iTunes 12.7

Not that this is a great solution, but i uninstalled this version of iTunes and managed to restore the older version. Less than ideal, but for what i need it for (to see the storefronts on PCs), this will suffice...for now.

hal1 wrote:

So.. it appears from the article that Apple has eliminated the ability to shop or purchase IOS apps from a computer.

Also, for those people who have mulitple IOS devices, seems like 12.7 have also lost our ability to centrally manage our apps.

is this what everyone else is seeing as well??

Yes, that is what happened. If you read the thread from the beginning, you'll find a link to Apple's information on the changes as well as a number of other helpful links.

iTunes 12.6.3:

OS X

Windows x32

Windows x64

jk2010 wrote:

Since I don't keep every app I've ever downloaded on my phone - how do move them back & forth to my iPhones and iPad? I can see them all in the mobile apps folder but now what? Is the expectation that I go to the app store on each device and download it all over again every time I want to add it - to any/all devices????

Sorry I don't know what the answer is. Looking at Apple's documentation you need to drag an app from Finder to a device in iTunes to copy to iOS. I can't see how you get that app from iOS though. Frankly that is a mess, but that is how Apple claim it should work.

I think Apple expect you to have an internet connection on each device so that you download every app on each device by viewing your purchase history, good luck with all that tap, tap, tapping…

Give Apple feedback if you want them to alter how it works…

Product Feedback - Apple

Hello to every frustrated Apple customer here. While I was able to revert to an earlier version of iTunes for now, Im finding the AnyTrans desktop application to be an excellent way to manage iOS devices on a desktop. Will probably be my long term solution since iTunes is headed south. Has many features that iTunes never had, such as ability to manage and download entire text messages. Easy to use with slick interface. Im already going to horde any 32 bits apps I may need here. Thanks to Cult of Mac for posting Youtube video highlighting its features. You can try a trial version free.

Download here AnyTrans - Manage All Your Apple iProducts - Official Version

For those who are still struggling with the update to 12.7 and not having a way to mange your iOS devices on mac. There is always Apple Configurator app on Mac app store. Not as easy to use as iTunes for managing apps but still fairly simple. I had earlier mentioned the use of AnyTrans software, but aside from having to pay for AnyTrans, it has some limitations and is buggy after more through exploration. So Apple Configurator is going to be my go to choice for now. Plus its free! Great way to get ton of apps on a iOS device fast!

Yes you can - drag if from the mobile apps folder to the device on iTunes and it will upload. What a pain - but at least it can be done

ack!!

divzpt wrote:

But if Apple let us choose between versions, it solve the problem. Also I want to use selective restore from backup.

Disabling apps management for users now, Apple going to past, not future.

Yes, that was a possibility. But, I never used it. I suspect most other people didn't, either. I connect my iPhone to my computer when there is a major update (e.g. iOS 11) and if I'm going to switch to a new phone, take mine in for service or leave the country. So, about 3 or 4 times a year. I know there are lots of people who have never ever connected their phone to their computer. It's becoming more the norm.

I understand that my usage is different than yours. And I'm certainly not judging your preferences. You should submit your feedback to Apple letting them know how your feel.

Drew Reece wrote:

I suspect that iTunes also backs up new apps to that location, so in theory you could revert apps if you have an old copy (e.g. from Time Machine). I don't have iTunes 12.7 to test that theory - update an app on iOS & then sync to iTunes to see if it updates the copy on the Mac.

I have 12.7 (not my choice), so I checked. Syncing does not copy apps from iOS to iTunes. Which makes sense, in a way, because with app slicing introduced in iOS 10 an app for one device will be different code than the same app for a different device.

The File Sharing features for apps are still accessible in iTunes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being shifted over to iCloud Drive at some point. You can still add a .ipa file stored on your computer to an iOS device, although 32-bit apps won't work on iOS 11. If you have an older device you can now get a compatible version of an app, should it exist, direct from the store without the workaround of downloading the current version in iTunes first.

tt2

Lawrence Finch wrote:

Drew Reece wrote:

I suspect that iTunes also backs up new apps to that location, so in theory you could revert apps if you have an old copy (e.g. from Time Machine). I don't have iTunes 12.7 to test that theory - update an app on iOS & then sync to iTunes to see if it updates the copy on the Mac.

