(iPad 2) All my apps are gone ... again!

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Batman

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#628829 22-May-2012 11:04

tdgeek: IMO this thread while helpful I hope to you, it has got confusing. Talk of using the transfer purchases function, connecting the device then stopping the sync. That is all wrong. That is not how you need to manage iTunes and the devices.

When I am home I can itemise my sync settings if that is of help. All I do is connect my device and run a sync from time to time to keep iTunes in line with my device as I add apps on the device. Or to add music, video, pdf files to my device from iTunes.

after hitting yes to transfer purchases i didnt touch anything and waited ... all it did was delete all my apps and then stalled (waited for it to do something but the circle kept spinning and nothing happened for one hour)

bug or user error?

gehenna

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#628831 22-May-2012 11:05

Your vehicle analogy is terribly off the mark. Basically if you had spent the same amount of time reading the help files to learn how this actually works, as you have spent on this thread, you'd be home and hosed already.

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#628832 22-May-2012 11:07

btw still have about 5gb free / missing but for the life of me can't figure out what they are ... maybe there was a hidden 5gb of corrupt material? hmm ...

and all my apps have no user data in them ...

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#628835 22-May-2012 11:10

gehenna: Your vehicle analogy is terribly off the mark. Basically if you had spent the same amount of time reading the help files to learn how this actually works, as you have spent on this thread, you'd be home and hosed already.

i have now read all the help files and still don't know what went wrong ...

i checked manually manage etc
i did not ask to sync anything
i just tried to copy my file in

ravsha

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#628838 22-May-2012 11:13

joker97:
ravsha: What happens is, when you download apps directly off your ipad from the store, you computer doesn't know until you plug it in. It asks for "transfer purchases". There is a setting in "EDIT" Preferences- Store- Automatic downloads - if ticked would then download these apps from apple when your itunes is running but would use your data twice. The best thing to do is to stop the sync as soon as it starts, then transfer purchases, then sync. That way the apps are downloaded to itunes and it recognizes them that they are already on the ipad so doesn't delete them and re-installs.

hmm are you suggesting when i hit transfer apps it actually copies the app into itunes from ipad, delete the ipad user data, then attempts (sometimes??) to copy back from computer to ipad without the user data? how stupid is that!

i still don't know what i did wrong apart from click transfer purchases - was that the problem?

Yes, it copies the app to your computer into the itunes app folder so if your ipad got bust and you had to restore then all the apps will be on your computer rather than having to download everything again from Apple. It doesnt delete your user data, it's embedded into your .ipa files so that you can't copy them to someone elses device. I am no expert, but have been using idevices since the last 5 years and this is something I do to get around some of these problems. I don't have to do this method unless I sync it to another PC because I have all the right boxes ticked on my main PC.

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#628872 22-May-2012 11:43

If you had all categories sync boxed ticked, such as Apps, Movies, Photos, etc, it works sweet. What you add to iTunes (such as movie import) will go tio the iDevice on a sync. What you add to your iDevice (such as a app purchase via 3G or wifi) will go to iTunes on a sync.

If you went and unticked photo sync, all photos will be removed from the iDevice, same with apps. Next day, tick em, and they will sync back to the iDevice. You can "lose" stuff on the iDevice but you can get it back on a sync.

Now, I cannot think how you could have lost apps from iTunes, without having it with me now to look. Unless the apps were inadvertently deleted. Nobody has touched the iTunes folders?

tdgeek

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#628876 22-May-2012 11:51

http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2009/09/itunes-ate-my-apps-and-how-i-g.html

You haven't upgraded an older iTunes at any time before this issue? A folder location change can cause this

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khull

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#628956 22-May-2012 13:51

I'll share my recommendation to my friends and family who attempt to 'drag' stuff to the iPad. Don't. Just don't.

Buy whatever you want off iTunes directly. If you think that is daylight robbery or harsh having to buy again something they own, it is not because my family members can't be arsed one bit reading up on how they should sync their devices, most won't even have a clue what it means to enable the setting to manually manage their media files

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#628962 22-May-2012 13:56

khull: I'll share my recommendation to my friends and family who attempt to 'drag' stuff to the iPad. Don't. Just don't.

Howcome? I do it every day and have never had a problem...

khull:

Buy whatever you want off iTunes directly. If you think that is daylight robbery or harsh having to buy again something they own, it is not because my family members can't be arsed one bit reading up on how they should sync their devices, most won't even have a clue what it means to enable the setting to manually manage their media files

Everything previously purchased can be downloaded again for free from the Purchased menu in the user's iTunes account.

khull

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#629176 22-May-2012 21:14

oh whoops... sorry I was framing that in the context of media files obtained externally outside iTunes which will not appear in the purchased page.

i.e. I'd get asked the question "I've converted my CD and tried dragging to my iDevice - but that didn't work..."

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