Cannot update pre-installed iLife suite from App Store.

I'm also experiencing the same problem with a Macbook Air 11" bought last Friday.

Just got off the phone with AppleCare and spoke with 2nd tier support - nice guy but no real solution as yet.

They basically gave me two options:

- Wipe the computer and reinstall Lion

- Escalate to iTunes/App Store support (which is email only)

After spending the weekend installing and transferring everything to this Macbook, I wasn't going to go with the first option. I just don't really have the time to do all that again just because 3 apps won't update.

Hopefully the iTunes guys will solve the problem and email me soon.

Warning: Do not wipe the computer until you have verified that you can re-download Lion. I went into the recovery partition as a test and tried. It told me that my computer wasn't authorized for that either.

Wiping and reinstalling would just give you the same problem I think. Since these preinstalled ilife is still not tagged to your Apple ID

note: for new machines that comes preinstalled with Lion, reinstallation should be a breeze since Lion is tagged to your serial number

@Saul: that's cause you probably purchase Lion via the Appstore, you need to input your Apple ID

For the iLife update issue for preinstalled, Check with iTunes store for a possible resolution.

i've just recieved new input from itunes support.

this morning i receieved a new email from my "Senior Advisor", she asked for my serial an explained she will activate the apps to my apple-id so i can update, download and so on.

so i've send her my serial and got an reply, now she told me apple is working on that problem and i will get informed when new informations are available.

so i think the support right now knows that there is a problem, some thing must be happened this morning because the solution she provided this morning is not that what will happen, but something will happen.

Hi, I wanted to chime in with another "ME TOO" reply. This is my first Mac since an SE/30 (circa 1991), and while I love just about everything about the new 2011 Macbook Air (13" base model bought on Wed July 20 2011), I'm really frustrated with Apple Support on this issue.

My Air exhibited this failure-to-update problem from the get-go, and so I reported it via the support number on the day I received it (Fri Jul 22). It was escalated twice during that phone call but the 3rd-tier service rep I spent the most time with still didn't have an immediate solution. That weekend he sent a gzipped tar-file with diagnostics to run, which I immediately ran and emailed back to the rep. After a week of no further contact, the rep told me it was an iTunes problem & even though I had an Apple case number already assigned, he wanted me to start over by filling out an iTunes bug report on their contact page.

I filled out the iTunes contact right away, on Fri Jul 29, and didn't get any response back from the iTunes store until Mon Aug 1, when a rep named "Raely" offered a suggestion that I re-install Lion and download iLife again. When I resisted that idea - fearing it would wipe what I had already set up on my new Air - I was summarily dumped from the sytem:

You can also feel free to visit a Genius Bar for some hands-on help. To find the Apple Store nearest you and click the link to make a reservation at the Genius Bar:

http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist

I'm very sorry for the inconvenience Jim. I hope one of these resources can get this cleared up for you.

Sincerely,

Raely

iTunes Store/ Mac App Store Support

So... after receiving an Apple case number, running diagnostics for engineering, being dumped after 10 days by the initiall third-tier support person, then begin dumped after 3 more days by iTunes support, I go (yesterday Wed Aug 3) to the local Genius Bar, where I get expressions of confusion from Genius #1 and also from Genius Store Manager. Nobody I have interacted with is even aware that this is a problem.

The collected Geniuses wanted to lay hands on my Air for the rest of the day, but I was unwilling to abandon it with all my email accounts and VPN tunnels into my workplace configured. Last night I did I full Time Machine backup to a newly-formatted drive, re-installed Lion (took over 4 hours because it said it needed to download something even though the recovery partition was there), and was still unable to update iLife. At least the re-install didn't disturb any data, configs, or apps on my new Air.

I was going to erase the disk and return to the Genius bar today, but having found this thread I think I'll take a wait and see approach.

Don't get me wrong - the new Air seem like a very well put together product overall. It's just that the customer service I have received so far has been nothing short of incompetent. A simple and satisfactory resolution would have been an escalation to somebody who would actually acknowledge the problem, explain that engineering was aware and actively working on a solution, and offer an ETA on the fix. Shrugs and handoffs do not build customer confidence or loyalty.

Posting this in the two related threads as it might be of help to someone, so excuse the repost!

After 19 emails back and forth with a very nice, if somewhat baffled, iTunes rep - I've finally resolved my iLife update issue without wiping my entire Macbook Air. It took various checks, tips and some odd instructions (including "try doubleclicking the App Store icon, not single clicking"...) but eventually they just issued me with three redemption codes for iMove, iPhoto and GarageBand.

I should note that, in my experience, Apple Support / AppleCare / Genius Bar cannot help you with this problem. There seems to be a nasty bug in the App Store that will need to be patched/updated by Apple in due course before this issue is properly resolved.

Best of luck to the rest of you!

Hi Feoen,

I couldn't agree more. Although I can't complain about the specific rep who handled my ticket, as they were no doubt following a diagnostic script (and responded very promptly to my emails too) - but as a whole, this issue is being handled very poorly by Apple.

I understand they're a huge company that's just launched a massive OS update and the support department must be juggling a million issues, but there has to be ways of sending out a department-wide memo instructing how to deal with a very specific problem being experienced by multiple people using a very popular newly released product.

While I don't expect them to give out software codes freely, jumping through so many hoops for what is ultimately a £30 software suite is crazy - especially when you consider the software is made by Apple themselves, so the codes cost them nothing!

But what I found genuinely worrying, is how quickly Apple support resorts to suggesting an OS wipe for what is, all things considered, a relatively minor software problem.

