Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Storeagent process - What is it?

Hi

Please could someone clarify what the Storeagent process does?

I noticed today it was sending 1MB p/s out of my broadband connection ...

I know it's linked with the App Store, however I wasn't downloading anything from the App Store.

Cheers!


<Edited by Host>

MacBookPro7,1, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Confused about Storeagent

Posted on Mar 15, 2011 4:09 PM

Reply
62 replies

Jan 17, 2017 9:50 AM in response to lkrupp

lkrupp wrote:


All the app store haters need to be aware that upgrading to OS X Lion will be through the app store only. If you got rid of the app store because you are paranoid about Storeagent you can't upgrade to Lion. You will be stuck in time. Good luck.

Biggest BS ever?


I know a ton of people who never used the MAS and are on Lion. What you write is simply not true. End of discussion. Makes me angry to read commments like this of people that obviously have on clue of what they are talking about and no tech insight at all as it seems.

Jan 17, 2017 9:50 AM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:


Babaqum wrote:


lkrupp wrote:


All the app store haters need to be aware that upgrading to OS X Lion will be through the app store only. If you got rid of the app store because you are paranoid about Storeagent you can't upgrade to Lion. You will be stuck in time. Good luck.

Biggest BS ever?


I know a ton of people who never used the MAS and are on Lion. What you write is simply not true. End of discussion. Makes me angry to read commments like this of people that obviously have on clue of what they are talking about and no tech insight at all as it seems.

And on June 22 2011 when this was originally posted you didn't know any Lion users, time passes, things change, you are 2 and a half months late to the party.

Sure thing. But I also didn't open my mouth concerning things I would then have been unable to judge. Doing so and then also judging users who don't like Apples intrusiveness to be hillbillies is not cool - at all. And no, the party is still running as this interesting discussion obviously shows. Also all those App Store questions and storeagent issues remain unsolved. No one knows what data is sent no one knows how much bandwidth is used. No one knows why Apple does it and Apple officials to not explain.

Mar 16, 2011 8:04 AM in response to crsrusl

Research, I conducted while developing my App Store removal application, indicates storeagent is
retrieving App Store related app updates and other App Store related data. Of course the actual data
is encrypted, so exactly what its communications contents are, were in fact, quite undeterminable.

This topic has been discussed in a previous forum thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13127151#13127151

Kj

Mar 16, 2011 2:28 PM in response to crsrusl

Outside of some unencrypted data files that are downloaded first, I cannot verify the content
of the data exchanged once the encryption certificates are loaded and the encryption begins.

The unencrypted data files contain nothing more than storefront and product information
and/or links to the actual storefront and product data.

Kj

Mar 16, 2011 3:27 PM in response to crsrusl

crsrusl wrote:
So basically it's sending information about my Mac to Apple?! Using my bandwidth and more without my permission?

Is this correct?


Storeagent runs only when the App Store application is open. Test it yourself. Launch
Activity Monitor from your Utilities folder and look for the Storeagent process. Close the App Store and watch the process quit after about a minute. And as mentioned before this process does not send personal information about you or your system to Apple. The App Store needs to know what you have installed and if updates are available. If paranoia is getting the best of you then just don't ever launch the App Store again. And by the way there are numerous applications from both Apple and third parties that do exactly the same thing.

Mar 16, 2011 4:52 PM in response to lkrupp

lkrupp: And as mentioned before this process does not send personal information about you or your system to Apple. The App Store needs to know what you have installed and if updates are available.


That's only part of what was mentioned before. This is what KJK555 wrote:

Outside of some unencrypted data files that are downloaded first, _I cannot verify the content_
_of the data exchanged once the encryption certificates are loaded and the encryption begins._

The unencrypted data files contain nothing more than storefront and product information
and/or links to the actual storefront and product data.


As Kj has pointed out, when it's encrypted we can have no idea what's being sent.

Ikrupp: And by the way there are numerous applications from both Apple and third parties that do exactly the same thing.


Encrypted? And, since the data storeagent sends is encypted, we can't know if they do "the same thing."

I don't have to be "paranoid" to not want some application or process mining my data, whether that data is sensitive, personal or not. There was also some concern in that thread KJK555 linked to that the MAS phones home before login, regardless of whether the App Store is launched or not.

Mar 17, 2011 6:22 AM in response to crsrusl

You can contact the iTunes Store via email through the support page, but it they do answer I'm sure they are going to tell you that it collects information regarding applications on your computer (including ones purchased through the MAS) in order to provide updates. iOS devices, such as the iPhone and iPad do the same thing for the App Store. The data is encrypted to ensure the privacy of the information.

On iOS devices I don't believe there is any way to not do this as you cannot delete the App Store app. I do believe you can delete the MAS application and Storeagent and just don't use them which will prevent the data being sent.

Storeagent process - What is it?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.