From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

PSA:
The only practical way to preserve iOS apps
(including IPAs, app data, and sub-versions)
is to keep a spare iOS device in your desk drawer,
(a different iOS device for each archive)
so you can archive to and from it at a later date
(e.g., if you buy a new iPhone 17 & you want all the old
app sub versions and all your app data and settings).

Don't blame me for the steps since this is how Apple does things.

DEFINITIONS:
IPA = the packaged app program downloaded from the App Store
(similar to a ZIP)
App bundle = the installed form of the IPA after iOS unpacks it
App data = our documents, settings, saved progress
App sub-version = the specific version of the app installed on the device

Note that Android & Windows separate the installer from the installed app.
a. APK (Android) is an installer, not the installed app.
b. MSI/EXE (Windows) is an installer, not the installed program.

But iOS does NOT separate the installer from the installed program, per se.
a. We download an IPA.
b. iOS unpacks it into an app bundle.
c. The bundle is the installed app.
d. The original IPA file is deleted after installation.

So on iOS, the installed app bundle is the unpacked IPA.

Note iCloud backups do NOT include the IPA or the installed app bundle.
Neither do computer-based backups include the IPA or the installed bundle.

They only save your app data.
During restore, iOS attempts to re-download the IPA from the App Store.
If the IPA is gone, abandoned, or incompatible, the app cannot be restored.

That's something only iOS does as no other common consumer operating system prevents a backup from containing the actual app installer (where, in the
case of Android, the app installer is *always* saved on the device itself).

Platform clarification:
a. On macOS: backups are made using Finder (or older iTunes versions).
b. On Windows: backups are made using iTunes.
c. On Linux: there is no official Apple backup tool
(so, for Linux, only iCloud backups apply)

In ALL cases above, backups save ONLY app data.
They NEVER save the IPA, the installed bundle, or the app sub-version.
Restore always depends on the App Store still offering the IPA.

But wait... there's more. Much more. There's a trick!

A powered-off, drawer-stored iOS device can act as an "app archive"!
Yup. How cool is that!

Since Quick Start device-to-device transfer copies:
a. the installed app bundle (the unpacked IPA, the actual runnable app),
b. the app data (your documents and settings),
c. the exact app sub-version installed on the old device
We can take advantage of this trick to archive installed iOS apps!

This is the ONLY Apple-supported method that preserves the runnable app
itself (i.e., the installed bundle) and the exact sub-version, and not just
the app data.

One way to create an iOS-app-archive device:
a. Power off and old iOS device and store it safely.
b. When you want to preserve your current device's apps and data,
turn on the archive device.
c. Use Quick Start to transfer from your current device
to the archive device.
d. Power off the archive device, and store it safely.

What this method preserves:
a. The installed app bundle (the unpacked IPA, the runnable app)
b. The app data (documents, settings, saved progress)
c. The exact app sub-version currently installed
d. Apps removed from the App Store
e. Old sub-versions that cannot be re-downloaded
f. Apps from developers who disappeared
g. Apps that still run on the old device's iOS version

What this method cannot guarantee:

This is not a perfect time capsule. It works only as long as:
a. The installed app bundle still runs on the old device
b. The app's sub-version is still compatible with the new
device's iOS version

If both conditions hold, Quick Start will continue to copy the installed bundle, the app data, and the exact sub-version even many years later.

In summary, this trick is needed if you actually want to archive the IPA.
But keep in mind the old device is not a "backup", per se.
It's more like a "living copy" of:
a. the installed app bundle (the unpacked IPA),
b. the app data,
c. the exact sub-version.

As long as that living copy still runs, it can be cloned forward into the future.

There are practical considerations:
1. The living archive should start clean
2. But it should be under your identity

Here's how to set up that living copy of you app archives.

1. Erase the device completely
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad >
Erase All Content and Settings

2. Set it up as YOUR device
a. Sign in with YOUR Apple ID
b. Do NOT restore from anyone's backup
c. Choose 'Set Up as New iPad'

3. (Optional but important)
a. Update iOS to a version that:
i. Is new enough to run your current apps
ii. But not so new that it risks breaking any
very old apps you might want to preserve

4. Turn it into the archive
a. Use Quick Start from your current iPhone/iPad to this archive iPad
b. Let it copy:
i. your installed app bundles (unpacked IPAs),
ii. your app data,
iii. your exact app sub-versions

5. When done
a. Power it off
b. Put it in the drawer

Note if you wanted multiple versions over time, you would need multiple physical devices, one for each living archive. It's how Apple does things.

If you don't have multiple physical iOS devices to make multiple archives, then you must use the same device, but you can have only one archive.

6. To update the archive device again in the future
a. Turn on the archive device
b. Verify that it still boots and that the preserved apps still run
c. Place it next to your current device
d. Start Quick Start on your current device
and choose the archive device as the TARGET of the transfer
e. Allow it to copy:
i. the installed app bundles (unpacked IPAs),
ii. the app data,
iii. the exact app sub-versions
f. This overwrites the previous state of the archive device
with a new snapshot of your current device
g. When the transfer is complete, power it off
h. Put it back in the drawer

How to use the archive device when you buy a new iPhone 17.

