Old iPhone, new iTunes/Mac; App sync warning about losing all apps and data

All 3rd party apps on your iPhone should be in your iTunes library on your computer along with all other iTunes content on your iPhone - all music, movies, tv shows, and 3rd party apps on your iPhone should be in your iTunes library on your computer.

All 3rd party apps on your iPhone would be in your iTunes library on your computer had Sync Apps been selected under the Apps tab for your iPhone sync preferences from the start. With this selected, after downloading/installing an app direct with your iPhone, the app will be copied to your iTunes library automatically the first time you sync your iPhone with iTunes after doing so. This also provides for downloading an app with iTunes on your computer and installing the app on your iPhone via the iTunes sync process, and provides for removing an app from your iPhone without deleting the app by deselecting the app under the Apps tab followed by a sync. To reinstall the app on your iPhone again later, reselect the app under the Apps tab followed by a sync.

With your iPhone connected and without syncing, at the iTunes menu bar go to File and select Transfer Purchases From - the name of your iPhone. After confirming all apps on your iPhone are in your iTunes library, select Sync Apps under the Apps tab and make sure all apps on your iPhone are selected below followed by a sync. Leave Sync Apps selected.

You're welcome.

It is called syncing or a sync process but no iTunes content is kept synchronized.

iTunes serves as the sync conduit for some data outside of iTunes or the iTunes library that is kept synchronized by the true definition of sync - between the iPhone and a supported application on your computer such as for contacts, calendar events, Safari bookmarks, and notes.

It is a transfer process with all other data and as with any other application, garbage in = garbage out based on your settings for the app. If you have Sync Apps selected under the Apps tab which should have been selected from the outset, all apps on your iPhone would be in your iTunes library on your computer. All iTunes content on your iPhone should be in your iTunes library on your computer and will be with some very basic and simple settings such as having Sync Music selected under the Music tab and Sync Apps selected under the Apps tab for your iPhone sync preferences.

Hi Allan,

Thanks for replying to this question; I am having the exact same situation happen to me and find it very hard and confusing. Could you clarify a few things for me regarding this issue;

Situation:

I’m a PC user that’s just recently (3 days ago) decided to get a Mac (first time in my life). I’ve been using an Iphone 3Gs for the past 6 months (originally synced from my PC itunes).

Problem:

Like the original poster, I want to simply sync and update my iphone to my new Imac computer, but it always tells me that it needs to wipe the content of my iphone. This gets me freaked out a bit since I have a lot of data on my iphone (Calender, contacts, emails, documents, save games, whatever..). And the way I understand the “sync” process, it will simply destroy all this and replace it with a “factory-fresh” updated OS Iphone.

If I sync like you mention, will I lose all my settings? Data?

And to note, I do not use my iphone for music or movies, although I do use the camera a lot. What are my options to backup?

Thanks for your help!

Antoine Thisdale

Hello.

You need to transfer your iTunes library from your PC to your Mac per the instructions included with this link along with all other important data from your PC that you will need or want to access on your Mac such as photos, documents, etc.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

Transferring your iTunes library from your PC to your Mac following the instructions included with the link provided along with authorizing your Mac with your iTunes account with iTunes should prevent any iTunes content from being erased on your iPhone with the first sync with iTunes on your Mac. Since all iTunes content on your iPhone - all music, movies, tv shows, and 3rd party apps should be available in your iTunes library on your PC, transferring your iTunes library from your PC to your Mac will prevent any iTunes content from being erased on your iPhone.

The only data that is wiped on an iPhone when syncing an iPhone with an iTunes library on a new or different computer is iTunes content when not transferring your iTunes library from the existing computer used for syncing your iPhone with to the new or different computer per the instructions provided, and photos transferred from the existing computer. Photos on the existing computer should be transferred to the new or different computer along with your iTunes library and all other important data from the existing computer.

Photos in the Camera Roll are not included with the iTunes sync process or touched except for being included with the iPhone's backup which is updated by iTunes as the first step during the iTunes sync process.

Photos in the Camera Roll can and should be imported by your computer as with any other digital camera. When there are photos and/or video in the Camera Roll, the iPhone is also detected as a digital camera when connected to your computer. Importing photos from a digital camera is not handled by iTunes and the same for photos/videos in the iPhone's Camera Roll. With a Mac, you can use iPhoto for importing photos/videos from any digital camera or from a digital camera's storage card including from the iPhone's Camera Roll, or you can use the Image Capture application for this if you don't prefer using iPhoto for photo storage and management on your Mac. iPhoto will provide you the Events and Faces feature available on the iPhone and you can use iPhoto for setting a location for photos that were captured by a digital camera which does not include a location feature for the iPhoto locations feature.

Contacts and calendar events on your iPhone are not touched when syncing with iTunes unless you are syncing contacts and calendar events with a supported application on your computer. With a Mac, you can sync contacts with the Address Book and calendar events with iCal. Before syncing contacts with an empty Address Book and calendar events with an empty iCal, enter one contact in the Address Book and one calendar event in iCal before the first sync for this data. This will provide a merge prompt with the first sync for this data, which you want to select. Syncing contacts with the Address Book and calendars/calendar events with iCal is selected under the Info tab for your iPhone sync preferences with iTunes on your Mac.

If you don't have any music or movies in your iTunes library on your PC - all you have are 3rd party apps in your iTunes library on your PC, you can transfer all apps from your iPhone to iTunes on your Mac. First you need to authorize your Mac with your iTunes account with iTunes if you haven't already done so. With your iPhone connected and without syncing, at the iTunes menu bar go to File and select Transfer Purchases From - the name of your iPhone. After confirming all 3rd party apps on your iPhone are in your iTunes library on your Mac, under the Apps tab for your iPhone sync preferences with iTunes select Sync Apps and make sure all apps currently installed on your iPhone are selected below.

Hi Allan,

Thank you very much for your detailed answer. Not only have you answered my questions, but you've fixed my problem! I did as you said yesterday evening and everything seems to've worked just fine!

Thanks again for your help!

Hi...

I have a simliar problem with my apps/folders/app.data on my iphone4.

I had to re-install the Mac OSX on my macbook pro, but forgot to back-up my mobile app folder.

Now I am trying to sync my iphone and itunes. I have transferred all my apps from the phone to itunes, which worked fine. All the apps show up in Library Apps.

But when I try to sync my iphone and itunes with the "Sync Apps" check box checked, I get the same warning "about losing all apps and data on this iphone".

What I would like to do is transfer the iphone app "folder structure" & "app data" to itunes so both are on the same page.

Is there a way to do this?

I do have a back-up of the phone.

Thanks!!