Yes, you can absolutely use iTunes and iCloud together. iTunes is Apple’s desktop media app for managing music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more on your Mac or PC. iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service that lets you access your content from all your devices. iCloud works seamlessly with iTunes to keep your media libraries up to date across all your devices.
Managing your music with iTunes and iCloud
When you buy music, movies, apps and more from the iTunes Store, it gets automatically downloaded to all your devices logged into the same Apple ID. For music specifically, any song you import into your iTunes library on your Mac or PC can be automatically available on your iPhone, iPad and other devices.
Here’s how iCloud enables this seamless syncing:
- Turn on iTunes Match: This optional paid service ($24.99/year) matches the songs in your iTunes library to high quality versions available in the iTunes Store. This makes your full music library available on all your devices, even songs you may have ripped from CDs or downloaded elsewhere.
- Use iCloud Music Library: This free service lets you add the music you’ve purchased from iTunes, or uploaded to your iCloud Music Library, to all your devices automatically.
So in summary, any music you buy through iTunes or add to your iCloud Music Library will be available on all devices logged into your Apple ID through iCloud.
Managing other media with iTunes and iCloud
Similar to music, here is how iTunes and iCloud work together for other media:
Movies & TV Shows
Any movies or TV shows you purchase or download from iTunes will be instantly available on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and other devices through the TV app. Your play position, playback settings and other details will stay in sync across devices.
Books
Your entire iBooks library, including books purchased from Apple, can be accessed on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch through the iBooks app. Your bookmarks, highlights, notes and more will stay in sync.
Apps
Apps you download on one device will automatically download to your other devices through iCloud, keeping your App libraries consistent everywhere.
Managing photos with iCloud Photo Library
One of the biggest benefits of using iCloud with iTunes is having access to your entire photo library on all devices. When you enable iCloud Photo Library, your photos and videos are stored in the cloud rather than on your device. This means you can access your entire photo collection from your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad and even the web.
New photos you take on your iPhone will automatically appear in the Photos app on your Mac. And any edits you make to photos on your iPad will sync across to your other devices. This enables seamless management of your photo library across all your Apple devices.
Using iTunes and iCloud on Windows PC
While iTunes and iCloud work most seamlessly with Apple devices, you can absolutely use them on a Windows PC too.
To get the benefits of iCloud on PC, you’ll need:
- The latest version of iTunes installed on your computer
- iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store
- To be signed into iTunes and iCloud with the same Apple ID
This allows you to access your music, movies, TV shows, books and photos from your iTunes and iCloud libraries directly on your PC. You get the same automated syncing and seamless experience across your Apple devices and PC.
Backing up your devices with iCloud
One of the most useful features of iCloud is device backups. When you enable iCloud backups:
- Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will automatically backup to iCloud when plugged in, on WiFi and idle overnight
- Your Mac can backup important files like documents, messages and photos to iCloud
- With iOS and Mac backups, you can restore or migrate to a new device easily
Backups provide an extra level of protection from lost or damaged devices. And with backups stored in iCloud, you don’t have to worry about connecting to iTunes or a Mac for regular backups.
Conclusion
iTunes and iCloud work hand-in-hand to provide a seamless media management and syncing experience across Apple devices. With iTunes managing your media libraries, and iCloud syncing everything automatically, you can enjoy your music, movies, TV shows, books and photos on all your devices.
iCloud also expands this experience to Windows PCs, allowing access on all major platforms. And with automatic device backups, you can safeguard your data for when you upgrade or replace your devices.
So in summary:
- iTunes lets you manage media on Mac/PC and sync to devices
- iCloud matches/uploads media and syncs across devices
- Media stays in sync on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV etc.
- iCloud works on Windows too for full cross-platform access
- Backups give you peace of mind against lost or damaged devices
So iTunes and iCloud absolutely work great together to keep your Apple digital lifestyle connected. With iTunes handling your libraries, and iCloud syncing everything automatically, you get a seamless media experience across all your devices.