Recently a universal iOS app was deleted from my iPhone and removed from the App Store. I would like to copy the universal app from my iPad to iPhone.
Can anyone confirm that iOS 9 does not allow any possibility of recovering the app since iTunes no longer backs up iOS apps.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
TIA
iPhone 5, iOS 8.1.1
Apps won't copy back from an iOS 9 device due to a developer feature called 'app thinning' (which allows only what is needed by an app on a device to be downloaded onto that device, so the version that you have on your iPad might not work on a phone). You don't have the app already on your computer, or on your backup of your downloads/library, or on a device that isn't on iOS 9+ ?
Apps won't copy back from an iOS 9 device due to a developer feature called 'app thinning' (which allows only what is needed by an app on a device to be downloaded onto that device, so the version that you have on your iPad might not work on a phone). You don't have the app already on your computer, or on your backup of your downloads/library, or on a device that isn't on iOS 9+ ?
Apple did not fully flesh out app thinning. They did not think of the possibility the app being removed from the store? I have a backup of my iPhone 5 with the app and may experiment restoring to my new iPhone 6 but I doubt will work.
The app is universal and I have used the same app on both iPhone and iPad since iOS 7. iTunes no longer transfer apps from devices and iOS app extraction utilities only extract data. if an app is removed from the iTunes store there is no way to restore the app?
I cannot believe iOS backup and restore has been implemented in this fashion. Guess it's time to switch to Android.
A backup doesn't contain any of your store downloads, an iCloud restore will redownload what it can from the store, an iTunes looks to pick them up from the iTunes library.
You haven't been downloading them on your computer's iTunes and adding them to your backup of your downloads/library ?
I regularly backup my idevices in iCloud as well as manual backup into iTunes but with iOS 9 the IPA file is no longer on my hard drive. Also, there is no way to tell iTunes to transfer apps anymore.
A backup doesn't contain the apps, not anything else downloaded from the store. You haven't been downloading them on your computer's iTunes and adding them to your backup of your downloads/library ?
I regularly sync my iPhone and iPad with iTunes 12. Every since iOS 9 iTunes 12 no longer extracts the IPA file to the Mobile Application directory.
I know, see my first reply. You haven't been downloading them on your computer's iTunes and adding them to your backup of your downloads/library ?
How am i supposed to download the apps into my iTunes library when they already exist on the device?
You could have downloaded them via the Purchased link under Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes music store homepage on your computer's iTunes so that you could add them to your backup of your downloads/library - if you haven't been doing that, for any app that has been removed from the store, it's now too late.
I only used iTunes for backups and syncing. I believed the ability to transfer apps from the device to my library was safe.
Yup, I am out of luck.
Thank you,
<Edited by Host>
Is there a method to restore iOS apps from one device to another iOS device after the app is removed the the iTunes store?
