

However, it can make VoIP calls such as FaceTime, and send iMessages to other iPhones, Macs, iPads, and iPod Touch models with an Apple ID.

[e] Upon launch in 2007 the first generation iPod Touch received mostly good reviews for its display, its full Web browser, and YouTube support.

Later models received a more lukewarm reception, with reviewers questioning whether an iPod Touch made sense as a product in a time where smartphones had become more affordable.