Apple Releases iTunes 12.7 With Major Changes, Including No Built-In App Store

cmichaelb said:
I'm going to keep suggesting that iOS Apps have been moved to the the Mac App Store in High Seirra.
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Would this new (Mac) App Store app still download these apps to the Mac locally? Would the Mac App Store app gain the list views that show app version, app size, app purchase date, account with witch the app was purchased, including the option to sort and search those lists? Would the Mac App Store app gain the functionality to sync apps to iOS devices (or would it just be a client to a web view of your iTunes Store account? Would there be a way to view all apps bought from different stores together in one list?
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BaltimoreMediaBlog said:
Where do my IOS backups go? To Timmy Land?
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Where did they go until now? Hint, it is not the iTunes library folder.
 
Well, I've been punched in the face enough the last few years. They just keep making things more complicated by adding more steps to everything, and removing functionality and calling it "simpler". They are no longer DOING what they are SAYING. I think my Apple train is approaching the station. It's been a good run since late-1984. I gotta figure out how to get rid of the stock without taking a [money] bath.

And yes, I'm sure they won't miss me...for more reasons than one.
 
Been reading thread but still confused. How does this affect backing up my iPad to iTunes? Not sure if I need to do something here or what. Sorry not a techno guy so I need an explain it to me like I'm five description and thanks for the help. EDIT: so I went to Not on this Device an iPad Pro and it is showing me a list of my apps with the cloud icon. Do I just add the apps I want on my device one by one and what happens to the ones that I don't want on it? Do I then have to back this configuration to iTunes on my iMac?
 
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andrepfortier said:
Removing the apps function to manage my 1500 apps directly on my iPhone is going to be so ineffective. To create menus, drag apps from screen 11 to screen 1 etc... will take way too much time. From the iTunes on my MacPro, I could see 11 menus for example and drag/drop apps directly on a page, easily create folders, move folders around, reorganize pages etc.. To do this on an iPhone is too cumbersome for anyone with lots of apps like I do.

Also, I remote manage my family's computers and iOS devices. I was able to remote desktop into my parents computers and manage their apps from iTunes. Now with this function gone, I have no way of managing apps on my parents iOS devices remotely. A tech savvy person can easily do that on their own. My parents are elderly and to guide them over the phone to manage apps, download apps is next to impossible possible.
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There are tools to manage iOS device in institutional settings. Using them, you should be able to manage apps on iOS devices from a Mac.
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JosephAW said:
Next you won't be able to copy music and files to and from iTunes into apps with data like vlc and others.
Why not just discontinue iTunes altogether and require all music to be purchased from the store only.
I have a bad feeling this is coming.
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You are missing one step. No more purchasable music. Only Apple Music streaming.
 
You can still copy the content you already have back to the device, the bigger problem is, how do you get the IPA files for apps in the first place now...

I guess the main reason Apple did this was to be able to permanently remove and disable an app from the App Store for things like emulators and malware...

I have a few old iDos IPA files, I would have never been able to get them if this were the case back then...
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manu chao said:
Such an app already exists, how do you think institutional deployments of iOS devices work?
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And what about Windows users?
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photoj2754 said:
Been reading thread but still confused. How does this affect backing up my iPad to iTunes? Not sure if I need to do something here or what. Sorry not a techno guy so I need an explain it to me like I'm five description and thanks for the help.
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The backups won't include apps or tones , so anything that's no longer on the App Store or on your can't be restored...
 
Chupa Chupa said:
It may be a good move but it was atrociously executed leaving a lot of "loyal" customers unsure how to proceed regarding iDevice syncing and backups. Part of the whole "ease of use" concept is communicating with customers so they always feel comfortable using the product. I for one have no idea how to proceed at this point as far as managing my iDevices if I don't want to do it over iCloud.
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Wait you can't backup your phone to iTunes now? I don't use iCloud for backups at all...

I agree with you - I have to say Apple has lost its intuitive edge the last 5 years. It used to be that grandma could pick up an iPad and get going on it. Now? Even I get lost in all the settings, and spend way too much time on forums trying to figure out how stuff works now. Such as this backup issue! Thanks for raising it.
 
I should have just not did the update yet and unhide the apps before I did that.

