IOS – How to disable “Sync Apps” and “Open iTunes when this iDevice is connected” without forcing a sync

Go to System Preferences → Accounts, and view your Login Items. One of them should be iTunesHelper.

If iTunesHelper is missing from Login Items, here's how to add it:

iTunesHelper is located inside the iTunes.app bundle, at

/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/

1. Navigate into the iTunes.app package; in Finder, Right-click iTunes.app and select Show Packaged Content to get inside it. ^{(Or use Terminal to navigate and then open Finder with open .)}
2. Locate iTunesHelper.app, and drag it to the Login Items pane.
3. Logout or even restart may be required for changes to take effect.

Whew, that was weird. I'm glad I got it added back too. :-)

(Alternatively you could reinstall iTunes, but the above is much quicker and easier.)

These forum threads were helpful:

• How to prevent iTunes from opening when iPhone connected
• iTunesHelper is gone in login items...

iTunes will sync photos only if you turn on photo syncing in the "tab" for photos.

If iTunes is complaining about apps, it's likely that you once started to sync apps (or it got confused) - but it has nothing to do with app syncing. Sadly, if you want to use this iTunes library, you have to deal with the app issue or keep facing that alert.

Think of it this way. Your photos are in a room that happens to have some rotten food. You can either move your photos to a new room or deal with the rotten food by holding your nose or cleaning it up. One didn't cause the other, but they just ended up in the same room as you.