1. I lost some iOS apps because they are not in Apple's app store anymore like ValuPak (already e-mailed them about this).See also the canonical thread on this topic.
I assume there's no way to restore them from my old iPhone and iTunes back up. :(
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Was your IPA ever in any backup made by iTunes or Finder?
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2026 01:42:07 -0500
Message-ID: <10jd23v$3hr$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
The question to answer for Ant would be whether Quick Start preserves app
settings, which it should do because Quick Start copies the entire iOS
installed app bundle and its associated data, not just the user documents. This is different from iCloud or Finder/iTunes backups, which only restore
app data and then re-download the app from the App Store. Quick Start
avoids that limitation by cloning the runnable app exactly as it exists on
the source device.
1. What Quick Start DOES preserve
A. Installed app bundle
i. This is the unpacked IPA (the actual runnable app).
ii. It includes the executable, resources, frameworks, etc.
iii. It is copied exactly as it exists on the source device.
iv. This preserves:
a. Old sub-versions
b. Removed-from-App-Store apps
c. Developer-abandoned apps
d. Apps incompatible with current App Store downloads
B. App data
i. Documents
ii. Saved progress
iii. Local databases
iv. User-created content
C. App settings
i. In-app settings
ii. Preferences stored in UserDefaults
iii. Local config files
iv. Non-purgeable caches
v. Anything inside the app's sandbox
D. System settings
i. Home screen layout
ii. Wi-Fi settings
iii. Accessibility settings
iv. Keyboard dictionaries
v. Notification settings
vi. Privacy permissions
vii. Many other device-level preferences
2. What Quick Start DOES NOT preserve
A. Apps that cannot run on the target iOS version
i. The bundle is copied, but it may not launch.
B. Apps that require re-authentication
i. Banking apps
ii. Enterprise apps
iii. Secure messaging apps
(These enforce server-side login resets.)
C. Settings stored only in iCloud
i. Some apps sync settings from iCloud instead of storing them locally.
3. Why Quick Start preserves settings but backups do not
A. iCloud and Finder/iTunes backups DO NOT include:
i. The IPA
ii. The installed app bundle
iii. The app version
B. Backups only include:
i. App data
ii. System settings
C. During restore, the device re-downloads the app from the App Store.
i. If the app is gone, you lose it.
ii. If the version changed, settings may break.
iii. If the developer removed compatibility, restore fails.
D. Quick Start avoids all of this by copying:
i. The installed app bundle
ii. The entire sandbox
iii. The exact sub-version
--
The whole point of every Usenet thread here is to add technical value.
| Date | Sujet | # | Auteur | |
| 1 Mar 26 |  PSA: The only practical way to preserve iOS apps (IPAs, app data & sub-versions) | 4 | Maria Sophia | |
| 8 Mar 26 |  Re: PSA: The only practical way to preserve iOS apps (IPAs, app data & sub-versions) | 3 | Maria Sophia | |
| 8 Mar 26 |  Re: PSA: The only practical way to preserve iOS apps (IPAs, app data & sub-versions) | 2 | Maria Sophia | |
| 8 Mar 26 |  Re: PSA: The only practical way to preserve iOS apps (IPAs, app data & sub-versions) | 1 | Maria Sophia |
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