I have 12.7 (not my choice), so I checked. Syncing does not copy apps from iOS to iTunes. Which makes sense, in a way, because with app slicing introduced in iOS 10 an app for one device will be different code than the same app for a different device.

Thanks for confirming Lawrence.

Can iTunes actually get apps from a device? Is there any way to grab an installed app for safe keeping? It seems pointless if the only apps you can install are the 'cruft' that Apple left behind from this update (the apps synced pre 12.7).

I know schools that use iTunes to install & manage apps on hundreds of iOS devices (often they are the same model, so app thinning is irrelevant). If they can no longer manage the apps they will be stuck downloading GB's of data on their network, ugh.

turingtest2 wrote:

Presumably schools and businesses have tools for pushing out required apps and updates over Wi-Fi with no user interaction necessary. Can you imagine the job of manually hooking up several hundred devices to USB, one at a time in turn to deliver an update with iTunes, and then making sure that each device gets back to the right user? 😮

tt2

I don't need to imagine, I have seen it done 🙂

Some places have (what seems like) odd methods to manage devices and Apple didn't help much in the earlier days of iOS.

Schools brought specific carry cases with multiple USB hubs built in to charge/ sync to a dedicated Mac (via iTunes and Apple Configurator). The devices can go to any user as they do not care about the data, they just want specific apps updated at the start of each term. It may seem antiquated but devices need to be able to fit the needs of the user not what Apple thinks users need.

The current iTunes assumes Wi-Fi works well everywhere & the network can handle all the traffic, which just isn't the case. 30 iPads/ Touch's trying to fetch updates at the start of a lesson can ruin the entire lesson. This is a reason to keep the devices on older OS's & avoid accepting iTunes updates too - it isn't clear to me what OS they will be running now.

Apple's caching server should make it better but devices still can choke the local network.

Apple has a long and dismaying history with software. In the beginning there was AppleWorks, one of the first integrated app suites, and very good. Discontinued. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote replaced it, but no real integration. (Keynote has also been dumbed-down over time.) Filemaker: an Apple product at heart, fine database app, gets better and better, but no integration at all, not even searchable with Spotlight. And now this with iTunes. Apple decides what people want, or anticipates what they will want, but the trade-offs often seem to me to not be worth it; while they cater to the newer trends and younger kids, and try, often successfully, to create stuff even beyond them, they often seem to leave long-time users hanging, for no apparent reason. Mac OS integration with iOS is a fine idea in principle, but the resultant dumbing-down of some Mac stuff is a disappointment.

mojo design wrote:

For those who are still struggling with the update to 12.7 and not having a way to mange your iOS devices on mac. There is always Apple Configurator app on Mac app store. Not as easy to use as iTunes for managing apps but still fairly simple. I had earlier mentioned the use of AnyTrans software, but aside from having to pay for AnyTrans, it has some limitations and is buggy after more through exploration. So Apple Configurator is going to be my go to choice for now. Plus its free! Great way to get ton of apps on a iOS device fast!

I'm not sure why you're replying to me as I am not someone who has expressed interest in managing my apps from my computer. However, it does appear that the Configurator option hadn't yet gotten mentioned in this thread as it has in most of the others on this subject. So, good of you to bring it up,

Apple Configurator - Official Apple Support

Just updated to High Sierra and notice that my old version of iTunes will not work. I had previously updated to iTunes 12.7, hated it for what it did to the app structure. Time machined back my previous iTunes and all was well again for awhile anyway.

So if you want to keep the older version of iTunes don't upgrade to High Sierra. Otherwise the Apple Configurator looks like a possible replacement for the apps portions of iTunes. But now the app is called Apple Configurator 2 and it needs High Sierra to function. Won't even download unless you have HS installed.

I just did the HS install this morning and installed iTunes 12.7 again and AC2 as well. Just had a few moments to look over AC2 and will probably need to find a tutorial on how it works.