Although iTunes is available for Mac OS and Windows systems, it is not officially available for Linux systems. However, the use of Wine on Ubuntu and other Linux distributions is absolutely possible just like any other native Linux application.
iTunes is a very useful application for those with Apple devices. You can not only listen to music on your iPhone, PC, and other devices, but you can also access other things such as Radio, iTunes Store, and more with it. As long as you’re logged in with your Apple ID, the iTunes app allows you to manage, play, and download music, as well as access the Apple Music streaming service.
In this article, we will show you how to install and use iTunes on Linux. In order to install iTunes, we must first install Wine. Let’s get started towards the installation procedure.
Table of Contents
Install and run iTunes on Linux using Wine
Wine is a free, open source software program used for running Windows applications on Linux and other Unix-like platforms.
You can use these steps not only for Ubuntu 20.04, but also for Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic, Linux Mint, Elementary, MX Linux, Debian, etc.
1. Add WineHQ GPG Key and repository
Launch your Terminal and then run the following command in order to download Wine repository key.
wget -O - https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | sudo apt-key add -
Now, add Wine’s repository
based upon which version of Linux you are using, and then update your system:
For Ubuntu or Linux Mint:
- Ubuntu 20.10:
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ groovy principal'
- Ubuntu 20.04:
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ focal principal'
- Ubuntu 18.04:
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ bionic principal'
- Ubuntu 16.04:
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ xenial principal'
On Debian systems:
- Debian 10 (Buster):
sudo deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian/ buster main
- Debian (Bullseye):
sudo deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian/ bullseye main
2. Runs system update
To let the system rebuild the repo cache so that it could recognize the newly added repository, run the system update command:
sudo apt update
3. Install Wine on Ubuntu Linux
Once the above steps are completed, it is time to download and install Wine HQ packages on our Linux system.
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable
Download iTunes 64-bit or 32-bit
Download the latest iTunes setup from Apple’s official website based on your system architecture.
Install iTunes on Ubuntu using Wine
Once the iTunes setup for Windows has been downloaded, open the system’s download folder and right-click on it. Choose “Other with Other Application” and then Wine Windows Program Loader.
iTunes setup
You will be asked to download a few packages once you run Wine, and then the setup for installing iTunes on Linux will begin.
iTunes Installation completed
As soon as the iTunes installer has completed successfully, you will see the below screen. Click Finish to end the installation.
Accept license agreement
After the installation is complete, you will see the following screen. Accept the iTunes Software License agreement by clicking Agree.
Allow Launching icon
After the installation is complete, you will see a shortcut to iTunes on your Ubuntu Linux desktop. Right-click and select “Allow Launching”. In this way, you can easily access iTunes by clicking the gear icon.
Sign-in
To set up your account, go to Account > Sign In.
4. Uninstall iTunes from Wine HQ
Well, if you don’t need this application on your system anymore then we can uninstall it using the given steps.
- Open Command Terminal
- Type
wine uninstallerorwine64 uninstaller - You will see the Wine’s Add/Remove programs to uninstall iTunes.
- Select it and then hit the Remove button.
Note: Wine may not work perfectly with all applications, and some features of iTunes may not work as expected.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, iTunes is not officially available for Linux, but you can use a “Wine” to run iTunes on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. The procedure is adding the Wine repository to your system, updating your package list, installing Wine, downloading the iTunes for Windows version, and finally installing and running iTunes on Linux using the Wine.
Last Updated on December 25, 2023 by admin
