How do I manage apps without iTunes

iTunes is now version 12.7 which has a major change in the way it looks and works with apps. As Phil pointed out, you now manage all of your apps from the individual device. I had seen another post about not being able to use iTunes to manage apps, so I looked at my iTunes and found the update and then saw the major change in function.

Hi. Just a little techie thought here. Since last year, Apple has been transitioning app distribution to a new "thinned" format, where the app file downloaded to a device includes only data and code (objects) for that device. So, no huge 12.9 graphics on a phone, no tacky phone menus on a Pro. This link: https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/IDEs/Conceptual/AppDis tributionGuide/AppThinning/AppThinning.h…

describes the details.

I suppose that, in iTunes 12.6, the app manager had to download the full app distribution file, and manage the thinning for a specific device itself. That sounds like a rather lumpy process. I guess that the transition is now complete, so iTunes has been taken out of the app distribution loop. And, of course, this is more consistent with Apple's apparent move toward the "cloud" for everything.

This User Tip may help in the meantime:

The New iTunes: How to "Sync" Apps, Books for Windows, and Ringtones

And, there is no reason to take out your frustration on us, your fellow users. We are all going through the same learning curve for the new iTunes.

GB

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1. Open the App Store app, then tap Today at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap or your photo in the upper-right hand corner, then tap Purchased.
3. Tap "Not on this [device]."
4. Find the app that you want to download, then tap . The app downloads to your device.

Diana.McCall wrote:

I suppose that, in iTunes 12.6, the app manager had to download the full app distribution file, and manage the thinning for a specific device itself. That sounds like a rather lumpy process. I guess that the transition is now complete, so iTunes has been taken out of the app distribution loop. And, of course, this is more consistent with Apple's apparent move toward the "cloud" for everything.

I am familiar with app thinning and understand the idea behind it. I believe that you are correct in that the entire "all purpose" version of the app was being downloaded to the computer when using iTunes to download or update apps. It makes sense that iTunes is no longer needed then, if that transition is complete.

I see it as a good thing if I no longer have to worrry about clogging up my Mac with iOS apps in the iTunes library as long as I still have access to them on the devices themselves.

lopezcallejon wrote:

What if I want to put the apps in order. Previously, I used I tunes to place te icons and keep the iphones and ipad in order.

You have to do it on the device itself now. You cannot use iTunes for this.

Why wouldn't you follow the instructions provided for dragging and dropping apps from your media folder into your device: The New iTunes: How to "Sync" Apps no longer av... | Communities

Cheers,

GB

Sorry pal,

You, me and millions others are now SOL. Looks like Apple took a huge step back in time and is seriously slipping in it its competition with Pixel and others.

OK, let's start at the beginning before you totally change the way you function within your normal environment:

Howard Brazee wrote:

Today iTunes “upgraded” itself, and apparently no longer lets me use it to manage my iPhone & iPad apps.

What does that mean? What is preventing you from managing your iPhone and iPad Apps?

What iTunes version did you upgrade to?

What version of macOS (or OS if Windows) are you running?

What iOS versions are running on your devcies in question?

GB

Hi. Automatic updates are a bit idiosyncratic. They happen when they happen, unlike Android, where they happen immediately. You can either choose to Update All manually in the app store, or relax and let it happen.

What is the response to this??

Removing Apps from iTunes was extremely stupid! Apple, bring that acapability back and NEXT time on an iOS update, would you PLEASE give us a complete writeup about what hte update will do BEFORE you unleash the update? I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thanks for this. I genuinely appreciate it.

However, I really think I'm going to have real problems with this and think a warning should have come before the update. One big problem, aside from downloading a lot of apps separately on 2 or 3 devices, is content for apps. Maybe there's some way to do this in some now incredibly clunky way. However, I have for example on just onoe app (PDF Expert) 7GB of content in the form of Pdfs. And that's just one app, that I use on 3 devices. Makes no sense to me unless 1. Apple doesn't want me to use content in this flexible and for me entirely necessary way and 2. Apple just doesn't care about me as a user ... or the time it's going to take me to sort this out (which I don't have) ... they only see my interests and use as something to be "harvested" within what is an increasingly tight little Apple ecology—not only for software and hardware but for what flows through them and how it does. It is looking more and more like I should slowly get out of the Apple world, and I've been a devotee since the 90s. We've got apple stuff everywhere here. However, as a new phone is due it's increasingly looking like it might be Samsung.

Hi

Iphone /ipad don't need a pc to use iTunes you can do almost everything over your wifi when you have iCloud backup turned on Then when you charge an iphone /ipad it automatically backs up to iCloud Over your wifi.

I haven't use pc for over 3 years for iTunes backup.

Cheers

Brian 🇬-1F1E7;