Syncing applications from the App Store

  • Last Modified: November 19, 2009
  • Article: HT1977

Summary

You can purchase and download applications for iPhone and iPod touch from the iTunes Store using iTunes on your Mac or PC or using the App Store1 on iPhone or iPod touch. If you are unable to sync applications, or unable to arrange applications on your iPhone or iPod Touch screen, please verify that you have followed the steps below. For additional information about using your iPhone or iPod Touch, please see the User's Guide available from www.apple.com/support/manuals/

Products Affected

iPhone, iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone 3G

Syncing applications purchased in iTunes to iPhone or iPod touch

When applications are purchased from the iTunes Store using iTunes on your Mac or PC, they are downloaded to the Applications section of your iTunes library as shown below. In order to sync applications to your iPhone or iPod Touch, the applications need to show up in iTunes. You can view the applications in iTunes by clicking on the Applications link in th lef hand column.

Determine which version of the iPhone software you have

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPod touch to your computer and open iTunes.
  2. Verify the version of the iPhone software. To do this, select the device in the devices section on the left-hand side of the iTunes window and view the information in the Summary tab. If you do not have the latest version and would like to update your iPhone software, learn how to update it here.

If you have iTunes 9 or later and iPhone software 3.1 or later

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPod touch to your computer and open iTunes.
  2. Click the Applications tab and choose to sync applications.
  3. Select the applications you want to sync in the left-hand column. You can select multiple apps by clicking while holding down the control key on Windows or the command key on Mac OS X. You can remove an application by deselecting it in the list or by highlighting it and clicking on the "X" in the corner of the application.
  4. You can arrange the applications as you would like them to appear on your device on the right-hand side. You can also arrange applications on your iPhone or iPod touch after syncing.

 

If you have iTunes 9 or later and iPhone OS 3.0 or earlier

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPod touch to your computer and open iTunes.
  2. Click the Applications tab.
  3. Select the option to Sync Applications.
  4. Select the Applications you would like to sync. You can select multiple apps by clicking while holding down the control key on Windows or the command key on Mac OS X.
  5. After the applications are synced, you can customize the location of applications directly on your iPhone or iPod touch.

 

If you have iTunes 8.2.1 or earlier

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPod touch and open iTunes.
  2. Verify that your device is running iPhone 2.0 software or later. To do this, select the device in the devices section on the left-hand side of the iTunes window and view the information in the Summary tab. If your device has an older version of software, review support document HT1414 to learn how to update it.
  3. Select the Applications tab and choose to either select all applications or selected titles as shown below:
  4. Click Apply in the lower right-hand corner of the iTunes window after making your selection to start syncing.

 

Transferring applications purchased on your iPhone or iPod touch to iTunes

If you delete an application from your iTunes library, the next time you sync your iPhone or iPod touch with that computer it will be removed from the device. If you delete an application from your device, but not from your iTunes library, it will be synced back to your device the next time your connect to iTunes.

When applications are purchased using the App Store on iPhone or iPod touch, they are downloaded directly to the device and are immediately usable. These applications can be synced back to your iTunes library2. Simply connect your iPhone or iPod touch to the iTunes library where you normally sync and iTunes will ask you if you would like to transfer the purchases made on your device to your iTunes library as show below. The applications will be stored in the Applications section of the iTunes library. Note that if your iTunes library is not authorized with the iTunes Store account used to purchase the application on the device, the application will not be transferred to the iTunes library but will not be removed from the device.

If you normally sync applications to your device from one computer and then connect it to iTunes on another computer, iTunes will not attempt to sync applications from that library. Applications can only be synced from one iTunes library. If you are connected your iPhone or iPod touch to an iTunes library that you don't normally sync with, you can still transfer purchased applications from the device by choosing File > Transfer Purchases in iTunes.

 

Notes:

  1. Requires iPhone OS 2.0 or later.
  2. Requires iTunes 7.7 or later.

 

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