I don't use audiobooks, music (I like music but I'll just forget about them and not listen to them often) and podcast (I know its a radio thing but I have no interest in that). I had thought about buying some movies (going by my favorite movies that I own on DVD and any future movies that interest me, that I might buy if its worth watching over and over) and maybe TV shows.
 
ideal.dreams said:
Okay the App Store I get, I don't use iTunes to download iOS apps and as of a few months ago, I stopped storing IPA files on my MacBook.

But how do we go about adding our own ringtones to our phones now? The ringtones Apple sells on the iTunes Store are complete garbage and I've made a bunch of my own. How am I supposed to do that now?
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iTunes must've auto-updated for me because I don't remember initiating it and now, oddly, I've lost all but one of my custom ringtones. Very annoying!

Edit: somewhat less annoying now that I was able to restore my custom ringtones from time machine. Still annoying tho
 
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jonnysods said:
Wait you can't backup your phone to iTunes now? I don't use iCloud for backups at all...
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Honestly, I don't know and that is my point. Apple made this huge change given iTunes historical tie-in with iDevices but gave us zero guidance about how to handle it. But even if you can backup the raw data, you can't restore it 100% on your Mac. Apps will have to come off the cloud.
 
JamesPDX said:
It's like they took the bloat out of the wrong part of iTunes. You know what would have been better? A selectable package install. Then, I could disable certain install packages for which I have no use:

Apple Music
Connect
Genius
Podcast
iBooks
Internet Radio
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I don't think that'll help much (you can already hide whatever sections you don't like from the dropdown menu). Not installing certain packages will only reduce the space needed on disk by rather minuscule amounts. The iTunes app package weighs in at 260 MB. Will saving maybe 40 MB by leaving out some packages make any meaningful difference? Ditto for RAM, currently my iTunes copy uses 240 MB. Will reducing that by maybe 60 MB make any noticeable difference?

I think iTunes feels clunky because it contains a lot of old code. To maintain compatibility with old iPods, to maintain some code parity with the Windows version, etc..
 
Oh man. This is so frustrating.
I keep an inventory of apps on my Mac in iTunes library. Then I select which apps I want installed from there.

For example, I have travel related apps that are region specific. I only load them when I am going to that region. When I go to the UK, I load my UK train, London Tube, etc. apps. When I get home, I remove them and replace them with my local transit apps.

For games especially. Games take up a lot of space. So I only install the game I am playing. I don't want the others there wasting space.
 
page3 said:
And those of us with 1000000+ photos can’t until they allow specific albums to be synced.
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You can create multiple Photos libraries with only the 'system' one being synched to iCloud and iOS devices.
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Mactendo said:
I’m surprised people don’t care about the core issue. Ringtones, etc are fine but right now with the new iTunes there’s no way to install/update an app over cellular if it’s bigger than 100Mb in size. You can do it only via wi-fi. But there’re a lot of places in the world without wi-fi or any other connection except cellular. So if you happen to live in such location you’re forever cut off from bigger apps. Unbelievable they didn’t think about it.
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May I ask how you get those bigger apps onto the Mac in such locations without WiFi?
 
Are they rolling this update out slowly? I'm not able to update it on my mac.

I'm running the latest stable macOS version (Sierra). I tried these things:

1. checked in the App Store. No updates.
2. looked for "Check for Updates" under the "iTunes" menu when the app is active. That option doesn't exist.
3. toggled on/off "Automatically check for updates" in the iTunes preferences
4. Closed/reopened iTunes a few times

Am I missing something, or is anyone else unable to get the latest version?
 
Wandering Wastrel said:
I'm writing from the perspective of a relative Apple newbie. While I had an iPhone for a while that I used with Windows 7, when Microsoft shoved Windows 10 down everyone's throat, I bailed and got a Macbook Pro. The transition was not easy, but at least using my iPhone with my Mac was simple, as both were part of the same Apple ecosystem.

But now, if I can't just plug my iPhone into my Mac and have everything backup, sync up, update, etc... but I have to move things on and off the iPhone manually (as the comments thus far seem to suggest)... then it's not an ecosystem anymore.
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Backing up still works. Updating apps on the iPhone isn't really any harder than in iTunes (in fact, updates on the phone can be automatic, in iTunes they were manual), syncing other stuff like music, movies or files in third-party apps hasn't changed either.
I know I'm an old fuddie-duddie, but I want to plug things in, not use iCloud for everything.
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How do you think iTunes is getting app updates? From iCloud as well.

What exactly do you fear you cannot do anymore or think will be more cumbersome?
 
Looks like they also removed the iTunes toolbar from Windows Explorer.
 

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