3.0 Beta and redownloading apps [Archive]

psylichon

06-03-2009, 11:50 PM

Thanks to Ramesh for drawing my attention to this issue/article earlier this evening:

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/05/31/apple-charging-redownload-apps-iphone/

Any of you guys notice this new screen popup when you try to download (on the iPhone itself) an app you've already purchased?

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/images/stories/2009/05/img_0105-266x400.png

I've gotten this a couple times and hit "buy" without really thinking about it. Am I getting charged again for redownloading using my iPhone and not the computer? I haven't gotten any iTunes receipt emails, though I'm not sure I've tried to redownload any non-free apps, so I'm confused.

If Apple takes away the ability to redownload apps on the go just because they added the ability to switch accounts on the fly (thus the no redownload thing would be copy protection), I think this is a bone-headed move. Unless there's something I'm missing.

Anyone know anything about this?

Watcher

06-03-2009, 11:53 PM

Yeah, I read about that in another thread either on here or on the iPhone Blog. It is a stupid move on Apple's part because you'd think it would keep track of not only the app you've downloaded before, but the device it was downloaded to.

Napoleon_PhoneApart

06-04-2009, 12:20 AM

I haven't seen it yet.

styfle

06-04-2009, 01:18 AM

I haven't seen it yet.
It hasnt happened to me yet and I hope it never does.

psylichon

06-04-2009, 01:21 AM

Really... I'm the only one? Have you guys tried to download an app again using the phone? Try it with a free one...

Ramesh

06-04-2009, 01:22 AM

Wow. I woulda thought this would have been discussed already. I'm curious if others have gotten this screen.

styfle

06-04-2009, 01:23 AM

Really... I'm the only one? Have you guys tried to download an app again using the phone? Try it with a free one...
I did a few days ago with Space deadbeef. I'll try again right now.

EDIT: Oh wow it does say cancel or buy. I must have tapped buy thinking it was the old screen.

Ramesh

06-04-2009, 01:25 AM

I tried with a paid app. I still get the old message.

psylichon

06-04-2009, 01:38 AM

Well I double-checked my iTunes receipt emails and I am indeed being "charged" for redownloading apps using my iPhone. They were all free apps, so no big whoop, but... COME ON. What gives here?

styfle

06-04-2009, 03:06 AM

Well I double-checked my iTunes receipt emails and I am indeed being "charged" for redownloading apps using my iPhone. They were all free apps, so no big whoop, but... COME ON. What gives here?
Since you can switch users on the iphone in 3.0 they dont want you sharing apps...lame.

termleech

06-04-2009, 08:43 AM

iphun

06-04-2009, 10:29 AM

Yea, it's a new feature in the beta's. I remember reading about in on Engadget or Gizmodo a few days ago. It looks like Apple is trying to stop the loophole of let me log in as my account so you can download the app for free on your phone.

This is most likely why they are doing it since we can log into other accounts and redownload from that account to our phone. They want to prevent you from letting another phone get access to your apps for free. It is stupid and maybe they shouldn't have given us the ability to log in to other accounts. The only thing we should be able to do is change credit cards, address, name, and other stuff in the account not log out. How about instead of charging us again determine if it's the same device and only the original device used to download it can redownload for free, but if it isn't then have the option to charge the account of the other device. Right now under the store setting you can't even access 'view my account' so maybe they are working on doing something different.

psylichon

06-04-2009, 11:27 AM

iphun

06-04-2009, 11:35 AM

I'm sorry, this is completely asinine. To take away a feature used by nearly everyone at some point to accommodate a new "feature" that few will use and no one was really asking for anyway, I just don't get how they prioritized this one...
If you are talking about the store setting, I don't really think it's going to be any great addition to the phone especially if they take out the redownloading for free feature. Just make our phone stick to one account and let us redownload as many times as we want for free to any device on that account. They can do better than blocking us all from redownloading.

shutter13

06-04-2009, 11:57 AM

I have yet to get this pop up and I have re-downloaded a few apps since this story started making the rounds. Can anyone confirm that they have gotten this pop up with only one account listed on the iPhone?

