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Level 1

0 points

iOS4 restore does not keep app folders

I've had to restore my iPhone 4 twice now from a backup, and each time I've had to spend over an hour recreating folders and reorganizing my apps back into the folders the way I last had them. I guess this is a feature request for backups to retain folder placement and contents, please! The data structures needed seem to exist already and are used by iTunes to remember the apps layout there. Any other way of saving my apps folders from iPhone 4?

iPhone 4, iOS 4, MacBook Pro / OS X 10.6.4

Posted on Jul 13, 2010 10:30 AM

71 replies

icerabbit

Level 3

785 points

Nov 19, 2010 5:59 AM in response to icerabbit

To expand a little bit more:

We don't sync often due to the loss of app order. No music, videos etc are uploaded to the iPhone. Apps are purchased over the air and the phone is charged daily from the wall.

There was a full transfer of purchases and backup the first week of September.
Phone was replaced under warranty (bluetooth died).
Double restore worked at that time.

In the past days, iTunes was updated to 10.1 and several attempts were made to update the iPhone to iOS4.1. These somehow timed out at 90-95% due to network timeout errors, likely due to wifi mobile web accessing.
Then we did it over a regular broadband connection and backup and update completed => iOS4.1 + 3 folders with one app each and a dozen personal apps.
Did the double restore method on the backup. All pages are filled with apps, but still only 3 folders and dozens of missing / invisible apps.

There are 6 backups to pick from, all from within the last week. The September one which worked is not listed and all other backups are missing. Backups were infrequent but existing whenever an update was available.

Called AppleCare and the result is that we're SOL (so out of luck).

There is no idea - even from senior techs supposedly - how to fix this. No acknowledgement even that folders go missing during updates and app order is lost. No idea why the recent backups don't restore the iPhone to its previous working state with organized folders and sorted apps. No idea where the September backup went and how to get it back.

I can only surmise that the iTunes update and iOS update have something to do with it.

So Apple nicely said, we're sorry for your trouble, nothing we can do, we'll make a note of it, good luck.

This is now the 4th or so botched sync/update with all apps going alphabetical, twice with folders that will have to be recreated tediously (in Sept the double restore worked).

As fun and handy as the iPhone is, the past two days were easily 8 hours of troubleshooting, research and restores ... and now probably 3 hours to get things back in order, manually.

That amounts to more time troubleshooting the iPhone in one year than I've spent on maintenance and troubleshooting on my pcs and macs in years!! Thank you very much, Apple.

Robotaz

Level 1

5 points

Nov 19, 2010 8:14 AM in response to dikarst

I just bought a new computer and when I authorized the new computer and put my iPhone's apps/music/etc on the new computer it completely removed all of my folders except for 2-3 and took most of the apps out of those. I really couldn't think of a reason why it would do that. It's like there's functionality to maintain the folders, but it doesn't work correctly.

Nov 22, 2010 8:50 PM in response to dikarst

I had a similar problem while attempting to restore iOS 4.2.1 today, only all apps except default Apple ones (not just folders) didn't resync after the restore. All music synced fine. After manually reselecting each app to sync and then resyncing, the second restore method worked to restore folders.

Any ideas as to what's causing all my apps not to reappear after the restore?

Cheers,

Chris

rayvandy

Level 1

4 points

Dec 3, 2010 8:36 AM in response to PilotFlying

were those jailbroken app that comes from installous/apptrckr? if so thn u have to get appsync installed

Dec 3, 2010 9:38 AM in response to rayvandy

Nope. Mine were all standard Apple App Store apps on a non-JB iPhone.

festril

Level 1

0 points

Jan 18, 2011 9:21 PM in response to VFIVE

"Apple devs take note so you can fix it" hahahaha that's hilarious. I've never once seen in any of these forums one answer or response from an apple staffmember saying, 'gee thanks we'll get right on it'. But good on you pal, you keep plugging away.

VFIVE

Level 1

10 points

May 23, 2011 2:43 AM in response to festril

You are correct. It's 7 months since the issue was reported and the bug still exists in the software. 😟 epic fail

mikeyray

Level 1

0 points

May 24, 2011 5:31 AM in response to VFIVE

Thanks for this

one amendment I would put in to avoid confusion is after the restore you have to let it start to sync to install the apps then stop the sync and then the 2nd restore from back up

its a stupid thing to have to do when you consider its only a little bit of code and the curious thing I noticed is the only folders it keep are the ones with apple apps in them

cheers

Mikey

Stevey G

Level 1

8 points

Jul 14, 2011 1:45 PM in response to icerabbit

yeah and did you know that - obviously lookin at the submission dates o these posts - Apple couldn't give a toss about reading these posts, even commenting/giving solutions on them (what the **** is the point of them having an Apple forum when they aren't part of it!?) or bothered about resolving this extremely annoying and pathetic issue in their updates - In my experience Apple are dick heads. They have vision for new things and run off into the distance with new stuff all the time but they are truly crap at making what they have made work well and properly - they're too busy trying to invent a new thing! :/ - to get you to blow your money on!...

KAKAMASA

Level 1

5 points

Aug 13, 2011 11:39 AM in response to Stevey G

All these "solutions" tantamount to nothing more but hacks, it reminds me so much of my Windows days, When a Windows issue came up because of a fundamental faulty design, Microsoft left it to the users to spend hours to find a work around "solution"

I hated my boring CS Class when I was in college, but one thing I remember the most was a saying from my former professor,"A WELL DESIGNED SOFTWARE SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE USER TO HACK IN ORDER TO WORK"

I started to really hate Apple now, at this point I rank Apple half a star above Microsoft. The Folder issue is only one of the many issues that why iTunes is a piece of junk. You would think Apple sold millions of iPhones, iPods and iPad to millions of users, they would put more effort into perfecting the iTunes, instead they act as if they are Microsoft, absolutely don't give a **** to the users concerns, this folder issue has been around for how many years now? after one iTunes update and another, It's still not fixed,

The new Apple commercial" HI, I am a Mac, you are a PC, I want to be just like you,"

Aug 14, 2011 12:41 PM in response to dikarst

Apple needs to get its act together on this problem. Hopefully it will be fixed in IOS 5. The double restore trick did not work for me. So I recreated folders in iTunes, applied the changes, and resynced. The sync lost all of the folders again! My iPhone 4 is useless to me without the folders. And it costs a ridiculous amount of time to recreate them after they are lost. I am a very frustrated Apple customer right now.

Linda.h

Level 1

5 points

Aug 14, 2011 3:02 PM in response to dikarst

After restoring your iPhone, click on your restored iPhone in iTunes control click on the iPhone or right click on Windows and click Restore from Back Up.

I have iOS 5 on my iPhone and I've needed to restore it everytime I've installed a new beta. This keeps most of your settings and keeps your app folders.

Aug 17, 2011 9:33 AM in response to JPBOSS

Not sure I completely understand your solutioin - Could you detail it more! Blessings.

I have been SO frustrated by this!

Aug 17, 2011 9:34 AM in response to mikeyray

Only Apple APPS - oh THAT'S a help....

Aug 17, 2011 9:38 AM in response to icerabbit

Right. They encourage us to BUY, BUY, BUY apps and provide us with NO support in keeping them organized.

Things that make you go....ACKKKKKK!

iOS4 restore does not keep app folders