Why would my encrypted itunes backup not backup everything?

[unagimiyagi]

Hi,

Never had issues with this. But I backed up my old phone running ios 10.1 in itunes 12.5.4 (latest version). Restored to a brand new iphone.
I've got all the "native" apps from Apple, and a few of the apps I downloaded within the last week...but the rest of my apps, all gone. No idea what happened to them. A restore used to work flawlessly.

Did something change that I'm not aware of?

 

[SoN1NjA]

unagimiyagi,
iTunes did not change how it backs up your iOS device

Check and make sure you're running the newest version of iTunes and iOS
Next, make sure you have enough storage on your iPhone to complete the restore
Finally, make sure while your iPhone is completing the backup, your device or computer is not interrupted

 

[unagimiyagi]

Hmm...seems like the app thinning thing. Itunes did not back up the apps that I didn't already have a copy of on my laptop. It no longer syncs apps from the iPhone to the laptop. Only from laptop to the phone. So you have to download all the apps from itunes manually. Then from then on, it'll work as before. Lame lame lame.

 

[Applejuiced]

I noticed that too that when I backup my i7 it doesn't transfer the apps ftom my phone to the iTunes library.
I just formatted my computer and my library doesn't have any of my apps. I don't like it either.

 

[SoN1NjA]

It should download them, it did with an iPod I had to backup get replaced and restored to the backup
Just sat in the house for 5 mins and the apps downloaded, I believe if you don't keep your device plugged in it just downloads them from the internet

 

[Applejuiced]

It should download them, it did with an iPod I had to backup get replaced and restored to the backup
Just sat in the house for 5 mins and the apps downloaded, I believe if you don't keep your device plugged in it just downloads them from the internet

Interesting.
So it downloads and installs them later when you do a restore from backup?

 

[unagimiyagi]

Interesting.
So it downloads and installs them later when you do a restore from backup?

Yes, that's theoretically correct. Mine had those placeholder apps right when I finished restoring. Then they all disappeared. Really disappointing.
Why? Because when you say backup, you want essentially a carbon copy of your iPhone on your laptop. Is that not the overwhelming sensible default and most common scenario? I received no warning that some of my apps from my phone weren't backed up.

Now, you need to go to iTunes and in the preferences enable automatic downloads. Then on your iPhone enable automatic downloads for your apps, too. Then doing those two things enables the two-way syncing. But this only works going forward, i.e., any apps you now download on your iPhone or through your laptop now will be synced. I think.

But your other 50 apps that are not on your laptop already? You need to download them all again through the itunes app store inside itunes on your laptop. And even when you do redownload them, your data inside those apps is lost.

Basically the way it is now, your laptop is the source of truth. You need to have all your apps on your laptop first and foremost. Then the rest should work as expected.

I dare say this is worse than Windows!

 

[Mlrollin91]

If the apps are not in iTunes they will not restore to your device using an iTunes restore. If you use an iCloud restore, then it redownloads the apps from the App Store directly to the device. So always make sure your iTunes library matches your iOS devices before backing up/restoring.

I keep auto-download apps turned on so when I download it on a device, next time I open iTunes it also downloads.

 

[Applejuiced]

Yes, that's theoretically correct. Mine had those placeholder apps right when I finished restoring. Then they all disappeared. Really disappointing.
Why? Because when you say backup, you want essentially a carbon copy of your iPhone on your laptop. Is that not the overwhelming sensible default and most common scenario? I received no warning that some of my apps from my phone weren't backed up.

Now, you need to go to iTunes and in the preferences enable automatic downloads. Then on your iPhone enable automatic downloads for your apps, too. Then doing those two things enables the two-way syncing. But this only works going forward, i.e., any apps you now download on your iPhone or through your laptop now will be synced. I think.

But your other 50 apps that are not on your laptop already? You need to download them all again through the itunes app store inside itunes on your laptop. And even when you do redownload them, your data inside those apps is lost.

Basically the way it is now, your laptop is the source of truth. You need to have all your apps on your laptop first and foremost. Then the rest should work as expected.

I dare say this is worse than Windows!

I hear you, that's not helpful at all.
[doublepost=1483113011][/doublepost]

If the apps are not in iTunes they will not restore to your device using an iTunes restore. If you use an iCloud restore, then it redownloads the apps from the App Store directly to the device. So always make sure your iTunes library matches your iOS devices before backing up/restoring.

I keep auto-download apps turned on so when I download it on a device, next time I open iTunes it also downloads.

The thing with that is I have many devices and other people that share my apple ID.
So when they install something new on their devices I dont want every thing they put on their phones downloaded to my computers itunes library.

 

[posguy99]

I dare say this is worse than Windows!

Snark aside, it never worked the way you think it did. An iTunes backup has never backed up the application folders from the phone, just the data. Before application thinning, iTunes' offer to download purchases from the phone that were not in your library (during a *sync*) would include applications, now it does not.
[doublepost=1483120609][/doublepost]

The thing with that is I have many devices and other people that share my apple ID.
So when they install something new on their devices I dont want every thing they put on their phones downloaded to my computers itunes library.

Why do you care?

 

[Newtons Apple]

Hi,

Never had issues with this. But I backed up my old phone running ios 10.1 in itunes 12.5.4 (latest version). Restored to a brand new iphone.
I've got all the "native" apps from Apple, and a few of the apps I downloaded within the last week...but the rest of my apps, all gone. No idea what happened to them. A restore used to work flawlessly.

Did something change that I'm not aware of?

Mine did the same when I went from my 6S+ to my 7+. All the data was moved but some apps did not, but when the iPhone finished it did state downloading those apps. I think Apple has done this to save room and keep the backups smaller.

In the end everything move including passwords, music and images.

 

[Applejuiced]

Applejuiced said: ↑
The thing with that is I have many devices and other people that share my apple ID.
So when they install something new on their devices I dont want every thing they put on their phones downloaded to my computers itunes library.

Why do you care?

Because I wouldn't want itunes to download to my computer library every single app that other devices install or download.
Some of those games and apps are over 1GB+ and some of the apps I dont need or want.

 

[posguy99]

Because I wouldn't want itunes to download to my computer library every single app that other devices install or download.
Some of those games and apps are over 1GB+ and some of the apps I dont need or want.

It's just HD space, who cares? You've already committed to sharing an AppleID for some reason.

 

[Applejuiced]

It's just HD space, who cares? You've already committed to sharing an AppleID for some reason.

True, I can just delete them later.
Would it still download them again after I delete them from the iTunes library you think or just download only new purchases?