Crazy.

Same problem for me as well. My emails to App Store support have yielded the advice to purchase the applications from the App Store and I will then be refunded for them.

After reading that others were experiencing this failure-to-update issue in this thread and also this other thread, I decided to email both the original Apple rep that handed me off, and also the iTunes rep who dumped me, to request that my case be re-opened. Happily, I did get a reply from a new rep who assured me the case would be re-opened, and within a couple of hours he already had a response from engineering that this was a known issue. If I understood the phone conversation correctly, engineering may have already fixed the problem on Fri Jul 29 for future Macbook Airs shipped after that date, but that doesn't address pre-7/29 Air models

The new rep gave me a separate redemption code for each of the three iLife products that weren't updating, and once I redeemed the codes I had those three apps listed as Purchased within the App Store. I was then able to update iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand, so now the issue is resolved for me.

For anyone else facing this glitch. don't give up until you get a response.

I just spent two hours at the "genius bar" trying to address this same issue for my new macbook air. It appeared that the "genius" reinstalled lion-- which then wiped the updates cue from the app store. Of course when I got back home and opened the app store the red updates appeared again, taunting me...ugh.

Hi there. I had same issue on my MB Air, bought couple days after release. After going forth and back with iTunes support, they suggested to buy iLife and offered refund. Problem is, I couldn't buy it because app store showed "installed", you know what I mean. So I got tired of waiting for Apple to solve it, and reinstalled Lion from the scratch, of course after re-installation - no iLife. However, I was able to but it from app store and got email from iTunes rep with the refund.

All works OK now, finally, but it took to reinstall Lion from the scratch to get it going!

Hi everyone, yes I have the same problem with no resolution.

I started with emails to the Mac App Store support, which seemed like what you would do with a mac app store proplem. Nope. So after several back and forth emails, they said it is a technical problem and call support.

I spent a couple of hours at a Genius bar where they had no idea and said I should try reinstalling lion. I did and ended up with the same problem. When I did a clean install ended up with no iLife and no way to install them. SuperDuper to the rescue to get me back to where I started.

Today I called apple care and got transfered around and they finaly said I should email itunes support. At that point I was not happy and told them so, not that it does any good of course but makes me feel better.

So today I have emailed itunes suport. I am hoping they have this issue in their playbook now so I don't have to do a week of emails.

For such a little problem this has been my worse support experiance ever.

As long as you guys remain passive enough that you allow the situation to be addressed by the lower echelons of Apple Support Centers in South Asia, you will continue to be shuffled around. It is time that you each escalated your calls to Apple Customer Relations. Customer Relations agents are authorized to make Apple customers happy. They fortunately also seem to have access to inhouse Apple policies and programs that are not readily available to Apple Care agents.

Last MAR I had a question regarding 3rd party RAM for my Mac mini. I was erroneously told in telephone calls by both a local Apple Store employee in the Knox Store in Dallas, TX, USA and a 1st tier Apple Care agent that using 3rd party RAM in a Mac voided the limited and extended Apple warranty. I immediately asked to have my call escalated to Customer Relations. Not an Apple Care supervisor, or any other Apple Care agent, nothing less than Customer Relations. The CR agent did a number of things;

1. Initiated retraining for erroneous information disseminated by both of the Apple store and Apple Care employees

2. Logged a note to the serial number registration of my Mac mini that 3rd party RAM did not void any Apple warranty in effect with my Mac.

3. Sent me a coupon for my trouble good for up to USD$300 dollars off any Apple hardware product. (I saved it for two months and used it to buy the 64 GB iPad 2 for the price of the 32 GB iPad 2!)

Always use your best behavior when speaking to Apple. You are angry at the Company, its products or its policies, not individual Apple employees, no matter how incompetent, and should treat everyone with respect, firmly, but respectfully. Never make threats, mention lawyers or lawsuits. If you do, the call will likely end there and you will never get more from Apple from that point forward than perfunctory legal obligations. And it will be noted in the file for the registered Apple product and Apple ID, if you have given them, only to follow you the rest of your history with Apple.

Get the name and position of everyone with whom you speak at Apple, and if possible a telephone number with extension and/or an email address before starting any conversation. Take notes of the conversation that you have with this person, especially any claims made by them regarding Apple policy or procedure. Continue to do so as you get passed upline. From the first moment of your next phone call, ask to have the call transferred to Customer Relations. When you reach CR, explain concisely the issue and include what you believe it will take to make this issue right. It seems that the only real solution to make it right is for Apple to provide redemption codes to allow you to purchase new versions of the apps using your own Apple ID. Why should you have to purchase the apps and wait for Apple to reimburse you?

I hope this helps someone here. I have resorted to Apple Customer Relations twice in the past 4 years and received satisfaction on both occasions. The first time got me a free iMac out-of-warranty display replacement (USD$ 600+) when I was getting nothing but disconnected calls from Apple Care.

Dah•veed wrote:

It seems that the only real solution to make it right is for Apple to provide redemption codes to allow you to purchase new versions of the apps using your own Apple ID. Why should you have to purchase the apps and wait for Apple to reimburse you?

I agree and I made a point of asking about redemption codes after reading that someone was offered them on this thread, the reply was that after consultation with a senior advisor "there are no redemption codes that I am able to provide to you".

Ultimately whilst the manor in which the problem was resolved and the length of time it took were perhaps suboptimal, I do have the lastest version of iLife on my Macbook Air now.

It was interesting to read your experience and advice, I'll keep it in mind should I need to use it in the future.