iPhone folders disappeared!

Just today (with iOS 4.1 in place since the date of its release), after updating an app (Speed Test) and rebooting the iPhone, all my folders were gone! What I ended up with was 7 pages of apps in alphabetical order, with Apple's apps on the first page.

I tried looking for any preference settings that might allow one to turn on and off folders in iTunes and in iOS 4.1 and found nothing. I opted to try for a restore, hoping that my previous backup (with the folders) would be restored. That didn't work either.

It looks like an hour or two of fun re-establishing my folders from memory for some 115 apps or so!

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, in advance.

MacBook x 2, eMac, iBook G4, iPhone 3GS x 2, iOS 4

Posted on Sep 14, 2010 6:02 PM

29 replies

BlingMe

Level 2

370 points

Nov 27, 2010 9:32 AM in response to Richard Girton

This has never happened to me so far (knock on wood), but I sync my iPhone regularly and before every new update, I sync my iPhone first before performing the update. That way a backup is created of exactly how I have everything in my iPhone...folders, icons and all. I had to do the same with my daughters iPod Touch because she never seems to sync hers or do the updates. Last night I made sure I synced her iPod Touch before I updated her software to the 4.2.1 (she missed the prior update). Thank goodness all her folders and icons remained as she had them.

Sorry others are having issues...I'm sure it is a pain to recreate folders and such.

Mikiec

Level 1

0 points

Nov 28, 2010 5:57 AM in response to BlingMe

I now have this recurring problem, also, after updating my 3gs to 4.2.1.
When I performed the update it failed and I lost everything on my phone - it was effectively a new phone to iTunes. So I did a restore and did the update again and all was ok, but after that, all the folders were gone and everything was in alphabetical order. As I have nearly 400 apps on my phone I have had to keep them organised before so this was completely unworkable.

So I spent a while sorting the main ones, but when I did a sync on iTunes everything went back to alphabetical order with no folders.

So, next, I tried moving a few in iTunes, this worked for the first sync, but the second sync reset everything again.

Not wanting to waste my time again, I tried arranging a few on the iPhone, and also created a few notes. Did a sync - all ok. Moved a few more, synced again ok. Thought I'd cracked it until I did an update of a couple of apps on the iPhone via wi-fi, at which point the screen froze for a couple of seconds and then guess what?! Alphabetical order, and no folders, again.

My phone is basically not usable at the moment as I have to search for every app. The initial failed update also wiped all of my contacts too (over 500!), but that's another story (why the **** aren't contacts part of a backup too?!)

Isfreak

Level 1

0 points

Dec 6, 2010 7:37 AM in response to Mikiec

Mikiec explained it to the "T"... All my folders disappeared again!
What a pain in the @ss!

Apple please fix this ASAP!!!

wvdavis

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2010 5:28 PM in response to Richard Girton

This same thing happened to me yesterday, and I am running iOS 4.1. With having 133 apps on my iPhone about the only saving grace is that I regularly take screen shots of each of my screens and folders. You can take a screen shot by pressing the Home and Power buttons simultaneously. I also take screen shots of my email settings so I know what features I have with each account. I then save the screen shots in iPhoto.

I know that this is not a fix, but it might assist in getting your life back to normal.

i_a_m

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 4:55 PM in response to Richard Girton

I have similar issue with my folders disappearing, however this happens when i "transfer purchases" between two machines (my home mac and work pc). I've tried creating the folders via iTunes vs within the iPhone and all sort of other odd combinations but nothing seems to make the folders stick.

As I'm new to the iPhone (only brought the thing four weeks ago) I thought there might be a setting somewhere that I have yet to find, but reading this thread it sounds more like a bug rather than some kind of intended "feature"

Feb 4, 2011 9:43 AM in response to Richard Girton

This happened to me yesterday. I was updating apps and the iphone froze. I reset it and when it came back, all my folders had disappeared! The phone had the original apps on page 1 and the rest of my apps were alphabetical over the max number of pages. Fortunately, I sync fairly often and had just performed a sync with my desktop the day before. I plugged in with iTunes open, but did not sync. Instead, I right clicked on my iphone under Devices in the left column, then clicked on "Restore from Backup". It took a few minutes, but after the restore, my folders were all back just as they had been. Some have reported on here that they had to perform the "Restore from Backup" twice, without syncing, to restore the folders. Hope this is helpful to some others. This is a good reason to make sure you sync on a regular basis, so that you have a recent backup on your computer.

