San Francisco, Jun 11 (IANS): Apple has announced it is discontinuing iTunes U, its education-aimed ecosystem, towards the end of 2021.

According to a new support document shared by the company, iTunes U tools have been replaced with next-generation apps for teachers and students, which include Classroom and Schoolwork and the Apple School Manager tool.

The iTunes U platform will be available for 2020-2021 school year, but will stop being supported in 2021, according to Apple.

For public content publishers, until iTunes U is discontinued, new and existing content will be available publicly, but Apple suggests creators start exploring other options.

Current iTunes U users can continue publishing content through Apple Podcasts or Apple Books.

Apple is also adding an export feature to iTunes U to support moving to 3rd-party apps or Learning Management Systems.

iTunes U was first introduced in 2007 as a way for educators to provide university materials through the broader iTunes platform which included audio, media and class handouts.

Apple began phasing out iTunes U in 2017 and transitioned the feature to the Podcasts app.