Apple Giveth, and Apple Taketh Away. The Walled Garden approach Apple has taken with its App Store means that not everything you once bought is still available. However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options for installing software that was previously downloaded:
Hello, I got the iTether app yesterday before Apple pulled it out, but my daughter didn’t get the chance to download it. How will I install it to my daughter’s iPhone? I back up my phone to my PC and I have the app in my file. Please help.
Rodante
Hi Rodante,
Well, Apple deliberately doesn’t make it easy to do what you wish, especially with apps they have removed from the App Store. I’m surprised that iTether even made it through their review process to begin with!
That said, copies of your iOS applications are stored on your hard disk, in your Music folder –> iTunes –> Mobile Applications. The file is probably named something like “iTether.ipa”. If your daughter has her iPhone synced with another Mac or PC, you can copy that file to the same folder on her system, then launch iTunes and plug in the iPhone; the app should then be available for installation, provided her system is authorized to use the account you purchased the app with.
Readers, have any additional suggestions on this topic, or corrections/clarifications on the advice above? If so, please leave your thoughts in the comments.
Adam Rosen is an Apple certified IT consultant specializing in Macintosh systems new and old. He lives in Boston with two cats and too many possessions. In addition to membership in the Cult of Mac, Adam has written for Low End Mac and is curator of the Vintage Mac Museum. He also enjoys a good libation.
