Q: Aperture App Store Update

Aperture can no longer be updated from the AppStore, since Apple stopped the development and is no longer selling it.

The only way that still works is to reinstall, and reinstalling will install Aperture 3.6 on Yosemite and El Capitan, and it is only possible, if Aperture is in your Purchases history at the App Store.  (See:  Updating to Aperture 3.6 After the Release of Photos). You will need  the help of Apple Support to be able to update for Aperture 3.6. 

Apple Support helped in a fe cases by providing a redeem code, so it was possible to reinstall from the App Store.

You will have to be very insistent and claim that you are entitled to an update to Aperture 3.6 as an owner of Aperture 3.

We had a similar problem.  My spouse's Macbook Pro hard drive crashed.  All apps had to be reinstalled, but we could not install Aperture.  We had bought the software  (version 2 and version 3 of Aperture) in physical format (DVD or CD format), and had downloaded version 3 updates from The Apple Store.  When attempting to download the latest version from the Apple Store, we received a message indicating that Aperture was not installed in that system (which was technically correct as the hard drive was re imaged).  Attempting to install Aperture from the DVD also produced some type of failure after we had gone through some of the installation process, including entering the software serial #.

The way we got around this was:

1. Install Aperture from the DVD (we sued the most recent version that we had in DVD), including entering the original serial # until the installation process crashed

2. We did not close the dialog box indicating that the installation had stopped

3. Went to the Apple Store and attempted to download Aperture from there.  It seems that the serial number and some key files had been copied onto the hard drive (at least temporarily) while the software was been installed

4. This allowed the Apple Store to "see" the older copy of Aperture in the hard drive, which allowed us to install the newer version from the Apple Store.

We attempted to use Time Machine also, but were unsuccessful (cannot remember the reason)

My spouse has been running Aperture without a problem for at lest 3 months now. 

Too bad Apple will not update this great application.  I hope this helps you.

If your version of Aperture is not associated with your Apple ID at the AppStore and does not show on the Purchases tab, you can only update to Aperture 3.6.1 with the help of Apple Support.

Apple pulled Aperture from the AppStore, because Apple stopped developing and selling Aperture.  Nobody can download updates from the Updates tab of the AppStore any longer.  The only thing that still seems to be working is reinstalling AppStore versions of Aperture from the AppStore.

Ask Apple Support for help to get your Aperture 3 version into your Purchases history. You will need a redeem code for Aperture 3. In a few cases Apple Support obliged with such a code.

You will have to be very insistent.

See my User Tip:  Updating to Aperture 3.6 After the Release of Photos