Can I delete Mobile Applications?

[Alameda]

The Mobile Applications folder on my Mac takes up 6 GB of hard disk space. Bear in mind, we have a lot of iDevices in my family, all using the same iTunes account. But I don't need to keep them stored on my Mac hard disk, do I? What's the best way to delete them, particularly if I want to keep them on an iDevice?

Can I avoid this backup altogether, since the apps I purchase are always available in the Cloud anyway?

Thanks!

 

[GGJstudios]

The Mobile Applications folder on my Mac takes up 6 GB of hard disk space. Bear in mind, we have a lot of iDevices in my family, all using the same iTunes account. But I don't need to keep them stored on my Mac hard disk, do I? What's the best way to delete them, particularly if I want to keep them on an iDevice?

Can I avoid this backup altogether, since the apps I purchase are always available in the Cloud anyway?

Thanks!

Have you seen this message when deleting apps from your Mac?:

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Freeing up space in Mac OS X

 

[Alameda]

Have you seen this message when deleting apps from your Mac?:

View attachment 353997​

Freeing up space in Mac OS X

Well, yes, that's the problem. I don't want to delete them from my kids' iPods, I just don't want them on my hard disk.

 

[Meyvn]

Well, yes, that's the problem. I don't want to delete them from my kids' iPods, I just don't want them on my hard disk.

Apple is currently in the process of tamping down the relevance of iTunes as the hub. It's a complex situation. Some people, like you, would rather rely mostly on the Cloud. Others want to be able to update their iPhones and immediately have them back the way they were after restoring from their backup. Not to mention have their new iPhone set up exactly like their old iPhone within 30 minutes or so of getting it home.

Fortunately, this particular problem is one they've managed to fix. Connect each iOS device you sync to the Mac in question. Under 'Devices' in iTunes, select each one, then go to the tab at the top that says 'Apps.' Uncheck 'Sync Apps.'

It should then immediately prompt you with a dialog box. READ it. Do not ignore it. Then select 'Keep Apps.' Once you have done this on every single one of your iOS devices that syncs with the Mac in question, you are free to delete the apps.

The other thing you'll almost certainly want to do is change your backup settings on each iOS device to "Backup to iCloud" instead of "Backup to iTunes."

This should free up those 6GB of space on your Mac. However, since you won't have those backups on there anymore, if you ever DO need to restore your iOS devices in the future, it's going to take a lot longer, and it's going to use up your internet bandwidth. If you care more about the 6GB of space, then by all means. Just, fair warning.