Tag Archives: App Store

Tip: How to download apps again after changing the region of your Apple ID (for free)

September 20, 2015iOS DevelopmentApp Store, Apple ID, iTunesJay Versluis

Apple IDs are associated with a country, usually the one you’re living in. But many of us have changed an Apple ID’s region at some point, and there are a few things to be aware of when you do this.

First of all, an app bought when it was set to region 1 cannot be downloaded in region 2 by default. So if you have a UK Apple ID, purchase Angry Birds, then change your Apple ID to US and look under purchased items, Angry Birds will not show up.

That by itself isn’t a big problem, because the app can still be updated when new versions arrive, and it will also be backed up to iCloud. But should you try to restore your device, you’ll find that only purchases made in your current region will make it onto your device. And that IS a problem!

So the solution is to purchase all apps that are dear to you again AFTER the region change, so that restores can work flawlessly. The great news is that when I say “buy”, it looks more expensive than it is – because it won’t cost you a dime.

Here’s an example

Let me demonstrate. In this example I’ve changed my Apple ID from UK to US. I had previously purchased Pages for iOS in the UK, and I’m looking at it now on the App Store app. Apparently it’ll set me back $9.99.

Before the region change, the price button simply read “open”. Or, if the app is currently not installed on my device, that same button would have a little cloud icon, telling me that I could simply download it for free. But now that I’ve changed to a new region, it looks as though I have to pay again. Lucky for us that’s not the case!

Upgrade1

Go ahead and press the $9.99 button anyway, and the system is clever enough to detect that you’ve already bought that item – albeit in another region. It doesn’t exactly tell you this, but it will say that “this update is free because you own a previous version of this item”.

Upgrade2

Hit OK to proceed. Doing so will download and install the app and register it again on your current Apple ID’s new region.

That’s it: now you own this item in both regions, but you’ve only paid for it once. Even though it’s not obvious, it’s certainly nice to know that we don’t have to for over money multiple times – especially with pricier apps. Thank you App Store 🙂

Does this trick also work with In-App Purchases?

Pass I’m afraid – I haven’t encountered this scenario yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. If you find out before me, please leave a comment and share your findings.

Creating Multiple In-App Purchases in iOS

August 3, 2014iOS DevelopmentApp Store, Screencast, StoreKitJay Versluis

In this screencast I’ll show you how to create multiple in-app purchases in you iOS app. The first part is a quick overview, and the second part shows how I’m tinkering with the code (members only).

This is based on an earlier tutorial in which I’m explaining how to create a single in-app purchase – if you’d like to follow along, you can find it here:

http://pinkstone.co.uk/creating-an-in-app-purchase-in-ios-7-and-xcode-5-1/

In a nutshell we’ll duplicate the earlier Shop class, add our new product identifier and amend the StoreKit observer method, as well as the alertView so that it can unlock the correct product.

The source code for this project is available on GitHub: the master branch is the earlier tutorial with a single product, and the Multi-IAP branch is what’s shown in this video.

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How to fix a Region Mismatch on your Apple ID

July 13, 2014iOS DevelopmentApp StoreJay Versluis

Screen Shot 2014-07-13 at 12.09.00 I have two Apple ID’s: one for the UK and one for the US. It’s not a problem for an iOS device to switch between store regions, even though it’s an annoying user experience. It should happen automatically.

However, I had a problem several times now whereby my UK account shows my US billing address – and even asks me to verify my payment details. Trouble is, it’s impossible to verify my credit card due to the region mismatch.

Most Apple Support staff are clueless when you bring this problem up, because “it’s impossible for our system to do that”. I know it’s a strange one, so here’s some proof from iTunes:

AppStoreRegionMismatch

Before I forget how to fix this again, let me tell you HOW this problem came to be:

Unbeknownst to me I had added the email address of my US account as an alternative email address to my UK account. The App Store really doesn’t like this, and hence mixes up the addresses – particularly because my UK account no longer has a credit card on file.

How to fix the Region Mismatch Nightmare

A very nice gentleman from Apple named Melvin had the solution – he suggested the following:

login to https://appleid.apple.com using the account that needs fixing
select your language at the bottom right if needed
click “Addresses” and remove outdated ones
edit the single remaining Address and change it to the desired region and country
edit your Phone Number (doesn’t have to match the region – I added a US phone number to my UK account, just make sure you add the correct country code)
hit save and log out

This will fix the problem. It’s probably best to remove alternate email addresses that are associated with other accounts, otherwise this problem will come back to haunt you (under Name, ID and Email Addresses).

When you first log in here, you may be prompted to change your password to a more up-to-date one. Mine for example did not begin with a capital letter, and Apple no longer allow such passwords.

Back on your iOS device

If you now try to buy something from the App Store on your iOS device you may still be greeted with the verification dialogue, showing your (outdated) address and credit card information.

Fix this by selecting “NONE” under credit card, tweak your phone number, and the verification will be successful.

Another mystery solved!