There are purchased items on the iPod that have not been transferred?

I ran into a similar problem, with upgrading an iPad to 4.3.2. In my case, the problem was that restrictions were enabled. Ejecting the iPad, disabling restrictions, and reconnecting to iTunes did the trick.

I was also having the weird "purchased items should be xferred to iphone before software update" window. The ONLY thing in my "purchased" folder was a free book. I turned on "sync books."

When I synched again, it WIPED OUT ALL THE MUSIC ON THE IPHONE. "Sync music" was *_NOT_* checked. There is no earthly reason that should've happened. I'm a bit livid with all the opaque alert windows and casually catastrophic things that have happened in the month I've owned this device.

There are some serious, serious glitches to be worked out.

I’ve an iPod Touch 3GS, and was experiencing this same issue for quite some time. I was rather flustered, thinking that I’d exhausted every possible solution—until I realized that the ‘encrypt backup’ option (on the Summary page) was not selected ... After selecting it, and allowing for iTunes to execute the action, I was successfully able to update to the 4.3.3 software version, where no actual alterations to the contents of my iPod occurred.

magnetix_uk had the solution for me. The problem was the app I was developing and installed without using iTunes. Remove the app and the warning went away.

I had this problem as well. I was able to resolve by emptying my desktop Recycle Bin after Syncing my iPod Touch and ALSO by then clicking on the Apps tab in iTunes and allowing all my apps to load up (i.e., for their icons to show up on the screen) -- and then Syncing again.

iTunes then allowed me to Update without giving me the error message you mentioned. However, I did get an error just prior to the Update being complete (which prevented it from completing successfully). To resolve that, I rebooted my machine and ran Update again, and everything worked fine.

This works! You may have to "authorize" the computer you are using with the Apple Store. Once that's done this is the answer.

This response worked for me. I had manually transferred content from an old Mac to a new one, which resulted in duplication of an audiobook. Removing the copy from the Mac & then transferring it back from the iPhone solved the problem.

Thanks, Jeff.

I found another solution (or possible error condition).

I had installed a Development version of an app. (It required a special process to install)

Once this was deleted the update went through fine.

Hope this helps someone.

Here is what happened to me and the solution that helped me solve the problem:

When connecting my iPhone 4, I was made aware of an update of the iPhone software from 4.3.3 to 4.3.5. I did not want to download and update since I first wanted to make a sync (and with it a backup), not the least because I knew I had mobile purchases on my iPhone that had not yet been synced to my Mac. Unlike other times when the same thing had happened, I chose Download (without update) in order to start the download while syncing.

After the sync, I tried to hit the button that now read Update. Whenever I hit it, the message about "purchased items" would pop up. I tried to authorize my computer, while I knew it was already authorized. I did the "transfer purchases" thing (which did not seem to do anything, as all my purchases had been transferred by the sync). I synced my iPhone again and again... Nothing would help, the "purchased items" message kept popping up.

What helped in the end was unmounting my iPhone from iTunes, unplugging it physically (disconnecting the USB cable from the Mac), closing iTunes, and plugging the iPhone back in. I hoped for the sync to start automatically (as it usually does) but it did not this time. iTunes had opened again, though. So, I started the sync manually. Unlike my repeated syncs after the initial one above, the first sync step was again a Backup step this time. After the sync finished, I could happily update the software via the Update button. The message was gone.

So, here are the steps:

- Make sure the computer is authorized.

- Make sure to transfer purchases.

- Unmount your iDevice and disconnect it physically.

- Close iTunes.

- Reconnect your iDevice.

- Make another sync that does a Backup step.

- Then retry your Update: the "purchased items" message will be gone.

My explanation for all that strange behavior is that the check for "purchased items" is done against a last backup. As the backup of my initial sync did not yet include my purchases, iTunes would always complain about "purchased items". With repeated syncs during the same session not repeating the Backup step, only a forcible new backup solved the problem, now comprising all my new mobile purchases. If that theory is true, the following three steps should also heal the problem:

1. Make sure the computer is authorized.

2. Make sure to transfer purchases (right-click the iDevice in iTunes and choose Transfer purchases)

3. Make a backup (right-click the iDevice in iTunes and choose Backup from the context menu).

In my case, Step 3 alone would most probably have solved the issue...

Hope that helps, folks!

This was a perfect answer and worked beautifully...after 3 years of getting this alert, I know what to do about it!

Thank you!!!

Just wondering... Was my answer perfectly working for you, or Ian Epp's?

hi,

Actually it was Tomporo's and this is what it said to do and it was perfect and easy!

to right click on the Iphone in i-Tunes in the left side panel and it offered a few options, but one was to transfer from the phone to i-Tunes...slick and easy. Still can't believe I didn't know this for 3 years......

Hi, I am getting this message, and have done the following:

1) Authorized my computer - my account states there is ONE computer authorized

2) Backed up my iPod - this worked fine

3) But, when I check Transfer purchases it tells me I need to authorize my computer, gives me the login, which I do, and then it tells me it can't do it because there are 5 computers authorized for my account.

So at this point I can't transfer my purchases and I am concerned that if I update my iPod OS I will lose all my apps and have to repurchase them.. There is some kind of conflict in the authorize computers process...

I have also rebooted, emptied recycle bin etc. also. Nothing so far has worked..

Any suggestions? Thanks.

I found a solution for myself on this, after racking my brain about what to do. I'd synced from the "xxx's iPhone" icon, I'd clicked on "Transfer Purchases" from there. I'd already authorized my computer to sync.

I did two new things, that solved it for me. 1) I did compare the Apps section of my library to my phone's list of apps. The Apps section of my library was missing at least one, and it turned out many apps. So, 2) I went up to the iTunes menu at the top of the screen, found the "transfer purchases" option there (NOT under "devices" at the left of the iTunes window), and *poof*: suddenly I had two handfuls of apps previously not downloaded, that downloaded into my library.

Suddenly, problems solved. Sync is in progress now. In other sections of apple.com, I'd found mentions of the menu at the top of the screen working in a similar fashion to the menu at the left of the iTunes window. For me, they acted in different ways, and the menu at the top of the screen solved my problems!

Hope everyone has good fortune, and finds some of this useful. I'm relieved, to figure this out on my own, without begging my Apple-fluent friends.

Wow, had lots of problems with this one, here is what I did to fix it :

1. After pluggin the iphone & clicking "Transfer purchases", I noticed that only 1 app (in my case) was synching to my PC.

2. Deleted the app in question (which was the 1st in alphabetical order).

3. Re-clicked "Transfer purchases", and this time only 2 apps (out of about 20) synched to the PC. Then I thought that maybe some applications were causing this... but NO!

4. After un-plugging the device from the usb port & re-plugging it, one more app synched the next time I clicked "Transfer Purchases".

5. Finally, after unpluggin & re-plugging a couple of times (while ITunes was opened), a "Transfer Purchases" finally did synch all of my apps. I was able to see the progress by clicking on "Apps" in my library while the sync was in progress (I was seeing the apps beeing added live).

Now that all my apps are successfully synched to an authorized PC, I don't have the message anymore when trying to update my phone.

So, after all, the problem was that I never had been able to properly sync my applications from my IPhone to my PC (because anyway I barely use ITunes except to update my iphone), because I do all my purchases right on my IPhone, not on my PC!

So...

--> Try many times to plug/unplug your phone from your computer & doing the "Transfer Purchases" until it is done properly!!! Simple solution!

Hope this helps, try it, it is really quick & easy to try, helped my update to IOS 5.xx without loosing some paid apps! Good luck!

(ahh... Apple... products are overpriced, software is supposed to be good... and it is not... 😟)