How to restore ALL Purchased Apps

iTunes does not have a feature to "get" all previously purchased applications. You will need to download them one at a time. It should be quicker doing it on the computer. Then you will also have a backup of them.

If your old computer is still working you could transfer the files over to the new one.

I've recently reinstalled my operating system and in so doing itunes has stopped transferring all purchased applications to my iphone. I can download the purchased apps back to the iphone but I can't seem to get itunes to transfer any applications to the iphone. Has anyone experienced this and have clues as to the solution?

Back up the old iTunes library from your former computer and restore it on your new iMac, it will contain your apps. Then sync again.



http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1382 :

The Back Up To Disc feature will back up the following files from your iTunes Library:
Applications, Audiobooks, Games, Movies, Music, Music Videos, Podcasts, Ringtones, TV Shows

I tried that just now without effect. Applications don't seem to be transferring either from itunes to my iphone or vice-versa. At times, after a synch, any applications that I have on the i-phone become inactive; their icons are there but they can't be opened. Is this an itunes issue or an iphone issue?

My post was referring to helicol's original post and problem.

Did you try to reset your phone? Is your computer authorized in iTunes? Since you reinstalled your system you might have to do this again in the Store menu in iTunes.

I've deauthorized and reauthorized a couple of times. I just reset the iphone (again) and the result is any apps that I had reloaded onto the iphone (over a wireless network directly to the iphone) now shut down as soon as a try to open them. This only happens with 3rd party software; the native apps like weather, calculator, etc. all work fine.

Did you manage to load the apps into iTunes? Go to the Store an download them again, you can do this without paying again. Then sync them from iTunes to your phone.
See this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1702 and, just to make sure this one as well: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1977

I can download them into itunes but they won't transfer to the iphone. I get an error message that
"epocrates (or other program) was not installed on the iphone because an unknown error
occurred (-4).

Try to delete all 3rd party apps and install one by one again until you find the faulty app, this seems to be the next step, unless somebody knows what error -4 means.

I've done that and the problem still exists. I've been fussing with this issue for the last week and have tried various things all to no avail. My iphone was working fine prior to the OS re-install so I've got to believe that was the culprit.

Thank you for the above suggestions. I reset the iphone then threw out my desktop version of itunes and re-downloaded it. One of those things worked because now I'm downloading from the app store and everything is transferring over like it's supposed to. Whew!

So just to make sure, even if it still tells you "Your account will be debited for this purchase and your application will begin to download immediately" it shouldn't cost you anything as long as you have purchased this program before?

I ask because I recently had to format and re-install my OS onto my Macbook Pro so I just want to make sure it doesn't cost me anything because that prompt just gives me a little doubt

Did you get this question answered? I also need to know if you get charged specifically for audio books previously purchased...I know you don't get charged for apps.