Julian Roche1

Q: phone won't copy app updates back to the computer

Okay, maybe I'm wrong here (and please correct me if that is indeed the case) but I was under the impression that if you update apps directly to your device by wi-fi, the next time you backup your device to your computer, it copies those updates BACK to the computer so you don't have to download them twice.

 

So why do I have to download app updates to my computer as well as updating them directly to my phone? Doesn't seem to make much sense to do the same stuff twice over.

 

Just curious... :-)

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Apr 4, 2016 11:04 AM

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Q: phone won't copy app updates back to the computer

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  • by Niel,Solvedanswer

    Niel Niel Apr 5, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Julian Roche1
    Level 10 (312,843 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 5, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Julian Roche1

    That was disabled in iOS 9 because the copies on an iOS device only contain the resources needed for that device. If desired, download them to your computer and then sync the device.

     

    (141230)

  • by Rysz,Helpful

    Rysz Rysz Apr 5, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Julian Roche1
    Level 7 (20,507 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 5, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Julian Roche1

    With iOS 9 you are no longer able to move apps from a device to iTunes. iOS 9 uses a system called App Thinning. With it, when you download or update an app on a device, only the resources needed for that specific device are downloaded. This makes the download substantially smaller and quicker. That's a good thing!

     

    But it also means that that exact version is useless to any other device, so it doesn't get moved to iTunes. If you do want it in iTunes, you have to download it from the App Store directly (or set this to be done automatically). Personally, I stopped keeping copies of apps in iTunes  - no reason to waste disk space. I can always redownload them from the store.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Apr 4, 2016 11:29 AM in response to Julian Roche1
    Level 9 (53,976 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 4, 2016 11:29 AM in response to Julian Roche1

    New "App Thinning" with iOS9:  To make apps smaller they are being customized for specific hardware when downloaded from Apple directly over-the-air to a device with iOS9. Apps downloaded directly to a device from Apple may no longer work on any other kind of device. Apple has decided there is no point in syncing these to a computer since each device should ideally get a customized version directly from Apple. If you want a backup copy on your computer you can transfer a non-thinned version directly from the Store to the computer which should you need it can be transferred to any i-device (but will take up more room). You may wish to enable automatic downloads on your computer so there will be a copy of all apps there as sometimes apps are removed from the Store: Turn on Automatic Downloads -  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202180#computer   Extra tips from sberman: Make sure "Apps" is checked.  Also make sure the Apple ID shown just below "Automatic Downloads" is the same one you're using on the iPhone. - https://discussions.apple.com/message/29896877#29896877

     

    Here's the technical description: https://developer.apple.com/library/watchos/documentation/IDEs/Conceptual/AppDis tributionGuide/AppThinning/AppThinning.html - iOS9 App Thinning > "Slicing is the process of creating and delivering variants of the app bundle for different target devices. A variant contains only the executable architecture and resources that are needed for the target device." ... "The App Store will create and deliver different variants based on the devices your app supports." 

  • by Julian Roche1,

    Julian Roche1 Julian Roche1 Apr 5, 2016 5:21 AM in response to Julian Roche1
    Level 1 (21 points)
    iPad
    Apr 5, 2016 5:21 AM in response to Julian Roche1

    Thank you very much for the responses gentlemen. So long as it's meant to be that way, that's fine. I'll stop downloading app updates to the computer now and just let the devices handle them. It's quicker on wi-fi anyway because music and app downloads over an ethernet connection are horribly slow for me at the moment (even though all my other internet usage is working normally).

     

    Cheers and have a good day