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All iPads Fastest way to put all my apps back into folders?

MareLuce

MareLuce

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 26, 2010
1,118
479
I'm about to leave on a trip and have been having fits trying to get my iPad Mini configured like my iPad 2.

What is the fastest way to put all my single apps back into the folders I originally had them in before I sync'd / restored?

My path to this point:
iTunes on the system I always sync to gave an odd "data services" error, so I couldn't sync my iPad 2 and do a backup and restore that to my Mini.

Therefore, I had to sync my iPad 2 to my laptop. I read that the iTunes process was:
1) Authorize the laptop, 2) Transfer Purchases 3) Backup 4) Sync
I did exactly that.

Result:
On my 64gb iPad 2, all my carefully organized 28gb of app folders were gone. Only single apps covering 11 screens, and a bunch of my travel apps 'gone' (off the screen). I might have shed a tear of frustration. I just don't have time for this.

So that's what I restored to my Mini.

What's the fastest way to get all those apps back into their folders on my Mini?
 
MareLuce

MareLuce

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 26, 2010
1,118
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jabingla2810 said:
1. Back up iPad 2 to iCloud.

2. Set up iPad Mini from iPad 2 iCloud Backup.
Click to expand...
But... in my original post, I said:

Result:
On my 64gb iPad 2, all my carefully organized 28gb of app folders were gone. Only single apps covering 11 screens, and a bunch of my travel apps 'gone' (off the screen). I might have shed a tear of frustration. I just don't have time for this.

If I back up my iPad 2 to iCloud now, it would backup my now-awful config of my iPad 2: all my app folders are gone on my iPad 2.

Or, are you saying that there is some "magic" in doing this backup where my former folder arrangement (before it was wiped by iTunes) can be remembered?

That's why I asked darngooddesign how was that an answer to my question. I interpret the iCloud answer to be a way to PREVENT what already happened.

What I'm asking is now that I have:
1) an iPad 2 with NO app folders and a million single apps
2) an iPad Mini that needs to be setup

What is the fastest way to put all my single apps back into the folders I originally had them in on my iPad 2?

THEN, I can do the backup and restore as suggested.
 
K

kappaknight

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2009
1,595
91
Atlanta, GA
I would use iTunes.

Connect your iPad to your laptop via the USB cable. Organize the apps in iTunes under the Apps tab. As you move apps into folders, I would sync with the device every time you clear one or two pages in case it messes up some how.

It's faster than doing it by your finger on the actual device.
 
D

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,989
9,571
Atlanta, GA
MareLuce said:
...That's why I asked darngooddesign how was that an answer to my question. I interpret the iCloud answer to be a way to PREVENT what already happened.
Click to expand...

I guess we all assumed that since the Mini was a last minute purchase before leaving on a trip you still had your iPad 2. If not, you're out of luck.

However, it is faster to arrange your apps in iTunes on your computer.

I believe your travel apps are on your iPad, its just that they are outside your maximum 11 screens. If you were to quickly combine enough apps to folders upon restart they will show up.

I know you don't have time for this, but you'll have to make it anyway. Its always a bad idea to do stuff like this right before a trip, and I know because I bravely updated but my devices to iOS6 two days before leaving on one.
 
MareLuce

MareLuce

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 26, 2010
1,118
479
kappaknight said:
Connect your iPad to your laptop via the USB cable. Organize the apps in iTunes under the Apps tab.
Click to expand...
Doing that now.

2 questions:

1) I see that Apple iTunes already knows what category an app falls into.

Is there a way to make iTunes automatically create folders with those category names and put apps into those folders?

I need to stop relying on these apps so much. This is the third time this has happened to me. (Last time on my iPhone when doing an upgrade from 4.3.x to 4.3.5 I think. It was advertised as a security only upgrade, and it bricked my iPhone. Restore failed. Apps were everywhere.)

2) Anyone here know iTunes internals?
Which files in the backup contain the memory of my folder organization?
 
MareLuce

MareLuce

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 26, 2010
1,118
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ssspinball said:
Like others said, use iCloud for backups so this doesn't happen to you a fourth time. :cool:
Click to expand...
I can use iCloud as long as it's just for apps and folder arrangements, but not for contacts or calendar which contains company confidential info.

Even if that weren't the case, I would not want to put all my personal contacts or calendar in any cloud. Apple's cloud is a big target. It will be hacked. Plus, even if that weren't a risk, I don't want to lose right to search and seizure, which would occur unless I own the cloud.

I am totally fine syncing my apps and folder arrangements to the cloud.

I'd still need to sync contacts and calendar to microsoft Outlook 2012 via iTunes

Is this possible?
 
dancj

dancj

macrumors 6502
Mar 15, 2012
295
16
Don't use iCloud backups. They only restore apps that are still in the App Store. PC backups will restore ALL of your apps.

I have had that problem of the apps being out of their folders after a reset and restore before - or restoring onto a new device. What fixed it for me was doing another "restore from backup". This time round it shouldn't need to reinstall of your apps, but it should revert their data and restore your folders.
 
K

kappaknight

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2009
1,595
91
Atlanta, GA
MareLuce said:
Doing that now.

2 questions:

1) I see that Apple iTunes already knows what category an app falls into.

Is there a way to make iTunes automatically create folders with those category names and put apps into those folders?
Click to expand...

As long as you drag two similar apps together, it should know roughly what to name the folder. My guess is they take the category that the app falls into and use that as the folder name.

If you don't want to sync to iCloud, I would make backing up to your computer a frequent practice. If you don't want to do that, then at least make sure you do a complete backup before making any major changes to the OS, or switching/upgrading devices.

Also, please correct me if I'm wrong, but iCloud backup of apps just sync's what apps you have right? (Not necessarily all the login's and settings.) Every time I've had to change devices or restore from backup, I've had to re-login to every app.
 
BenTrovato

BenTrovato

macrumors 68040
Jun 29, 2012
3,035
2,198
Canada
You don't need iCloud to restore everything back to folders. I just went through a similar process. This is what I did through iTunes:

1. Backup iPad 2
2. Plug in new iPad, restore - then transfer purchases.
You should now see a ton of unorganized apps.
3. Update new iPad to latest software, assuming iPad 2 was running 6.0.1.
4. After new iPad's software has matched iPad 2's software, then go ahead restore once again from the iPad 2 backup. Once this restore is completed, all apps should return to their respective folders like you had on the iPad 2.

I have noticed a glitch in the restore procedure when the software versions do not match. It doesn't always happen but I have noticed it with the latest devices. Hope this helps.
 
Night Spring

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,614
7,793
MareLuce said:
I can use iCloud as long as it's just for apps and folder arrangements, but not for contacts or calendar which contains company confidential info.

Even if that weren't the case, I would not want to put all my personal contacts or calendar in any cloud. Apple's cloud is a big target. It will be hacked. Plus, even if that weren't a risk, I don't want to lose right to search and seizure, which would occur unless I own the cloud.

I am totally fine syncing my apps and folder arrangements to the cloud.

I'd still need to sync contacts and calendar to microsoft Outlook 2012 via iTunes

Is this possible?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure backup and syncing contacts/calendar are separate from each other, and you can backup to iCloud while still syncing contacts/calendar with Outlook.

I have my iPad and iPhone set up to backup to iCloud, then whenever I connect my devices to iTunes, I do a manual backup by right-clicking and selecting backup. This way, I have backups both in the cloud and on my computer.
 
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