Feb 15, 2011 10:31 PM in response to PCDocBrock

I just bought a new iphone 4 I synced it with my itunes which installed a lot of apps I had downloaded for my ipad. I thought that was great and spent a long time organizing all 200 plus Apps. After I updated some Apps, all the Apps I had organized were back in the original locations and spread across the various screens. This appears to happen every time I update. I see the advice that suggests that I backup on itunes but my question is whether I need to organize the Apps on my phone or on the computer. Then do I only update my Apps on the computer and not the phone? Thanks for any advice.

nrau

Level 1

30 points

Feb 16, 2011 6:29 AM in response to Ellea Peagee

I update all my apps on my phone, organize them on my phone, and sync. No problems. The only issue I had was when I got my iPhone 4 and synced everything over, it didn't put my folders on my new phone, it spread them out over like ten pages. But it wasn't a big deal to me cause at least the apps were on there. Organizing them again really wasn't a hassle. So you people that are having problems, just be glad they are still on your phone.

Somf

Level 1

4 points

Feb 16, 2011 1:04 PM in response to Richard Girton

I was having this problem too. The FIX that worked for me was to NOT perform any updates from the iphone itself. Here is what I am doing now:
* Put the iphone screen in lock mode
* Attach it to the computer
* Let it sync with iTunes.
* Using iTunes, Under the left column click on "Applications" and update you applications.
* Perform another sync.
* Disconnect your iPhone from the computer.
* Unlock your screen and see what happens.

Again, this worked for me... your mileage may vary or it may not work. Use at your own risk.

-wk

PimEvers

Level 1

0 points

Mar 3, 2011 3:57 PM in response to Somf

This happened to me often; after each update or new computer, or reinstall...

Still no solution found; the best workaround for me is:
+not to sync apps with iTunes and update/install the apps on iPhone+

Hope Apple will solve this long existing bug soon; Apple, wake up!
Greetz, P

Apr 8, 2011 11:13 AM in response to Richard Girton

I just had this happen to me. I downloaded a new app, moved it into the right folder, then I accidentally somehow swiped the folder and...it disappeared. ENTIRELY. There was a blank square in the middle of the screen (I should have taken a pic). I used universal search and saw that the missing apps (from the missing folder) were still there, invisible. So I rebooted...and all my folders disappeared, with all 200+ apps in alphabetical order.

What a nightmare.

Thankfully, just doing one restore to backup did the trick.

How do we report this? I went to the link mentioned earlier, but it seemed no matter what I clicked, it thought I wanted help and wanted to charge me...??

May 28, 2011 9:36 PM in response to hudson2001

This just happened to me as well ... every folder vanished and all my apps appear in alphabetical order on random screens.

Now I get to spend hours cleaning this up again. Yay!!!

rmac16

Level 1

8 points

Jul 15, 2011 7:54 AM in response to Tim Hill1

This has happened to my wife's iPhone just now. I had restored all her apps last night, she reinstalled one I missed, and all of the folders I had spent hours organizing just dissolved! Why can't they fix this?

Nov 22, 2013 9:46 PM in response to Richard Girton

Hello,

I have an iPhone 5, on iOS 6.1.4, and I suffered this problem earlier Today, and Lost ALL my Folder Settings after a Soft-Reboot. I contacted Apple Technical Support about it via telephone with NO help of any kind. However, after beginning to re-arrange folders on my iPhone, I experimented with another Soft-Reboot to see what would happen, and again, ALL my Folder Settings after a Soft-Reboot were once again Lost. After creating a couple of New Folders, I tried Fully Powering down the iPhone ( Turning it Off - Hard Reboot ), then Power it On again. This time, the New Folders remained as they were. ; Plus the iPhone can only display a maximum of 11 pages of Apps at any one time, however, all Apps from pages 12 onwards are still on the phone, just invisible. You have to reduce the number of pages of Apps ( Place Apps into New Folders ) and then Do a FULL Power-Down and Re-Power On ( Top Button ONLY ). When the phone has powered up again, the extra page(s) of Apps will re-appear. You must keep reducing the the number of pages of Apps and repeat the Power-Down / Power-Up sequence untill All the Apps have returned to the Display. ; You can cram 16 Apps into a Folder. Re-organizing everything into new folders has to be done painstakingly manually, which is what I am doing at the moment. Just DON'T Soft-ReBoot the Phone ! ; Or else you'll lose ALL your folder-settings again.

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iPhone folders disappeared!