Buy, rent or subscribe HOW TO Find and pay for content in Music, TV & iTunes
There are several options for consuming music, TV and movies from Apple
Until relatively recently, if you wanted to listen to or buy music on your Mac, rent or buy a movie, or subscribe to a podcast, you would head for the same app: iTunes.
Now, you have three apps to navigate, depending on what you want to do. Despite the increase in the number of apps, though, it’s now, if anything, easier to find what you want. iTunes had become a sprawling mess of an app; its replacements are a big improvement. However, and a little confusingly, the iTunes Store lives on. There’s still an iTunes Store app in iOS 16 and the store in the Music app still bears its name. In the TV app, however, it’s just called
Store. The iTunes Store app sells music, TV shows and movies, while on the Mac, as we’ve discussed, Music is accessed in one app and movies and TV shows in another. But if you want to pay for a season pass for a current show in iOS, you do that in the TV app.
Confused? Here’s how to navigate those apps and find what you want.
Subscribe to Apple Music
In the Music app, click Account then Join Apple Music. Sign in with your Apple ID, then follow the instructions on screen. To manage an existing subscription, go to Account > Account Settings > Settings and Manage Subscriptions.
Music in iTunes (iOS)
Tap the iTunes Store app, then tap Music at the bottom. To search for a song, artist or album, tap the magnifying glass and type in the search field. Tap Genres to see music categorised by genre, or Charts to see current hits.
Buy a season pass
In the TV app on Mac or iOS, click or tap Store then TV Shows. Locate the TV show you want. Click or tap it. Scroll down to ‘How to Watch’. If a season pass is available, you’ll see a Buy Seasons card. Click it and choose a season.
Sign up for Apple One
Apple One includes Music streaming, Apple Arcade and iCloud storage. Go to System Preferences and click Apple ID. Choose Media & Purchases, then click Manage, next to Subscriptions. Choose the Apple One tier you want.
Purchase music
When you find the song you want in the iTunes Store, tap it to preview it, then tap the price to buy it. Tap an album to see a track listing and then tap the price to buy it. On the Mac, click a song to preview it or click the price to buy it.
Find purchases
In the Music app on Mac, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click Purchased. In the TV app, click Library, then Movies or TV Shows. In the iTunes Store app, tap the ‘…’ icon at the bottom of the screen then Purchased.
Music from iTunes (Mac)
In the Music app, click iTunes Store in the sidebar. Navigate the store using either the cards in the main window or the options on the right-hand side. To search for something, type in the search field and choose iTunes Store.
Buy/rent a movie (Mac)
Launch the TV app, click Store > Movies and search or browse for the movie you want. When you find it, click it and click Buy or Rent. Not all movies are available with both options. For TV shows, which can only be bought, click TV.
Manage access
In the Music app on Mac, click Account > Account Settings. Go to ‘Downloads and Purchases’. Click Manage Devices, then Remove. In iOS 16, go to Settings > Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account > Remove This Device.