Why can't I get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac?

[iMore Question]

I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

What am I doing wrong?

Fresh install of Yosemite and iTunes. iPhone 5s running 9.01, just reset with Erase All Comments and Settings. After adding some new Apps on the iPhone I performed a sync in iTunes. Once completed I found that no Apps have been transferred to the Mac. Also I confirmed that the Mac authorised for iTunes account.

Actually previous to this I wanted to transfer the Apps on the phone before the reset but couldn't and I see something like this on my other Mac I've seen something like this problem, with my iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2 (both running 9.x), Not transferring updated Apps, so I have to download them again in iTunes.

 

[lackster2]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

Have you performed a backup of the phone to iTunes? Because when you do, it asks if you want to back up Apps to the Mac. Thereafter, it would back up those apps whenever a sync is performed. Or so I've always thought.

 

[Tartarus]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

This happens to a lot of people worldwide. At the moment there is no workaround for this, except to download updates and new apps directly from iTunes on your pc/Mac.

I'm sure  is aware of this problem and is working on a solution.

 

[Turbulance]

I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

Tartars. Thanks, too many of these loose ends in Apple's products I'm affaid.

I was hoping that I'd missed something obvious.

As a developer I'll just post this up as another of an ever increasing list of bug reports.

Given that Apple wants to charge us for support after the first 3 months (unless we shell out more on Apple Care), it very expensive getting qualified support on problems like these.

As I've got my new iPhone 6s coming, I'm going to hit Apple support with as many of these defects as I can and see what they say.

 

[Turbulance]

I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

Warcraft: I wish it was that simple. I have all that set. But not a single App transfers, and this with a fresh copy of OS X, iTunes and an iPhone restarted from scratch. This should not happen but it does.

Just remember: "It just works". If it doesn't, you're holding it wrong.

 

[Jaguarr40]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

What am I doing wrong?

Fresh install of Yosemite and iTunes. iPhone 5s running 9.01, just reset with Erase All Comments and Settings. After adding some new Apps on the iPhone I performed a sync in iTunes. Once completed I found that no Apps have been transferred to the Mac. Also I confirmed that the Mac authorised for iTunes account.

Actually previous to this I wanted to transfer the Apps on the phone before the reset but couldn't and I see something like this on my other Mac I've seen something like this problem, with my iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2 (both running 9.x), Not transferring updated Apps, so I have to download them again in iTunes.

This happens to a lot of people worldwide. At the moment there is no workaround for this, except to download updates and new apps directly from iTunes on your pc/Mac.

I'm sure  is aware of this problem and is working on a solution.

Because your Mac like my Mac has iTunes installed on it and you have your own Mac App store you can only put on the Mac like Tartarus has said what you have limited to on the Mac app store, If it is listed there and happens to be on your phone, Just do it all from the Mac.

 

[Turbulance]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

What a waste of time and bandwidth and especially so, if this is how Apple has now changed iTunes to work.

It never worked this way previously. It's only because, recently, due to the need to restore several of my Apple devices that I began to see this change in iTunes' behaviour.

I can see that when the Automatically Download Apps preference is enabled, new Apps installed on a device download automatically and separately to iTunes but they should still transfer during syncs along with updated Apps.

If this isn't a bug, then again, I must say, what a waste of time and bandwidth. If it is a bug I hope Apple fixes it soon but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Tartarus]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

It's a bug or Apple would have deleted the 'transfer purchases' option altogether from iTunes.

 

[Turbulance]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

Well I just checked the Mac my daughter's iPhone syncs with and no Apps show at all. Automatically Download Apps has been enabled since installing OS X and updating iTunes. So this is definitely a bug. Being a developer, I will post this on Apple's Bug reporting site.

 

[Turbulance]

Re: I can't get iTunes to transfer Apps from the iPhone to the Mac

It's a bug or Apple would have deleted the 'transfer purchases' option altogether from iTunes.

Yes, and I see that during the sync it states it is about to transfer Apps but never does. Very frustration.

I've now had to reinstall my iPhone 6 as new because my HotSpot stopped working after the 9.0 to 9.01 update and again with my daughter's iPhone after its Settings.db became corrupted during the upgrade from 8.4.1 to 9.0.

This is just one more bug bear.

And don't get me started on Photos or the problems syncing iBooks (or the current bug with iOS iBooks that shows many purchased iBooks as not installed when they are, on the Purchase page [both iPhone and iPad]). I'll post an the iBooks issues here soon.