bertrandmartin
Level 1 (4 points)
iTunes

Q: Syncing all updated apps from iTunes to iPhone/iPod/iPad

I need to update all my apps on my iPhone (and on my son's iPod, and our iPad, etc.).

 

In iTunes, on my PC, I have successfully downloaded all the updates to all my apps.

 

When I connect my iPhone to my PC, iTunes recognizes it and does an automatic backup. Everything is fine. However, it will not update the apps on my iPhone.

 

To update the apps on my iPhone from iTunes, I click on my iPhone icon in iTunes, select the "Apps" view, and then manually click on the "Update" button (that will turn into "Will Update") for every single app! And then press the "Apply" button on the bottom right (see below).

 

iTunesDoesNotSyncUpdatedApps.png

 

How in-practical! How awkward! I have 200+ apps in iTunes and every week 30 of them need an update. Not even mentioning that there is no clear distinction between the button "Update" and "Remove". If an app on my iPhone does not need an update, the button will be "Remove" instead of "Update". Having to sort out which buttons to click on a huge list is far from ideal, I hope everybody agrees on that.

 

So, the question is: is there a way to sync all updated apps by default from iTunes to my iPhone?

If not, then this is a serious usability issue!

 

Last point: no I don't want to update directly from my iPhone, because I don't want to download GarageBand (1.5GB) multiple times for each of my devices over a flaky Wifi connection. Also, what would be the point of iTunes if we can't use it to download updates for our iDevices?

 

Thank you for your answers! (I pray that someone comes up with a solution, or workaround)

iPhone SE, iOS 10.0.1

Posted on Sep 28, 2016 2:18 AM

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bertrandmartin

Q: Syncing all updated apps from iTunes to iPhone/iPod/iPad

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  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r Sep 29, 2016 8:04 AM in response to bertrandmartin
    Community Specialists
    Sep 29, 2016 8:04 AM in response to bertrandmartin
    Hey  bertrandmartin,

    If I understand correctly, you want to automatically update apps on the iOS devices through iTunes but not through the iOS devices. 
    I would recommend you read this article, it explains how you can turn on automatic downloads in iTunes. 
     

    In iTunes, you can turn on Automatic Downloads for iTunes Store purchases such as songs, albums, movies, TV shows, or apps for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

    1. Open iTunes.
    2. If you’re not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.
    3. If you haven't authorized your computer, choose Store > Authorize This Computer.
    4. Mac: From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen, choose iTunes > Preferences.
      Windows: From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose Edit > Preferences. Learn what to do if you can’t see the menu bar.
    5. Click the Store tab, then select the content that you want to automatically download.
    6. Click OK.


    Turn on Automatic Downloads for iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store purchases - Apple Support


    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a good one. 

  • by bertrandmartin,

    bertrandmartin bertrandmartin Sep 29, 2016 9:42 AM in response to sterling r
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 29, 2016 9:42 AM in response to sterling r

    Hi sterling r,

     

    Thank you for your reply. Yes I want to automatically sync the updated apps from iTunes to my iPhone.

     

    The automatic download of the updates by iTunes is already working. iTunes downloads all the available updates without any problem. But I have a problem after that: I need to sync all these updated apps to my iPhone. And this operation requires clicking on the "Update" button next to each application, manually, as shown in the screenshot. This is where usability is far from optimal...

     

    Any better solution? Workaround?

     

    Thank you!