I previously posted that I use our iMac to maintain an up-to-date iOS app library in iTunes 12.3.1. This allows me to download the app updates once and wirelessly sync them with our 2 iPhones and iPad. I also wirelessly backup up the iPhones and iPad via iTunes to an external drive on the same iMac.
This setup worked well but required me to do the iOS app updates, sync and backups when the iMac wasn’t being used (e.g. early AM or late PM). So I recently copied the iTunes folder (which contains the apps library) to a 2nd account on the iMac so that I could manage our iPhones & iPad remotely via OS X’s built in Screen Sharing. This allows me to update/sync and backup the iPhones and iPad using iTunes on the iMac while remotely logged in from my MacBook Pro.
In the process of setting this up, I discovered an iTunes quirk/bug/feature. iTunes will only wirelessly find/connect to iOS devices when iTunes is launched locally. In other words, if I launch iTunes as the 2nd user while logged in via Screen Sharing, iTunes won’t even bother to look for the iPhones/iPad. But if I launch iTunes while logged in as the 2nd user sitting at the iMac, it will find and remember the iPhones/iPad. And as long as I don’t log out or quit iTunes, I can later remotely login as the 2nd user via Screen Sharing and update, sync and backup the iPhones/iPad, even when the iMac is being used by another account.
—GetRealBro
FWIW this post is intended for people stuck with low bandwidth and/or capped internet access. The rest of you should go back to streaming 4K video
This setup worked well but required me to do the iOS app updates, sync and backups when the iMac wasn’t being used (e.g. early AM or late PM). So I recently copied the iTunes folder (which contains the apps library) to a 2nd account on the iMac so that I could manage our iPhones & iPad remotely via OS X’s built in Screen Sharing. This allows me to update/sync and backup the iPhones and iPad using iTunes on the iMac while remotely logged in from my MacBook Pro.
In the process of setting this up, I discovered an iTunes quirk/bug/feature. iTunes will only wirelessly find/connect to iOS devices when iTunes is launched locally. In other words, if I launch iTunes as the 2nd user while logged in via Screen Sharing, iTunes won’t even bother to look for the iPhones/iPad. But if I launch iTunes while logged in as the 2nd user sitting at the iMac, it will find and remember the iPhones/iPad. And as long as I don’t log out or quit iTunes, I can later remotely login as the 2nd user via Screen Sharing and update, sync and backup the iPhones/iPad, even when the iMac is being used by another account.
—GetRealBro
FWIW this post is intended for people stuck with low bandwidth and/or capped internet access. The rest of you should go back to streaming 4K video