On iPhones and iPads running iOS 4 or older software, it was named "iPod".

By the 2010s, the application had been criticized for software bloat with features that extended well beyond the original scope of music.

[9] Apple announced at the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference that iTunes would be replaced with the specific Music app, Podcasts, and TV applications with the release of macOS Catalina.

Music, TV shows and movies, and podcasts on the iTunes Store will be accessible through the Music, TV, and Podcasts apps, respectively, compared to the standalone iTunes Store app that is featured on iOS.

It marked the first time music from the iTunes Store was available on non-Apple mobile devices since the Rokr E1 during a brief partnership with Motorola in 2005.