iPhone app updates always fail
September 4, 2008 at 8:12 AM by Dr. Drang
This morning iTunes told me an update was available for the SportsTap application. I downloaded the update, then set my iPhone in its cradle for syncing. As I expected, the update failed with a message to the effect that the installation of SportsTap on the phone had failed (I forgot to take a screenshot of the error message).
This happens every time an app is updated. I first noticed it with OmniFocus and thought the problem was part of OmniFocus’s teething pains. But now, with a few more weeks of experience under my belt, I see that it’s an iPhone/App Store problem, not an OmniFocus problem.
This bug makes updating an app a four-step process:
- Download the update in iTunes.
- Sync the iPhone and get the “installation failed” error message.
Uncheck the app in the iPhone’s Applications tab in iTunes and resync to uninstall the app.
- Recheck the app in the iPhone’s Applications tab in iTunes and resync to reinstall the app.
Since I know the update is going to fail, it would be nice if I could bypass Step 2. Unfortunately, the iPhone has to be connected to do Step 3, and because I prefer to have my iPhone set to sync when connected, the failed sync of Step 2 happens automatically.