I just tested again and got the normal pop up telling me I could re-download for free.

psylichon

06-04-2009, 12:00 PM

Yeah, I've only ever had and used one iTunes account, so that's not it. It's not a beta5 thing, because lots of folks on that have never seen it. And it's not linked to an account, because my wife still gets the old message in 2.2.1. I can only guess it's some combo of 3.0 beta and account settings that makes it happen. But I really don't mess around with my iTunes account much so I don't know what it could be.

shutter13

06-04-2009, 12:03 PM

So when you go to settings>store Only your account is listed? Your wife's is not? I don't see where you can add an account on the phone itself, so it would be an iTunes thing, I would guess. How many iTunes accounts can you access from the computer you sync with?

psylichon

06-04-2009, 12:12 PM

My wife and I both use one account... the only one I've ever set up with iTunes. I've never even messed with the Store section of settings on the iPhone, and when I try to do it now, I get an error when I try to load my account info.

[shrug]

psylichon

06-04-2009, 12:16 PM

Ok, well now I just signed out of my account on the iPhone and signed back in. I still can't load my account settings (error message), but I just tried to download a free app again and now get the old message.

Weird!

iphun

06-04-2009, 12:18 PM

I just redownloaded an app and was given the you have downloaded this before to download again for free press Ok. Is this only affecting mac users?. Or maybe they were thinking of adding this and took it out, but they didn't remove all traces of it. I can get to the store setting but I cannot 'View my Account' because "The itunes store could not process your request. Please try again later" is anyone else unable to view their account? Shutter13 as far as I know you can access as many itunes accounts as you want, but to download another persons apps they have to sync with your computer (or vice versa) so they can add any app you have ever bought(or add any app they ever bought). And when they update on their phone it has the email address field editable with my email address and they have to obviously use my password.

psylichon

06-04-2009, 12:25 PM

Needless to say, it's all very confusing right now. It's not a Mac thing, because I use PC. I get the same error message trying to access my account info on the phone.

My only guess (and hope) is that the iTunes store somehow recognizes your device when you login using your account (as opposed to someone else's device), and allows you to download for free. I think mine just got confused for a second until I relogged in. Although, I'm not aware of any account/device linking in iTunes, so I could be way off base here.

gotzaiPhone

06-04-2009, 01:39 PM

I'm on beta 5 and I have not seen that yet. Mine still say "to download for free" because my wife and I share the same iTunes account on both phones.

Napoleon_PhoneApart

06-04-2009, 02:04 PM

Is it happening because some folks have multiple accounts on the same iTunes?

psylichon

06-04-2009, 03:53 PM

Again... I've only ever used one account. Me and the wife share it. She doesn't get the message on 2.2.1, but I was getting starting it with 3.0 beta 5. I hadn't done any logging in or out of my account on either the desktop or my iPhone. Once I did log out and back in on the phone, however, everything went back to how it used to be. No new message for me now.

It's confusing, but I hope I'm being clear with all the variables here.

styfle

06-04-2009, 04:49 PM

Is it happening because some folks have multiple accounts on the same iTunes?
I only have one account and it did it to me. "Cancel or Buy."

termleech

06-04-2009, 07:13 PM

I don't think it matters if you have multiple accounts or not. And I also think regardless of who you are logged in as on the phone (even if it's the account you bought the app on in the first place) it should give you that message.

Adam1389

06-04-2009, 11:45 PM

Was happening on my girlfriends Touch that I gave her...Took a bit to realize, but I was doing the same thing Psylichon was..

psylichon

06-09-2009, 04:41 AM

Well I tested again this evening on 3.0 GM seed and I'm more confused than ever. It seems to be app-by-app for me now. For example, I deleted Cointoss off my phone and tried to redownload it, but I got a new message this time:

"This Device cannot redownload this application for free. You may redownload it for free on your computer, or tap buy to buy it again"

Pretty explicit. So I tried logging out and back in like before, but same message.

