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
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.
tt2
How to move apps from your computer to your device with iTunes 12.7 was covered on the previous page:
Re: iTunes Update deletes Apps without permission
If that isn't your issue please post back with details.
tt2
I don't know. I was given an app by a developer years ago to test and I think I dragged the actual file into iTunes while the phone was synced. There may be a way to load them on the phone by simply dragging the file on to the phone. I am note sure and I wish I could be more help.
That no longer works. I'm disappointed in Apple. Such tactics forces users to replace, and more than likely pay for new apps, when the ones they had were working just fine. I liked the Apps I had. I should be able to make the decision to keep them and use them, or not, not have Apple make that decision for me.
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.
Presumably the intention is that you manage apps on the device. That drag & drop method is a vestige of support for apps that have been removed from the store, or to add ringtones that weren't created directly on the device.
tt2
You didn't have to do that until yesterday. You could leave the apps that were no longer in the Store in the iTunes program, view them and upload them to your device whenever you wished. Why take away functionality? I do not wish to keep all of my apps on my device, and I can't image that many people would.
Surely most people keep the apps they actually use on the device? If they are anything like me they have a bunch of apps that are no longer used littering the library being updated unnecessarily every few weeks. My Mobile Applications folder is 60Gb of usable hard drive space I'm about to get back.
tt2
some apps are not designed to use often; they're not useless, just not worth taking up preceious room when they don't have too. I've never kept all of my apps on my device. Neither has my spouse, for one thing, she has too many apps to fit onto her device.
Besides, the user should be able to determine this, not be forced to.
Bobbinfish..... you are spot on with this. Why the heck would they do this? And how do they expect us to load files into the apps? I used to sync my phone, go to the apps section and load files into my apps. How are we supposed to do that now? If I use a third party video player, how can I load videos into it?
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.
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
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.
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
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
