Apple Releases iTunes 12.6.3 to Bring Back App Store, Ringtones Removed With Version 12.7

Apple has quietly made available a new version of iTunes that brings back many of the features it recently pulled from the service. iTunes v12.6.3, the version with access to the older features, is now available for Mac and Windows desktop platforms.

Last month, Apple released iTunes 12.7, a revamped version of the service that was didn't include some of the old iTunes features such as the ability to browse, sync, and install iOS apps and ringtones using the desktop. The move was followed by some outcry from users, who were not happy with the change.

As users spotted on Reddit on Monday, it turns out Apple has quietly released another version of iTunes with the older features. The company says it is released this version because "certain business partners might still need to use iTunes to install apps." Users report that this version of iTunes is working on individual computers just as fine.

"If you've already installed a newer version of iTunes, you can download this version of iTunes on your Mac, PC 32-bit or PC 64-bit and run the installer. After installation is complete, you can continue to deploy apps with iTunes. You won't be prompted to download new versions of iTunes after you install this version," the description of iTunes 12.6.3 reads.

As Apple mentions in a support article, users will be required to rebuild their iTunes library once they have installed iTunes 12.6.3 version. You can easily do so by holding down the Option key when the app launches and clicking the "Create Library" option in the dialogue window that prompts. Give this new library a different name than your existing library, and you should be able to swiftly migrate your library once you have installed the new version.