iPhone Saving old apps

[jayducharme]

I'm planning to trade in my old iPhone. My concern is that it has a few apps that I use a lot, yet are no longer available on the App Store. If I get a new phone, I lose those apps. Is there any way to transfer those apps from the old iPhone to the new one so that I can keep using them?

 

[User #07242024]

Download and install iMazing connect the source device to computer and from the right pane select Manage Apps > Library (top left toggle) > select the old app > Download to Library ...
Then connect the target device select Manage Apps > Library > Install ... and you're done.
All this is free, no registration or purchase necessary.
More details here: https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-manage-apps-without-itunes

 

[BigBlur]

Download and install iMazing connect the source device to computer and from the right pane select Manage Apps > Library (top left toggle) > select the old app > Download to Library ...
Then connect the target device select Manage Apps > Library > Install ... and you're done.
All this is free, no registration or purchase necessary.
More details here: https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-manage-apps-without-itunes

iMazing cannot extract apps from the iPhone. It just reads what apps you have installed and then downloads them from Apple's servers if they're still available.

There is a similar thread on this topic from last year.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/transfer-apps-from-phone-to-phone.2448888/

You need to check your purchase history. An app can be removed from the App Store, but still be available to download through your purchase history. If it's not available through your purchase history, then you are pretty much out of luck. Your next option would be to see if you have the .ipa files already downloaded somewhere from when older versions of iTunes used to download the apps to your library (or from iMazing if you have used this app in the past). If you have the .ipa files, you can install them using iMazing.

 

[User #07242024]

iMazing cannot extract apps from the iPhone. It just reads what apps you have installed and then downloads them from Apple's servers if they're still available.

There is a similar thread on this topic from last year.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/transfer-apps-from-phone-to-phone.2448888/

You need to check your purchase history. An app can be removed from the App Store, but still be available to download through your purchase history. If it's not available through your purchase history, then you are pretty much out of luck. Your next option would be to see if you have the .ipa files already downloaded somewhere from when older versions of iTunes used to download the apps to your library (or from iMazing if you have used this app in the past). If you have the .ipa files, you can install them using iMazing.

Use iMazing to save .ipa files from old iPhone and reinstall on new iPhone.

 

[BigBlur]

Use iMazing to save .ipa files from old iPhone and reinstall on new iPhone.

No, it does not. While it may look like it does, it just downloads the app file from Apple's servers if it's still available to download.

This blog article talks about app extraction being killed in iOS 9.

Why did Apple kill App extraction in iOS 9?

imazing.com

This one talks about app back up and restore, but they are referring to the app's saved state/data; not the app itself.

iMazing 1.3: App Back Up/Restore

imazing.com

It specifically states:

On devices running iOS 9 and above, the application itself (.ipa) will not be included in exported .imazingapp files. Restoring a .imazingapp will restore the app’s state, providing that the app is already installed on the device.

 

[mblm85]

I think your best chance is through a local backup of your current phone through Finder, restored to the new phone.

However, ultimately, with dead apps it's better to move on as soon as you can before a future OS version breaks them anyway. Painful but unavoidable.

 

[mblm85]

I wish there was an easy way to show that an app is dead. If anyone knows how, please post.

The only ways I know at the moment is to search the App Store to see if its still there, or to go into the App Store app, go into 'Apps', and check the two lists 'All' and 'Not on this iPhone'.

 

[jayducharme]

Thanks for all your responses. I had thought that the .ipa file was on my current iPhone and would only be removed if I checked off in settings that I wanted to save space. It's distressing that apps I paid for are not really mine but Apple's to do with as they want. The apps I have still work just fine and there are no comparable replacements. It's a shame but I guess I'll play the heck out of them for the next few weeks and then kiss them goodbye.