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iTunes Update deletes Apps without permission

Why did the new update of iTuned delete all my apps without asking me if that's what I wanted to do? I had apps that I was saving that are no longer being developed that I can't download from Apple. I have them on my backup disk, but now there is no way to put them on my ipad.


Dar

macOS Sierra (10.12.4), Mail

Posted on Sep 13, 2017 11:41 AM

Reply
43 replies

Sep 13, 2017 2:43 PM in response to Bobbinfish

From Manually manage content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iTunes - Apple Support:


Manually add items from your computer

If you have media on your computer that you can't redownload from the App Store or iTunes Store directly on your iOS device, such as custom ringtones or iOS apps, you can drag and drop the media from your computer to your iOS device using iTunes.

  1. Connect your device to your computer.
  2. Open iTunes. Make sure that you have the latest version.
  3. On your computer, find the item you want to add to your device. If you're looking for Apps, Tones, or Books (for Windows) that previously appeared in your iTunes library, you can find them in your iTunes media folder.
  4. Drag the item from your computer to your iOS device in the left sidebar of iTunes.User uploaded file


tt2

Sep 13, 2017 3:05 PM in response to turingtest2

It's funny that your instructions say to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes, since the latest version is what's created the problem... But yes, thank you. If I drag the app to the side menu it will upload to my device. ...Heck of a way to have to manage your apps though, isn't it? Shame on Apple for making it so difficult to access and use items that were bought and paid for.

Sep 19, 2017 12:13 PM in response to irishwalsh

Irishwalsh, you have to sync your device by USB, and drag and drop the apps you want into the devices icon on the side bar. you can no longer back up the apps or their files n your computer, so you have to do that on the cloud, even if you'd rather not have your information online.


Be prepared, that the more apps you have that aren't the most recent version, or ones that are no longer being developed, the more you'll have to manually sync. And if your device is no longer compatible with the most recent operating system, that will shortly be all of them.

Sep 19, 2017 2:03 PM in response to irishwalsh

irishwalsh wrote:


I found them in a Users folder, but I really don't understand what I should do next. Apple has done a really, really poor job of making this move and providing clear direction.


iTunes stopped copying iOS apps back to the computer two years ago with the introduction of app thinning in iOS 9. When you restore from iTunes apps are restored directly from the app store over Wi-Fi, just as they would be if you were restoring from iCloud. iOS 11 has dropped support for all 32-bit apps. You can, in principle, copy an existing app from your Mobile Applications folder to a device, but you won't be able to download new apps to that folder, or update those that are there, Apple is expecting everyone to manage their apps directly on the device. I haven't used iTunes to update apps in ages.


The iTunes File Sharing area is still there, although where possible it is better to use iCloud Drive or some other cloud service.


tt2

Sep 19, 2017 2:17 PM in response to turingtest2

My apps were being copied to my computer up until Sept. 13th, this year. I've been updating, managing, and backing up my apps on my computer until I downloaded the new iTunes. update. I reverted back to 12.6, and now I am again able to update, manage, and back up my apps onto my computer just like I use to.


turingtest2, what you are sayings is not accurate.

Sep 19, 2017 2:25 PM in response to Bobbinfish

They won't have been copied from your device into iTunes. It is quite possible that you had enabled automatic downloads of your purchases, so that if you added an app directly to your device it would have been added into your library. If you had updated apps on the device then you'd still have had to update the app independently in iTunes. If you had updated in iTunes then the updated copy would have synced to the device. Prior to iOS 9 the device would download the full version of an app and transfer purchases could copy these packages to your computer, but it hasn't worked that way for quite some time.


tt2

Sep 19, 2017 2:38 PM in response to turingtest2

I guess my basic question is this - Can I safely delete all the app (.ipa) files stored on my computer if everything is now going to be managed on the devices themselves? I have apps on my computer that I have removed from my devices, but might want to install them again. Will the App store remember that I have them and simply re-install them, or do I need the ipa files from my computer somehow. And a related question, if I don't delete them from my computer, can I move them to a folder on another drive?

iTunes Update deletes Apps without permission

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