Microsoft is gearing up to have Apple TV and Apple Music be the next applications available for download on its Microsoft Store.
The apps are currently available as preview versions, which are compatible with Windows 11, according to @ALumia_Italia (via Thurrott).
Apple TV Preview, Apple Devices Preview and Apple Music Preview (for Windows) coming soon to the Microsoft Store pic.twitter.com/wcNYJlMdKK
— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) January 11, 2023
Alongside Apple TV and Apple Music is another preview app called Apple Devices, which allows you to “manage Apple devices from your Windows PC,” according to the description.
You can download the apps directly from Microsoft’s App Store instead of through a manual download, which was the brand’s usual strategy for many non-native apps, in particular Win32 apps. Microsoft promised at its 2022 Build Conference and Surface event to expand compatibility for apps outside of its own ecosystem.
Microsoft also added its own Microsoft Teams as a downloadable app on the Microsoft Store in May 2022, after five years of it being a primarily manual download program.
According to Engadget, Apple has been working on standalone Windows media apps for about as long, having been investing in engineers to build apps to first replace iTunes on Mac since at least 2019. Now, the brand has set its sights on other platforms.
For compatibility specifics, the apps require Windows 11 Build 22621 or higher, according to 9to5Mac.
Those who have handled the apps report no issues and claim the Apple TV app is similar to the Xbox or Smart TV app, meanwhile Apple Music shares similarities with its macOS version.
You should keep in mind that downloading these apps will replace iTunes and media will no longer sync and backup to the legacy app. The new Apps will take over, allowing you to back up Apple devices, sync local media, and restore firmware.
Engadget also noted that when launching the new Windows apps for the first time you will get a notice that iTunes for Windows will stop working. Because of the syncing issues, the apps cannot function on the same system at the same time. You would have to uninstall the Apple TV and Apple Music to continue using iTunes.
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