Now the weird thing is I tried Mocha VNC Lite (which wasn't currently on my phone, but is in my library from before), and that worked fine. Deleted, redownloaded, no issue, no popup at all.

What the heck is going on here?

BlindSpoTT

06-09-2009, 01:08 PM

i think paid apps still say cancel or download. free apps say cancel or buy... i think i noticed this before.

psylichon

06-09-2009, 01:13 PM

I'm getting the buy popup with free apps. Just changes depending on which one and I can't understand why.

BlindSpoTT

06-09-2009, 01:16 PM

I'm getting the buy popup with free apps. Just changes depending on which one and I can't understand why.
yeah, check a paid.. it should say "download". free will say "buy"

psylichon

06-09-2009, 01:24 PM

Well, that may be so, but my question is why am I getting it at all for any apps? It should be consistent across the board regardless of their new policy.

BlindSpoTT

06-09-2009, 01:35 PM

i know what you mean, but since it a free app you dont actually "buy" it. so i dont know....

shutter13

06-09-2009, 11:28 PM

I just read this on mac rumors, don't know if it holds up, but it would explain why sometimes you get the buy and sometimes it's just free.

The Applications you downloaded are locked to the device you bought them on now. That is the only device that can re-download them for free.

This prevents you from giving me your username and password and allowing me to get your apps for free, along with 100 other people. There is no protection on the iPhone to limit the number of times an app can be downloaded, however iTunes will check to make sure that your computer is one of the 5 authorized computers for your account. It's all about ensuring each purchased app is only on your authorized devices (sync'd by computers you've authorized).

This wasn't a problem until 3.0 which allows you to log into multiple accounts on your iPhone.

Try downloading a new application to that device. Then delete it. You can re-download it directly to the device for free.

So basically if you bought it on your computer or another authorized device you will get the "buy" pop up. If you bought it on your device...you will get the you can download it for free pop up. So moral of the story, if the above is true, buy all your apps on your device, rather than on your computer.

styfle

06-10-2009, 01:16 AM

Wow thats really weird. What about when we upgrade to the 3GS? lol

Ramesh

06-10-2009, 02:03 AM

Wow thats really weird. What about when we upgrade to the 3GS? lol

You'll be syncing with your computer, where all your apps are. Shouldn't be a problem. It's the same process as going from a v1 to v2.

psylichon

06-10-2009, 02:59 AM

Yeah, but if iTunes can now differentiate between what I've downloaded on my V1 and what I've downloaded on my desktop, what happens when I no longer have my V1?

iphun

06-10-2009, 07:53 AM

Yeah, but if iTunes can now differentiate between what I've downloaded on my V1 and what I've downloaded on my desktop, what happens when I no longer have my V1?

It isn't the physical phone I hope. I am thinking that it is the device 'Your Name's iPhone' and the account that it goes by in giving the apps again free. The V1 will be restored and won't have any of that purchase data saved to the phone and the new one will be restored from your V1 backup with all your account data. I am sure they made it so you can upgrade and not have that problem.

shutter13

06-10-2009, 08:32 AM

iphun

06-10-2009, 09:29 AM

The way I understand it it is the physical device. Maybe tied to the UDID. So when you get the new phone, any apps you have now will have to be sync'd from your computer each and every time you want to re-load them onto the device.

Well since this is a new feature where we are being told we have to purchase again then maybe with the itunes update and in 3.0 they made it so it follows the device name. If they tied it to the UDID a couple phones later and you almost have to sync everything. It ruins the whole wireless, away from your computer itunes part of adding apps. The same goes for video though, I tried to buy a tv show again, one I had to buy on itunes since you couldn't buy on the phone before, and it told me to cancel or buy again. Also buying videos and downloading over the phone was actually pretty fast, so I can't wait for the 3GS for even more speed.