0

Say I have a device that is no longer supported by iOS, and want to reinstall an existing app on it (delete + install). I don’t want to end up with no app at all so that means I have to confirm that AppStore will offer me to download it again after deletion. How can I do that?

  • Compatibility info on the AppStore only concerns the most recent app version.
  • Version history view doesn’t say if it’s exhaustive or not, nor does it say whether it actually reflects the versions available for download. For instance, Spotify’s history is only five months deep despite the app certainly being older than that, while other apps have a 10 year history.
  • I can’t even attempt to download an already installed app.

Do I need an identical device to determine this?

Andreas
  • 2,031
  • Did you make a backup of the device? – Allan Apr 18 '23 at 23:35
  • @Allan Yes, iTunes backups – Andreas Apr 19 '23 at 03:18
  • Overkill solution… a VM with High Sierra, iTunes 12.6.3 & Configurator 2. iTunes used to back up the apps to itself until 12.7. 12.6.3 was a 'backtrack' version released to address this. It's of limited use if you have newer iDevices [I'm not certain of specific devices/iOS that will still work, I no longer have anything old enough.] Alternatively, there are 3rd parties offering 'backup/restore inc apps - eg https://www.imobie.com/guide/apptrans/restore-apps-from-itunes-backup.htm which I have never tested. – Tetsujin Apr 19 '23 at 06:36
  • See https://osxdaily.com/2017/10/09/get-itunes-12-6-3-with-app-store/ & comments underneath – Tetsujin Apr 19 '23 at 06:39
  • @Tetsujin I read the article and all comments, installed that version of iTunes and plugged in an iOS 10 device — I don't see how to progress further. I ask it to "transfer purchases" from the device and it synchronizes, but the App Library doesn't get populated with any apps. What was your suggested procedure at this point? That said I can't see how this, the "works perfectly!"-comments from 2020, and the app thinning related limitations to purchase transfers from iOS 9 onward add up... – Andreas Apr 21 '23 at 22:02
  • I can't test it. I don't have a phone old enough. From what I can gather iOS 13.5 was the last to be able to use this hack, as well as the Mac requiring macOS 10.13 or older. I know it used to work, back in the day. I used it myself for a long time [& still actually have all the apps stored from back then, though they're just museum pieces now.] I had to abandon it with Mojave & concurrent phone hardware upgrades. – Tetsujin Apr 22 '23 at 11:59
  • @Tetsujin I'm trying to figure out if your suggestion has always implicitly been for me to do a device backup, or to "transfer purchases" — honestly I can't even remember if those were two distinct things back in the day, where both operations preserved the apps themselves. Weren't backups = app data only, and "transfer purchases" = the apps themselves, thereby deduplicating the apps from the backup? If you're sure that this has worked to preserve apps, then shouldn't your comment to your answer here have been different? – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 01:36
  • I find the situation a bit confusing, especially when reading that app transfers haven't been possible since iOS 9: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/206545/40713 Or is your suggestion that I somehow use iTunes itself to download specific versions of apps, to confirm their continued existence in the store? Spontaneously that doesn't sound like something iTunes would allow me to do – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 01:40
  • iTunes used to actually be responsible for backup & restoration of not just the 'phone' but the app .ipa files too. You could also buy apps directly in iTunes… before Apple transitioned to OTA for everything & took away the Store in iTunes 12.7. That meant, whatever else happened, so long as you had an iTunes backup, you could always get an app back, even if it was gone from the Store. I can't test any of this for actual step by step procedure any more, all my stuff is too new. – Tetsujin Apr 23 '23 at 08:33
  • @Tetsujin Thanks for replying. I'm aware of what you're saying (been using iPhone since 2009) but what I'm not sure about is what you imagined would be the solution to the Q after installing this special version of iTunes. More specifically, even if iTunes did "back up" .ipas it might not necessarily have done that in its "backup" phase, but in the "transfer purchases" phase. Knowing which iTunes syncing "phase" you expected to be the solution, it'll be easier for me to conclude whether it's viable. – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 12:07
  • ...because "transfer purchases" runs for about 1 second, and if "backup" indeed doesn't include its own orthogonal mechanism for backing up the same .ipas, then it's pointless for me to run a backup. Note that I can't simply restore the backup to confirm this — if I'm wrong I'll lose every app that's now unavailable! – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 12:09
  • Why don't you try it? You've gone to all the trouble of setting up a VM with High Sierra & iTunes 12.6 - if it doesn't look right after your sync you can just bin it & start over. ipas used to go in ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications. – Tetsujin Apr 23 '23 at 12:28
  • @Tetsujin I can't try it before I know what you expected the results of all of this to be, which is what I've been trying to figure out :) From what you're saying I take it you're not suggesting that the applications will be a part of the actual backup directory, considering the backup directories aren't human readable enough to "look right". Ok — inspecting Mobile Applications I can do. As for the trouble, no, I just used Windows :) – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 12:40
  • @Tetsujin Well, I tried a backup of iOS 10 and the Mobile Applications directory wasn't even created. – Andreas Apr 23 '23 at 12:59
  • Sorry, as I already said I can't troubleshoot this with you, I just don't have anything old enough. You'll have to see what Google says. Judging by mine, this worked right up to 2018 for me, the year Mojave came out - https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZvLbw.png I also have absolutely no idea how or if this ever worked on Windows, or what the equivalent release versions may have been. – Tetsujin Apr 23 '23 at 14:07

0 Answers0