iTunes won't backup my iPhone Apps, after iOS 9

You are correct. Word is Apple wants to drop all support for the iPod Classic, thus putting in the glitch that prevents you from using it in iTunes 12.3. I doubt 12.4 will fix it.

I think so iTunes 12.3 has problem with iOS 9 may be must to wait to release next iTunes update. 😐

Andrew - Thanks for explaining this issue as it finally brought some logic into several frustrating hours with Apple Care. Apple's use of terms like "Transfer Purchases" and "Backups" are very miss leading with this new system. The explanation makes since but leaves gaps for Apps not available on the app store. I'm most sad that I can't backup/restore from iPhone 6 > iPhone 6S apps that are now missing from the iTunes store purchased legitimately. A warning would have been nice. Seems like a pretty major "backup" protocol change to go under the radar.

*** are they doing .. who has so much time to update the apps on computer then to copy it to iphone or ipad .. earlier it was good that one just has to update apps in his phone and then back it up to computer and later when he has to restore then that would not be a problem .. now i tried to restore to my new phone and nothing came who gives a f*** to space and all this delta and universal is crap

Let me help you a bit. First I wish that you would not use words with ***. They are not appropriate here. However IMO your thoughts sans the *** are right on. I also wish that Apple had explained the new iTunes process better, they did a poor job. The answer is to do the following which I learned from Andrew Jung and a contact I have high on this forum. Simply put a check mark on Apps in iTunes: Open iTunes, go to Preferences > Store and put a check on Apps. Wait a bit to allow it to sync (overnight would be ideal) and then all your Apps in full Universal mode will be there, maintained automatically, and ready for your next sync. The iPhone and iPad will know which slimmed down code to install. If you want to verify that your Apps are indeed there, open iTunes after the wait, make sure you are logged in, click on iTunes Store by the Apple logo in the middle, go to Purchased on the right lower side, click on Apps on the top right side and you should be able to see all your Apps for your iPhone and iPad.... 🙂

I hate to say this, but I'm unhappy with how iTunes will now not backup apps on my iPad.

I had not fired up iTunes this week until today, and suddenly there are 52 downloads, several of them 300MB and one 600MB, waiting for me. My iPad is up to date since I have automatic download. Problem is, at my current internet connection speed making a backup of all the apps will take forever and I'm not happy about it.

I can understand. Thanks for the feedback...

We're fellow users here. You may want to drop a line to iTunes Feedback.

tt2

Yes, this is correct.

The binary downloaded to your iOS device may not be a delta version but to be on the safe side iTunes will now err on the side of caution and assume that all binaries on your device are delta versions.

Vonavin wrote:

If i update an app over iOS device, iTunes won't backup it to pc cause it is delta. So I have to make all app updates over PC and sync in order not to download them twice right?

That all said, it would be nice if the new Slimmed (delta-ed) binaries could have an additional flag that is set so that when connecting your iOS device to iTunes it would be able to "know" which binaries are deltas or universal by either the presence or absence (respectively) of this flag. If it detected an app was a universal binary then it would download it to your iTunes Library and make it available to your other iOS devices for installation. If it did have the flag then it would know it was slimmed and just include it within your device's back-up file (as it does now for all apps, slimmed/delta-ed or not).

What would even be cooler is if iTunes preferences had a setting like "Maintain universal apps" which would then, upon seeing a slimmed app, go out to the net and download the full universal version. An even smarter method would be to do a reverse slimming (or let's call it bloating) of an app. Upon the setting of preference, iTunes would download the slimmed app into your computer and then download only the parts of the app that would have been stripped away in an update "over the air" from Apple's servers directly to you iOS device or from iTunes on your computer (which also knows how to slim the apps down). This would have the benefit of only needing download the app once, regardless of whether or not we are talking about the slimmed app or the universal app. If you didn't use a computer at all for you iOS device then you only download the slimmed apps (deltas). If you did use a computer and wanted to maintain a local copy of the universal apps you'd still only download the app "once" because the delta version copied over from you iOS device to your computer + the download of the "rest" of the bits specific to other devices = the full universal binary. Which, by the way, may not be that much more depending on how much of the code is only specific to one particular device or device family. That is, unless between the time that you downloaded the slimmed app to your iOS device and copied to your computer, that there wasn't a version update to the app which would mean the app on your iOS device is out of date and not compatible with the current version on the Apple servers. But this shouldn't happen too often if you have automatic updates enable on your iOS device.

This is definitely an interesting solution and one that I've just submitted to Apple Feedback.

Cheers, Andrew.

Yeah, I agree. Plus if Apple wants to help reduce its carbon footprint it should find ways to not have to download redundant "Bits and Bytes" (anyone remember that show?… just dated myself lol).

My last post would be an eloquent solution to yours and virtually anyone else with multiple devices.

But that all said, we all know how Steve demoted the Mac (and PC for that matter) from being the hub of your iLife to just another device, and since these binaries (apps) can't even run on your Mac or Windows computer does it make sense for them (under their reasoning…not ours) to have to continue having the Mac/PC behave as such? My hunch is that they don't feel this as much anymore.

Besides, it is becoming more difficult for me to maintain a local copy of my binaries (apps) that work on all of my devices since my iPhone cannot run on the latest iOS. And since I cannot (easily) maintain multiple versions of an app within my iTunes Library, it is often easier to download the last version that works on my iPhone directly from my iPhone from Apple's servers thus bypassing the need for maintaining multiple local versions.

But that said, I see your point about wanting to maintain copies of apps that are pulled. That's why you use the auto download of purchases option on your computer I guess.

I have the same problem with My iDecice that I have iPhone 5S and iPod Touch 5 that I must Download My Application Twice. Maybe the problem from iTunes that not store Application Data when backup like iOS 8.4.1.

So for us who don't have a clue what Andrew was talking about is there someone who can explain it in layman's terms. I checked my preferences and store and apps was already checked. My last back up was 9/24 and I'm not able to back up my iPhone manually (last back up could not be completed) and via iTunes 12.3 when I click on back up iCloud it acts like it performing the back up but the date still says 9/24. Is this topic correct for my problem?

As to the "Andrew" part you got it correctly, no further action is needed. As to your inability to backup at all, probably best to open up a new thread with as many details as you can provide....

I could probably live with Apple's word that the apps are backed up, but seeing the latest versions in the Mobile Apps folder

would be even more comforting. I have HughesNet satelitte internet so I have a bandwidth limit. I usually download updates

over wi-fi at my office to save. I guess Apple still thinks everyone has FIOS.

Now when I go to iTunes/app updates on my iMac, I've still got tons of updates showing and no hard latest versions.

My temporary solution is to download all the apps that are on my devices directly to my Mac using iTunes.

One can do this by going to iTunes > Apps > App Store > Purchased (right hand side), then be sure to select the tab "Not In My Library". So now when you restore your device, instead of re-downloading all the apps from the cloud to the iPhone or iPad, it will simply copy them from iTunes as it did before. You can even update an app this way when you are syncing or backup up your device through iTunes by clicking on "Apps" on the left hand side, then selecting "Update". Just make sure to check each day for App Updates within iTunes, just as you would on your device. Also make sure, as Andrew said, to have that "Automatic Downloads" box for Apps checked, both in iTunes and on your devices. This way if you download an App either via iTunes or your device it will automatically download via the other channel.

That box is in iTunes Preferences > Store

On your device the switch is in Settings > App and iTunes Stores

The .ipa files on your Mac are stored in Music > iTunes > iTunes Media > Mobile Applications.