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I moved country, changed iTunes stores and now my Apps can't be updated!?

Hi,

I know about how to change country etc for purchases in iTunes, this isn't about that.

I had a UK iTunes account and bought apps there.
I've now moved to Australia and changed my iTunes account to Australia using an Australian credit card, and I've bought some apps here.

iTunes is telling me that I have a bunch of Apps I can update, though when I go to update them it says there's none available.

I've gone to the UK iTunes Store and clicked update, and there they are - but they won't download as I need to change my billing info again.

So, here's the question - is iTunes actually that limited that one account can only have one credit card linked to it?

I live permanently in Australia now, but have purchased over 100 Apps while in the UK... am I right in saying that every time I want to update an app I have to fill out all my UK credit card and billing information, update, then fill in all my Australian billing details again when I want to switch back to the Australian store... over and over again for the rest of my life!?

I understand some Apps won't be available in one country VS the other, that's not the problem here. This is with worldwide available apps - I can see the apps in the Australian store, but because I've bought them in UK I can't update them in Australia.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on May 27, 2010 8:09 PM

Reply
280 replies

Nov 3, 2012 6:18 AM in response to Sulaiman.K

Oh, no, don't worry about that. As I said yesterday, I don't like the multi-account, so I think I'm gonna buy all my apps again. Besides, as I also said, there are more apps that I like (in addition to the ones I already have on my french iTunes account) on the U.S. iTunes Store ; that's the reason why I'm planning to make an U.S. account…

Nov 10, 2012 11:32 AM in response to Steven Drew

I have a similar issue. Old apple id is linked to defunct email address, so no issues with different geography. should be easier to recitfy right? Wrong. after spending several hours with apple support, apple securiy and itunes- there is nothing I can do to get $700 worth of songs and movies back. Its quite insane. I moved 4 times since 2006, 3 new jobs so we changed email accounts and creditcards and set up an new apple id. The email linked to the apple account no longer exists after they were acquired. I can recall the apple ID and the key question for the security. Apple policy wants the ccard i used back in 2006, the device registered (which was stolen). Despite the fact thay can clearly prove I am legitimate, they still wont allow me to reset my account because their policy is 3 specific peices of information. I am so dissapointed that this is very black and white for them. Best thing to do, is buy everything (music) from Amazon from here on in so the ****** thing isnt locked in the first place. I cant beleive how arrogant apple are becoming and I cant beleive there is no solution to this problem. Apple just ate anothyer afternoon in my life in the name of my security. Now on hold with Customer Care, who are onhold for the relevant Apple department -- this is crazy. 4hours today...

Nov 10, 2012 4:30 PM in response to Sulaiman.K

"

There won't be termination. You can use your America iTunes Store in France and nothing will happen it will be normal but only if you change store to France you will lost the apps that you already bought in America iTunes Store.


Yes it's for real."



NOT in my case, I have US account that is being used from a long time ago, since I lived in US, then as I move to several countries the ID can be used without problem. Then one day, suddenly Apple dissable my ID, stating I have breach the Terms of Condition, without explaining specific thing. After fighting for 2 weeks, and my case escalated to senior managerial level, I finally being reinstated again, as long as I change the country to the place that I am reciding now. It is not fun when your ID being dissable, it means, all your updates for iOS, and MAC software can't be upgraded, combine with music and movies that I bought, it is more than $1000. Yes, and that will affect your iCloud too.


Luckilly, I can upgrade my software again, and being allowed to spend my remaining iTunes card balance, and downloading all the music and movies that I purchased, before I change my country setting. Thanks to Apple for that.


I admitted that I breach the contract, but Apple should rethink the contract to allow mobile professionals that change their country a lot, to have peace of mind in purchasing Apple digital product with ONE Apple ID, as Apple itself suggesting.

Nov 12, 2012 11:36 PM in response to ausairman

It shouldn't affect you with music. You should still have all that music on your computer. I moved countries and my music still all works fine, even the FairPlay songs. The only thing I can't do is re-download any of that music off iCloud if I need to, but that's a relatively new service that never existed before so it's not like anything has changed. The major issue with switching countries isn't music, it's apps and getting updates for them.


Why does your argument just sound like a lame excuse for getting music illegally?

Nov 12, 2012 11:59 PM in response to EssentialParadox

Awesome sucker punch at the end there. I wasn't gonna bother but I'm bored so here is my response.