1. Turn on the new iPhone 17
a. It should be at the "Hello" screen (unactivated)
b. Do NOT set it up manually
c. Do NOT sign in
d. Do NOT restore from iCloud or a computer

2. Turn on your archive device
a. Make sure it still boots
b. Make sure the preserved apps still run
c. Place it next to the new iPhone 17

3. Start Quick Start on the new iPhone 17
a. The new iPhone will detect the archive device
b. Choose "Transfer from iPhone"
c. The archive device becomes the SOURCE
d. The new iPhone 17 becomes the TARGET

4. Let Quick Start run
a. It will copy:
i. the installed app bundles (unpacked IPAs),
ii. the app data,
iii. the exact app sub-versions
b. This recreates your preserved environment on the new iPhone 17
c. No App Store downloads are required for preserved apps

5. When the transfer finishes
a. The new iPhone 17 now contains:
i. your preserved apps,
ii. your preserved sub-versions,
iii. your preserved app data
b. The archive device is unchanged
c. Power off the archive device and return it to storage

6. Continue using the new iPhone 17 normally
a. Install new apps
b. Update apps if you want
c. When we want to refresh the archive again in the future,
we repeat the archive-update procedure we already defined

If there is any other way to archive common consumer iOS apps without
using the App Store, I don't know it, so please let us all know.

This is the way Apple does things, so don't blame me for the steps.
--
On Usenet, old men with vast experience voluntarily share that knowledge.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

This was posted today, where, as far as I'm aware, the only way the OP
could have prevented these problems would be to use Apple's backup method
below (which requires a spare iOS device kept in your drawer forever).

From: Ant <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone
Subject: My recent iPhone upgrade issues...
Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2026 17:00:46 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <10ok9vu$2hnbn$[email protected]>

1. I lost some iOS apps because they are not in Apple's app store
anymore like ValuPak (already e-mailed them about this).
I assume there's no way to restore them from my old iPhone
and iTunes back up. :(

2. Some apps lost their settings like in BibleChat app.
I had to start new. :(

3. New 17 is sure slippery and heavy compared to my old 12 mini, age,
and disabilities. I am waiting for my Torras case, with 360 degrees
rotatable magsafe ring holder, order.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

Maria Sophia wrote:

1. I lost some iOS apps because they are not in Apple's app store
anymore like ValuPak (already e-mailed them about this).
I assume there's no way to restore them from my old iPhone
and iTunes back up. :(

See also the canonical thread on this topic.

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$3hr$[email protected]>

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.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

Maria Sophia wrote:

D. Quick Start avoids all of this by copying:
i. The installed app bundle
ii. The entire sandbox
iii. The exact sub-version

While Quick Start is the only Apple-sanctioned method that preserves...
A. App settings
B. App data
C. App sub-versions
D. Apps removed from the App Store
E. Apps that can no longer be downloaded
F. Apps that still run on older iOS versions
Quick Start is powerful, but it has several real disadvantages also.

As far as I'm aware, these are some of the practical limitations that
matter to us when using Quick Start as an iOS "app archive" method.

1. Apple's Quick Start method requires two working devices
A. The source device must boot.
B. The source device's apps must still run.
C. The source device must not be wiped or damaged.
D. The source device must be registered to your Apple Account
E. If the device dies, Quick Start becomes impossible.

2. Apple's Quick Start method cannot resurrect broken apps
A. If an app no longer launches on the source device,
Quick Start copies a non-working app.
B. If the app depends on a server that no longer exists,
it will still fail.
C. Quick Start preserves the state, not the functionality.

3. Apple's Quick Start method cannot bypass iOS version compatibility
A. If the target device runs an iOS version that the old app
cannot run on, the app may be copied but will not launch.
B. This is why archive devices must stay on an OS version that
still runs the old apps.

4. Apple's Quick Start method is therefore, not a real backup, per se.
A. Quick Start creates a clone, not a file.
B. There is no off-device storage.
C. There is no redundancy.
D. If both devices fail, the archive is gone.
E. We cannot keep multiple snapshots unless we own multiple devices.

5. Apple's Quick Start method overwrites the target device completely
A. Quick Start cannot merge data.
B. It cannot selectively transfer apps.
C. It wipes the target device and replaces everything.

6. Apple's Quick Start method requires physical proximity and time
A. Both devices must be present.
B. Both devices must be charged.
C. Both devices must be unlocked.
D. Transfer time can range from minutes to hours.
E. Cannot be done remotely.

7. Even with Apple's Quick Start, some apps may force re-authentication
A. Banking apps
B. Government apps
C. Enterprise apps
D. Secure messaging apps
E. These apps may intentionally require a fresh login after migration.

8. Even with Apple's Quick Start, the archive device can fail
A. Battery failure
B. Hardware failure
C. Activation lock issues
D. Device becomes unsupported
E. If the archive device dies, the archive is lost.

9. Quick Start cannot preserve apps that depend on deprecated frameworks
A. 32-bit apps
B. Apps using removed system libraries
C. Apps using deprecated private APIs
D. Even if copied, these apps will not run on newer iOS versions.

10. Quick Start cannot reliably preserve apps requiring online activation
A. Apps that require a server handshake
B. Apps that require subscription validation
C. Apps that require license checks
D. If the server is gone, Quick Start cannot fix it.

In summary, Apple's sanctioned Quick Start method is powerful, but fragile.

The main disadvantages of Apple's Quick Start method are (in part)...
1. Requires two working devices.
2. Cannot fix broken apps.
3. Cannot bypass iOS version compatibility.
4. Not a true backup (no file, no redundancy).
5. Overwrites the target device.
6. Requires physical proximity.
7. Some apps force re-login.
8. Archive device can fail.
9. Old frameworks may be missing.
10. Apps requiring server activation may still fail.
--
We can never know everything but knowing that would stop us from trying.
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