Updating apps using iTunes 12.6.5.3

I feel your pain, all of you, I went all thru this yesterday with Tech support on the phone for 1.5 hours, and ended up finally getting a senior tech who actually wrote up what the problem is, instead of going thru the canned answer like you all have gotten so far.

Here is my case # Case: ****

tell them you are having the same problem as this case and maybe we can get them to fix it?

[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

To view the Case, I would have needed your last name to view the content, and as I don't know it, I can not view the case. Is it possible you let us know so we can look into this troublesome behaviour? Kind Regards, Peter

Actually I cannot put my name as Apple sent me an email saying they will remove any personal id info. Actually on 2 other posts I made they removed the Case number too. Here is all that is written on the Case id when I open my link to it:

Mac mini, Not able to back up iPhone and iPad apps to my Mac mini running iTunes version 12.6.5.3

So really just the same as above, except I am running Sierra and iTunes version 12.6.5.3

"Mac mini, Not able to back up iPhone and iPad apps to my Mac mini running iTunes version 12.6.5.3".

Is this what an Apple senior tech support person wrote as a summary of the issue? This description is grossly inaccurate as the problem has nothing to do with backing up apps.

The issue is that apps cannot be updated with iTunes version 12.6.5.3.

Maybe we have a semantics issue here. Here is my problem, see if it is the same as yours.

The Mac mini stores backup of the apps I use on 5 different iOS device that I support; I do this so I do not have to download for hour upon hour over the internet when I get a new device and need to fill it up with our Apps.

To do the updating of these stored apps, iTunes version 12.6.5.3 normally checks the stored app .ipa files in my Mac against the current updates being pushed out to iOS devices by Apple. If there is an update available, iTunes version 12.6.5.3 will indicate this in the part of the program called "updates" by showing the icon for any revised app. Currently there are about 40 of these waiting under "Updates" section.

Normally I can click on Update Apps button at bottom of the scree and all those updates are then downloaded, the .ipa file in storage is deleted and the new version .ipa replaced in storage on my Mac. The problem is that what was working to do the replacement and update of each .ipa is broken somehow and the .ipa is not downloading.

That is what I reported to the senior tech in detail. If it is not the problem you are having, sorry for that.

There is another thread on this where someone video'd the process that is not working and made you Tube video of it that shows what is happening on the screen during the failed update. Sorry, have lost that link but it was definitely the same problem I have.

The issue is that apps cannot be updated with iTunes version 12.6.5.3.or version 12.6.2.20. That means no one can use massive amounts of Data to update APPS that they may or may not have installed on their iOS devices. Maybe Apple needs this savings

to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic ! Just a thought.

Yes, I fear the same, that they are abandoning support for iTunes 12.6.5.3 now.

At least I have the 200 or so old App files (.ipa) that when and if needed, I can put back onto my 5 iOS devices from iTunes. Then once I get the old ones on, they should all be updated over the internet to latest. That will work for a while, I hope.

I've got this problem too. Anyone tried using iMazing or Apple Configurator 2 instead?

I trked Apple Configurator 2 and it did update the app on the phone, but I can't see the download anywhere. I guess I was hoping that if it downloaded then I could copy it to iTunes for future use...

A quick google search later, I found it here:

~/Library/Group Containers/K36BKF7T3D.group.com.apple.configurator//Library/Caches/Assets/TemporaryItems/MobileApps/51A7935F-F02E-48B3-A807-86EE722C787C/1380676511/BBC Sounds 1.16.1.ipa

So I used a command like this to copy the file somewhere useful:

find ~/Library/Group\ Containers/K36BKF7T3D.group.com.apple.configurator/ -name "*.ipa" -exec cp {} /Volumes/QNAPRAID/itunes/ \;

From there I can drag it into iTunes.

It only seems to download apps that you actually have installed on the device. So if you have several devices and different apps installed on some to others, you need to perform the update on each.

Also I'd not used Apple Configurator 2 before so wasn't already signed in to my personal itunes account. There is no meaningful error if you are not signed in - it just doesn't let you update apps.

I don't see this as very useful long term, but as a short term fix it may be ok.

ArthurBA wrote:

I don't see this as very useful long term, but as a short term fix it may be ok.

Thanks for the Apple Configurator 2 tip... that works but not as straightforward as using only iTunes.

"It just works"... hmmph; Apple's been on the downside of that ever since Snow Leopard. It seems as if now, whenever Apple changes anything, the first order of business is to research what was removed and what no longer works correctly.

So I can also confirm you can use iMazing to download the apps using the 'library view'. At least this means you don't need to plug in each device. iMazing gives the apps different names to what iTunes/Apple Configurator 2 give them, but when you drag the newly download apps to iTunes it recognises them as the same. The app library for iMaxing can be found:

~/Library/Application Support/iMazing/Library/Apps

iMazing can actually sync the apps to your iphone/ipad too.

I purchased my copy of iMazing some time ago (about when Apple first said they were going to stop supporting apps), and I've been experimenting with it on and off. My personal verdict was that I preferred to keep using iTunes while it was working, but that I'd probably consider switching to iMazing when the updates for iTunes 12.6 finally stop. I find some parts of iMazing truly frustrating, but other things delightfully simple.

So between iMazing and my post yesterday about Apple Configurator 2 - there are two ways to keep this functionality alive for a while longer.

Same problem here - iTunes 12.6.5.3 cannot update apps, since the 18th. Someone on Twitter said there is an error in the log:

default07:39:09.254909 -0700iTunesTCP Conn 0x60800019b2b0 SSL Handshake DONE
default07:39:10.934487 -0700iTunesTCP Conn 0x60800019b2b0 canceled

Yep, I'll add my voice to the chorus. I've been using iTunes to handle syncing of apps, music, & podcasts to my iDevices, and to keep a local backup of each device. While I realize Apple's done away with that with the latest MacOS, I can't upgrade to that because of apps that are in my daily workflow, and even if I could I'd find it a regular annoyance - much easier to handle all my downloads from one place and sync to the iHerd than have to update each device individually.

As of right now, I have 60 updates for iOS apps that have failed to download for the last two weeks. This issue cropped up a year or more ago, and magically fixed itself; I'd definitely hope the same thing happens again, but I'm not holding my breath.

One more thing can be done

Post a review for each app you cannot download because of broken iTunes

😶Impossible to download, because of iTunes glitch that Apple is not fixing

Dear developer, it's impossible for us to download your app or buy new ones from iTunes Enterprise MAC that is used both by businesses , schools and individuals who can't afford to download the same app several times for each device.

Please let Apple know about this issue. For the time being till the issue is going to be resolved, we will not be able to update your apps. Thanks for your support!

That's a great idea, thanks. Will probably get you banned from future posts, but it just might work. I currently have 40 apps that won't download, so tomorrow will get to it. Cut -paste and on to the next one....

Thanks.