Apps not updating to Mac

[rmb3218]

I have 3 iOS devices running 9.2 and a MacBook with el captain and iTunes 12.2. I have updated apps on my iOS devices but when I sync via iTunes to the Mac it doesn't update the apps on the Mac. If I download new app on the iOS device it will transfer the new app to the Mac but not update old. Any ideas, Kevin

 

[JamesMB]

I have 3 iOS devices running 9.2 and a MacBook with el captain and iTunes 12.2. I have updated apps on my iOS devices but when I sync via iTunes to the Mac it doesn't update the apps on the Mac. If I download new app on the iOS device it will transfer the new app to the Mac but not update old. Any ideas, Kevin

This is by design, and the reason for it is App Thinning, which was introduced in IOS9 (i believe). All apps now are universal (iPhone and iPad). App thinning makes sure that you only download the piece of the app that you need for your specific device. So, if you download an app to your iPhone, you only get the iPhone part, and therefore you can't sync that back to iTunes, because you don't have the "complete" app. You can, however, download the apps to iTunes first, and sync them back to your devices, because the "complete" app is downloaded to iTunes.

I don't like it either, because I usually download updates to my iPhone, and that leaves me with having to download the app update twice. I'm probably gonna quit keeping the apps backed up in iTunes, because the only time that you really need them is when setting up a new device or restoring as new, and it's not a lot of trouble to just re-download them.

 

[rmb3218]

This is by design, and the reason for it is App Thinning, which was introduced in IOS9 (i believe). All apps now are universal (iPhone and iPad). App thinning makes sure that you only download the piece of the app that you need for your specific device. So, if you download an app to your iPhone, you only get the iPhone part, and therefore you can't sync that back to iTunes, because you don't have the "complete" app. You can, however, download the apps to iTunes first, and sync them back to your devices, because the "complete" app is downloaded to iTunes.

I don't like it either, because I usually download updates to my iPhone, and that leaves me with having to download the app update twice. I'm probably gonna quit keeping the apps backed up in iTunes, because the only time that you really need them is when setting up a new device or restoring as new, and it's not a lot of trouble to just re-download them.

Thanks for the info. Why is it then if I download a new app to my iPhone or iPad it then syncs to the Mac via iTunes?

Kevin

 

[JamesMB]

Thanks for the info. Why is it then if I download a new app to my iPhone or iPad it then syncs to the Mac via iTunes?

Kevin

Because it isn't synced to your Mac from your iDevice, it is downloaded to iTunes from the app store as a "complete" app.
The reason a purchase on your phone is automatically downloaded to your Mac in iTunes, is related to the Store preferences that you have set in iTunes. A purchase willl also work the same way in reverse, depending on the settings on your iDevice.
But the fact remains, that updates will no longer sync back to your Mac, simply because they are not the complete apps. for instance, if you could sync back an update from your iPhone to your Mac, then that app would not be compatible with your iPad, because it only contains the portion for iPhone.

Like I said, the solution is to download all updates to the Mac, and then sync your devices to iTunes, which in turn will get the correct update from a single file. All of this was done with the intention to save space on your devices

 

[rmb3218]

Because it isn't synced to your Mac from your iDevice, it is downloaded to iTunes from the app store as a "complete" app.
The reason a purchase on your phone is automatically downloaded to your Mac in iTunes, is related to the Store preferences that you have set in iTunes. A purchase willl also work the same way in reverse, depending on the settings on your iDevice.
But the fact remains, that updates will no longer sync back to your Mac, simply because they are not the complete apps. for instance, if you could sync back an update from your iPhone to your Mac, then that app would not be compatible with your iPad, because it only contains the portion for iPhone.

Like I said, the solution is to download all updates to the Mac, and then sync your devices to iTunes, which in turn will get the correct update from a single file. All of this was done with the intention to save space on your devices

Thanks for you reply. The only confusing thing is that the new app was synced to the Mac, not downloaded, as the Mac had no network connection. I did this as a test, so perhaps I picked a app that was iPhone only. I am in a rural area of Australia and am using a unreliable, and expensive, mobile broadband service so I update my apps on my iDevice when I go to a larger town. Thanks, Kevin

 

[JamesMB]

Thanks for you reply. The only confusing thing is that the new app was synced to the Mac, not downloaded, as the Mac had no network connection. I did this as a test, so perhaps I picked a app that was iPhone only. I am in a rural area of Australia and am using a unreliable, and expensive, mobile broadband service so I update my apps on my iDevice when I go to a larger town. Thanks, Kevin

One other thing you may or may not be aware of, is that IOS restricts the size of an update to 100mb while using cellular data, so for those large updates, make sure that you are connected to wifi.