Updated iPad to iOS5. Now all apps are gone!

After reading this post and others like it, I've decided to wait to upgrade to iOS 5 until the bugs are worked out. It's bad enough that it takes forever just to install the upgrade in the first place, but to then find out that you've lost apps or music or data is unacceptable. Not a good rollout for iOS 5 or iCloud.

Mine did the same thing, and then the second upgrade cycle took. I thought I had lost all my apps, too, till I hit the update button in the App Store and they all came back. It turns out iOS5 had added three new apps on their own second page, which threw all my folders to the next page. Oops! All's well that ends well, I guess, but it was a little too exciting for one day. I'm leaving my iPhone alone for a week or two. I can do without my iPad (if I have to), but my phone is wired to my arm.

My apps have disappeared as well and I can't figure out to restore them. I see them in the App tab in iTunes and in the App store, but I can't get them on my iPad. Would it have anything to do with iCloud?

Thanks for the tip. I'm syncing them now. Why would all the other boxes be checked for music, etc. but not the apps? Weird.

I think with all things that went into these updates, they may have missed some stuff. The apps box should be checked by default.

on summary page in itunes select manually manage then sync. this worked for me

I have the same issue. Thank you apple! All Apps lost on my iPhone 3Gs after upgrade. What an incredible bummer!

Now I have to re-download all apps and reorganize. Which will take about 3-4 hours or so, if I ever bother using the phone again.

I have this issue and I can't seem to manually sync my apps (which do appear in iTunes) because the check mark is greyed out and doesn't permit me to select. Also - my App Store icon no longer appears on my iPad! What to do? So frustrating!

First of all: before you upgrade, always make a backup of your device in iTunes!

The following happens when upgrading to iOS 5 (this is different from previous system upgrades!):

The installer creates automatically a restore file

Then a clean system is installed on your device, all your data will be removed. Don't panic, this will be ok later on.

When the os is updated you get a few configuration questions (i.e. language settings).

At one point you're given a choice:

• configure device as a new device
• restore from iCloud
• restore from iTunes

Unless you want to start all over, choose the third option.

All your settings will be restored at first and your device will restart.

Now comes the tricky bit: After restart your device will work fine as if the process is finished. i.e. you can send and recieve mails. At this point you will not see the apps you had installed, also you're photo's and movies will not be on your device. (I was fooled buy this one at first too)

Do not disconnect your device or quit iTunes! In the background iTunes is still restoring the rest of your data. (Switch to iTunes and you'll see the progress.) This can take some time, depending on how much apps you had installed. One by one you'll see apps appearing on your device. You can't use the untill the whole restore is finished.

When all apps are back, your photo's and video's will be restored.

So please be patient. It took me more than an hour to get everything back in place.

The only small annoyance: there are new Apple-apps added to the homescreen. They're 'pushed' to the second screen by your own homescreen apps, leaving your second screen almost empty. Now you only have to rearrange the apps on the second screen.

If all turns out bad, because you unplugged your device too early, go back to your restore file you made yourself before upgrade. (You did do that, didn't you?) and start the process all over.

Just done all this no problems if you do as steven outlines it will run smooth.

Just remember that if you can not get on the icloud now it could be because it is very busy up there and network time is all timed if it can not connect in a matter of seconds it will reset and try again but remember the stronger the signal the further up the que you will be .

I have a similar problem. I unplugged my iPad once it was going through the welcome screens as i thought it was finished. I guess it was still updating apps. I plugged it back in and it finished however i am still missing a handful of apps. They aren't showing on my apps in iTunes either. It did say it was backing up before the upgrade, i wonder where these apps went? Any other way to get them back without re-downloading?

I am going through the same dilemma. I just successfully updated my iPhone 4 to IOS5 but my iPad 2 is synced to my home computer but I am currently traveling so no access to that. If I do the iPad 2 update using my Macbook Air, it might be able to update it but how can it restore the photos, music and videos since those all reside on my home computer. (I can re-download the apps but not sure if the data files are going to be intact).

Has anyone tried updating iPad 2 using a computer other than the it syncs with? Thanks.

So if I do this, will I lose all my app progress too? I don't want to start Angry Birds over! 🙂 Please help!

I have the same dilemma as you! My home computer isn't available... Does anyone have a solution?