iTunes 12.6x on Mojave?

Based on the downloads page, iTunes has now been rolled in macOS:

and looks like it will no longer be a separate download!

So a separate download for iTunes 12.9 for Mac looks like will no longer

be available which explains some of the confusion with the previous iTunes

disparity between Mac and Windows. Also means, if you must have iTunes 12.9.

you must upgrade to Mojave and 12.9 will not be available for any other macOS

version.

Download the current 12.8 installer for iTunes from https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Unlock your iOS device and connect it to USB.

Reinstall iTunes from the .dmg that you've downloaded.

During the installation it should announce that a further software update is required.

Install that and iTunes should see your device.

See also If your iOS 12 device isn't recognized by iTunes, you might need to upgrade macOS or iTunes - Apple Support.

tt2

And, at my workplace, it is our necessity to maintain apps through iTunes (I won't upgrade our computers to Mojave without assurance) and on my personal MacBook Pro it is MY preference to maintain apps through iTunes.

I can honestly say I don't miss app management in iTunes one bit, although I quite appreciate that isn't how others see it. For me it was crazy to download universal bundles in iTunes as well as the much smaller delta updates on the device when in practice I never synced apps from iTunes to my device, or in the other direction.

tt2

Whilst there's the Apple Configurator 2 for corporate deployment, but it's doesn't quite work the same as the old iTunes with AppStore.

- Apps can't be downloaded onto the Mac and into the Configurator app list.

- There's no way to update all the existing apps through the Configurator.

Or am I missing something?

I concur, problem with Configurator is it gives you no insight into all your previous purchases, especially those that are not installed on your iOS device.

iTunes 12.6 would let you check for updates to any app in your library (not just installed ones) I found this quite useful in re-discovering apps I had deleted from my device. Then they received an update that made me want to re-install them.

A simple example of this is you had a Game installed you made it through all the levels and completed it - so you remove it from your device - several months later that Game gets new levels - problem is you have no idea that it got that update.

Another example is an App finally gets a 64bit upgrade, except again you don't know that if you've removed the app from your device.

and another... you removed an app that interested you because it required a FB logon, now months later the dev removed that requirement and again you have no idea that update has happened.

This is also a potential missed revenue opportunity for devs as well i.e. missed IAP's

If you've been a iOS user for awhile you have probably accumulated (purchased) quite a few apps and unfortunately the iOS App Store (and MAS) gives you very very limited insight into your collection of apps.

It has been reported that you can delete the iTunes version installed with Mojave via the Terminal and then restore a copy of iTunes 12.6.x from a backup. To prevent your iTunes library from becoming incompatible with iTunes 12.6.x, you probably should not launch iTunes under Mojave before doing this replacement.

In the longer run, one might have to resort to maintaining a small database/spreadsheet of app purchases (incl. purchase date, AppleID used to buy it, vendor and category as well as whether one has it installed or not), ideally also updated with version number, size of app and last updated.

I've just tried to install iTunes 12.6.5.3 on Mojave, and the answer is no, it won't install.

tt2

Not happening. I just tried installing 12.6.3.6 but it is blocked too. You can install Apple Configurator 2 on the Mac App Store instead.

tt2

...isn't.. and there isn't as yet. You can use Feedback - iTunes - Apple to request an iTunes 12.6.6.6.

tt2

iTunes 12.9 is the latest version available. It’s running fine on my iMac running Mojave 10.4.

Check System Preferences > Software Update.

I agree. Either keep it in iTunes or integrate it into the MacOS App Store.