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Apple Now Preventing Updates and Reinstallation of Refunded Apps

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Michael Simmons of Flexibits noted earlier today that the App Store no longer allows customers to reinstall or update refunded App Store apps.

refund
An error message now notifies users when they try:

Update Unavailable with This Apple ID

This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded and cancelled.

While Apple has never had an automatic way to get refunds for apps, Apple does allow users to "Report a Problem" on their purchases and options include ways to get a refund.

In the past, customers were allowed to continue updating and reinstalling apps even if they were given a refund on the price of the app. This new functionality has also been extended to the Mac App Store.

Top Rated Comments

barefootman Avatar
barefootman
161 months ago
That's reasonable. I don't see how anybody can have an issue with this.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tevion5 Avatar
tevion5
161 months ago
Strange this wasn't already the case.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacDawg Avatar
MacDawg
161 months ago
Should be a no-brainer
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D.T. Avatar
D.T.
161 months ago
I’m sure _some_ people will squawk about this. I suspect they’ll be the same folks I see who eat the entire meal first, then complain and ask for their money back :D
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rorschach Avatar
rorschach
161 months ago
No reason to object to this.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iosquattro
161 months ago
The problem is not that your refunded apps won't get updated. The problem is if you ever change your mind and want to buy that app again you cannot. You will get this error upon trying to repurchase. I've been going back and forth with Apple about this for a couple weeks now. A few months back I requested a refund on an app that crashed continuously. Months later the dev fixed the issue and I decided to legitimately purchase the app again. Nope. Get this message. So, this is the issue.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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