Why do all my ipad and iphone apps download to itunes on my mac?

[Soulweaponry]

I googled and found random stuff about unrelated topics, so i'm asking. Why is it everytime i download an app on my iPad it downloads a copy on my mac? I don't need it on there and it just eats up space on my macbook. Can i turn this off?

 

[mofunk]

you need to turn that feature off. Check your iOS devices. In General - iTunes & Apps - turn off Automatic Downloads.

Eventhough my stuff is backed in the iCloud, I still back up to my computer/external drive. When you connect your iPad, change the settings to backup to an external drive.

 

[ditzy]

It's so you can back up from your mac. You can turn it off though. iTunes - Preferences - Store. About half way down the page you can choose what is automatically downloaded.
This has to be done on the mac, doing what the last commenter said will turn off automatic downloads on the device, not on your mac.

 

[Soulweaponry]

God damn I love you people. Doing this the second I get home

 

[T5BRICK]

FYI, there are a few apps that have been removed from the App Store(the first one that comes to mind is VLC). If you don't have them on your computer I'm pretty sure you aren't able to re-download them.

 

[snaky69]

I googled and found random stuff about unrelated topics, so i'm asking. Why is it everytime i download an app on my iPad it downloads a copy on my mac? I don't need it on there and it just eats up space on my macbook. Can i turn this off?

It's meant to allow you to restore your phone/ipad from your computer without having to redownload every single app. You can turn it off though.