First of all, it sounds like an excuse to download music illegally because it is. I don't think it's lame though. I made a conscious choice to support artists and purchase music legally, and I think it was a bad decision. Mainly because I don't think I've supported any artists and I don't think I've gotten anything for my money that I couldn't have gotten for free. As users, we are faced with 3 choices:


1) Download music legally

2) Download music illegally

3) Download music dodgily (legalsounds.com)


2 and 3 are the cheapest options. You can of course use the moral argument that artists are entitled to their share of profits, but I'll leave that out for now (we can master debate over that another day). You can also argue that you don't want to get into trouble, but getting around that is so easy that if you wanted to you could do it (besides, I don't live in the United States of getting ****** by the man).


Option 1 only really makes sense if a) you are altruistic, which you're not, b) you're scared of getting in trouble or c) services like iTunes can offer something that piracy cannot. I don't mind paying for music, but if I were to pirate music and lose it, I could just download it again, whereas if I buy it from iTunes and happen to be in another country, I have to buy it again.


So other than inconveniencing us, I just don't see what service is being offered if the cloud component is only available if you stay in one country. Who does that anymore anyway?

Nov 13, 2012 8:38 AM in response to ausairman

ausairman, I do understand your post and at one point in the past I also was in your shoes so I do agree with you. I do not wish us to take this thread off-topic so I'm going to make a few succinct points and leave it at that. I should state for context and for disclosure that I actually am one of those people who make a living off having my music on iTunes, I also run a small record label and have also released the music of several other artists.


1) While you may not have seen or felt it, the truth is your money does go to the artist, despite the common misconceptions that it doesn't.

2) On independent labels such as mine, the artist generally receives around 50% of the profits. In exchange the label takes on the huge risks associated with the costs of physical manufacturing and distribution (my label produced both CDs and Vinyl, and both are expensive. E.g., $3000 for 1000 vinyl), as well as the large task of promotion (have you ever wondered what's involved in researching and shipping a CD to most radio stations and DJs in the world?)

3) The profit margin on vinyl is around 5%, on CDs about 9%. On iTunes it's 70%.

4) Independent labels make up a third of all music sold on iTunes, and 90% of independent labels' profits come from iTunes. Not from CDs, not from concerts, and not from T-shirts. iTunes is so important to us and our artists and is by far our primary source of revenue.

5) As much as I dislike the major labels, artists still get your money even there too. They receive a smaller share from each sale but receive huge initial advances of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the label, which offsets that in the long run.

6) Finally, there are also a bunch of artists these days who self-publish onto iTunes. You probably aren't aware of when something you purchase is major, independent, or self-published when you buy it.


Ultimately, both directly and indirectly, you are supporting those artists when you buy off iTunes. And at points in your music purchasing history you've most certainly supported independent artists and labels, and on behalf of them I thank you. Songs on iTunes may only cost $0.99, but that actually does go a long way.

Nov 16, 2012 4:15 AM in response to Steven Drew

Well guys, I called Apple iTunes' support. I asked them if the use of an american iTunes account in France was authorized without getting it terminated. And the person answered me that I could use any account of any country on any country like I want, it is not a reason to get it banned.


So if there are people there who saw their ID terminated, I only see two reasons : the first one is an error from Apple, which really is strange. The second one is that your iPhone were jailbroken and you was using cracked applications with Installous, which justifies (to my eyes) the termination of your accounts.


Have a nice day.

Nov 17, 2012 10:50 PM in response to Subs_255

Subs_225: My iPad is not jailbroken (remember iPad has no contract) and Apple did not make a mistake. In fact I was being helped by a nice fellow who I felt was doing his best to help me when one day I got an email from another person who told me in what I felt were rude terms that I was SOL. When I returned his email and commented on his attitude I got an email from someone else who said she was a supervisor and that in effect he was right, I was SOL and they were basically done trying to help me.


I dont know about another desktop but I will probably never buy another iOS device. My next phone will be an Android/Samsung.

Nov 18, 2012 1:40 AM in response to tomhillHI

It's not that I doubt of your honesty my friend but after my call to Apple, I diffused what the technician told me on Twitter. And a guy said me something like "Of course you can use accounts from another country, I use one since five years.".


So either it's a russian roulette and you lost (what would make me think that Apple's technician aren't qualified for the job), or it's just a mistake from Apple. If — of course — you're not lying.

I moved country, changed iTunes stores and now my Apps can't be updated!?

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