With iTunes, all of the songs and playlists I downloaded/created on my iPhone were backed up to and available on my laptop PC. This doesn't appear to be the case with Apple Devices sync and Apple Music. (I do NOT have nor want a subscription to Apple Music.) How do I do this now that iTunes is a thing of the past?
Windows, Windows 10
When an iPhone is synced to an iTunes library new playlists created or purchases made on the device can sync back to the iTunes library, but in principle media syncing is from library to device, not the other way around. You are expected to maintain your full library on a computer, back it up, and transfer it to a new computer when needed.
Despite Apple's obvious intentions iTunes is not yet dead, and it is still a much more capable app than the new suite designed to replace it. You can uninstall Apple Music, Apple Devices, and Apple TV, at which point iTunes will no longer be limited to working with audiobooks and podcasts. Should you need to reinstall it can be found here:
If you are in the position where you need to reclaim your music content from your device see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - Apple Community. The easiest method may be a temporary subscription to the Apple Music service, merging the music on the device into an iCloud Music Library which you then download to a computer and backup for security.
tt2
Thanks so much for your quick reply.
At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, my tendency would be to uninstall Apple Devices and Apple Music (I don't have Apple TV), and go back to iTunes. However, I was under the impression that I "had" to use Apple Devices to make a backup of my iPhone onto my computer... is this not the case? Can iTunes (still) work and suffice as my iPhone backup tool?
iTunes can be used to backup your device, as long as none of the new apps are installed. However iTunes backups do not include media. If you don't have the media that is on the device in your computer see my earlier reply for advice to recover it. I'd also recommend that you to backup to iCloud on the device. It is best to give yourself options when you need to restore in case one of your backups won't work properly when the time comes.
tt2
Share music between iPhone and PC without Apple Music
