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Download Error. Tap to retry.

Whenever I try and download a song from itunes directly to my iphone I get the message: Download Error. Tap to retry.

I've checked that I don't have any t&c's to accept in itunes and that the files are under 10mb. I've also tried deauthorizing and reauthorizing my compueter which doesn't help.

Does anyone have any other ideas? I'm using a brand new 3GS which syncs with windows vista.

Thanks in advance 🙂

iPhone 3GS, iPhone OS 3.0.1

Posted on Sep 25, 2009 12:01 PM

Reply
153 replies

Apr 18, 2010 11:51 PM in response to Lukeless

Tell ya what, iTunes Store, all these solutions that involve re-downloading on your computer with iTunes pretty much shoots anyone in the foot who might be, say, traveling. I was on a business trip and figured I'd download a movie on the phone to watch on the return flight.

Little did I know what a nightmare I'd be getting into: First the abort because it can't work on 3G. Then, starting the download after connecting to Wi-Fi, only to abort because the phone auto-locked after two minutes. So I turn off auto-lock, and let the phone run for a while. I have to make a call, so I (god forbid) close the iTunes app.

When I get back to it (and, side note, have to enter my password for about the 18th time... Is there a setting somewhere to save it? If not, can there be? Typing any sort of reasonably secure password on an iPhone soft keyboard is a Herculean exercise in patience.), the iTunes app gives the dreaded "Download error. Tap to retry" loop. Forever.

"Oh just connect the phone to your computer and download it there." That'd work great if you didn't prevent me from syncing the phone to more than one computer. I don't travel with an iMac -- it's sort of hard to get under the seat in front of me on a plane. It will, however, be a solid solution when I get home. I'll enjoy watching the movie I've already paid for from the comfort of my couch on a large screen.

However that doesn't solve the problem that I paid $3 to rent a movie to watch on an airplane, and spent over an hour of my time over the course of two days just trying to download it.

I love the iTunes Music Store. I love using your products. But things like this really make me question if anyone at Apple actually uses these products. If you're going to tell me this is an uncommon combination of usage cases, I'll be thoroughly surprised. Why do you make it such an ordeal to obtain content someone has already paid for? Why can't the content download in the background? (After all, Apps can!) Why can't downloads resume cleanly? Why can a song or movie that's downloaded completely fail to process and not give any option to re-download or delete or refund or any other option other than "download it via another method and sync it to your phone"?

I certainly had the potential to spend actual money on songs and movies while on the road in the future, but until you revamp the download system, you won't get a single penny from me.

I'll end this rant here, because I know I'm preaching to the choir and there's not actually any Apple Customer Service or "Suggestion Box" staff that pay attention to this vast wasteland of peer discussion that is the best support tool Apple's customers are allowed to have access to.

Download Error. Tap to retry.

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