Unable to update bundled iMove/iPhoto/GarageBand?

The issue here is "bundled" apps (ones that are included with a new computer) do not show as apps you own or "have purchased". Therefor "I think" this is why people are having problems when they try to update them.

My issue is I erased the Hard Drive, and now can't download iLife at all since it does not show as a purchased apps.

Why is an attempt by a user to assist you a red herring? The bundled apps preinstalled need to be opted into your MAS account. Neville has explained the process to do so from Apple as he understands it. Paul Hutchings, the OP, commented @ Jul 24, 2011 6:43 AM that when he clicked Redeem he was asked about an iTunes gift card. That was obviously not the Redeem button that Neville was attempting to get folks to use.

The ASC are user to user technical support forums. Apple does not participate here, there are a few Apple employees who police the ASC only. So folks commenting here are users trying to assist the OP with his posted issue. No one is trying to interject red herrings.

It's a red herring because the Redeem button explanation does not apply to the issue from the original post - the problem we're having trying to update bundled apps is not solved by clicking a Redeem button

I didn't want people getting the idea that this had been solved - to the best of my knowledge it hasn't & I imagine Apple will step in at some point once they realise people are getting this (albeit perhaps not because of posts on this forum, if Apple don't monitor it)

So I wasn't trying to slap anyone down - just clarify that the 'Redeem' solution is not the solution to the original post

All good?

:-)

And yet as we can see from this Apple Knowledge Base article regarding restoring the bundled iLife apps, that Neville's comment was not a red herring at all, just perhaps some faulty terminology; Accept instead of Redeem. Logic would tell us that the same or similar steps would need to be taken with a newly purchased Mac to opt the bundled iLife apps into a users MAS account. Especially in step 5 where it discusses not having previously accepted the bundled apps.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Restoring iLife applications after Internet Restore of OS X Lion

If you reinstall Lion on a new Mac that shipped with OS X Lion installed, on an erased or replaced hard drive, you can download iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand from the Mac App Store.

1. After installation, start from Lion.
2. Double-click the App Store icon in the dock.
3. Enter your Apple ID and password.
4. Click Purchases.
5. If you haven't previously accepted your bundled iLife applications within the Mac App Store, you should see your iLife applications appear in the Accept portion of the screen. Click Accept.
6. 
7. You may be asked for your Apple ID and password once again. Your iLife applications now move to the Purchased section. These applications are part of the software that came with your Lion based computer. Your account will not be charged for them. Click Install to compete installation of your applications.

8. 

Same issue. I do not have the "Accept" option.

This doesn't work for me. Nothing shows up in my purchases tab. It just says I haven't purchased any apps yet.

Same here as well. There is no option to 'Accept' anything. From the moment I got this MBA the only option was to update the software, but clicking update says I did not purchase it, and to buy it. Clicking 'Buy' says that I cannt buy the software and that an error has occured.

Thanks Daveed for clarifying the process that is supposed to be followed.

The facts are that many purchasers of new Macs are not seeing the process work despite their best efforts to comply with the Apple ID requirement.

On the matter of the Apple ID: It seems to me that it's important to be absolutely accurate with the registration of the new Mac and with the corresponding Apple ID created when establishing the App Store ID. As it's a computerised match there must be no accidental character differences - capitalisation must match as must punctuation and space characters as well as passwords.

I have seen in other posts that App Store telephone enquiry operators have been very helpful to users who have had problems with appropriate credits/debits. I don't know how practicable it is for users to access this service.

I'm likewise not familiar with how responsive App Store is to users who use any of the contact methods available through the Contact Us link at the bottom of this page. I do encourage each person who has a problem to use this link to give feedback to Apple regardless of any other action they may be able to take as your situation shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Same deal here, on my new Mac mini. No redeem button, other than the iTunes gift card variety.

Same problem here. Unable to update bundled apps. I seem to remember a window popping up saying something like some applications had been "accepted", which I thought was a strange word to use at the time, but it was only there briefly and didn't ask me to click anything, and I've never seen an "Accept" screen in the app store.

I've contacted the App Store about this and they say they'll get back to me within 24 hours so I'll post back here if I hear anything positive (or negative) and if I get a fix.

I've just received an email from the App Store support team telling me that if I recently purchased my Mac it may be eligible for a free upgrade to Lion, with a link to check if it is *sigh*

I've emailed them back telling them that I already have Lion, and have given them the serial number of my MacBook Air. Hopefully something positive will come of all this.

I was half tempted to do a fresh install of Lion via the recovery partition but I've read of people that have done this and then not been able to download iLife at all once the reinstall had completed.

Hey ho, let's see what the rest of today brings.

Don't restore! You will not have iLife at all after.

I have erased and restored a few times, so have a little more info....

Right after the Lion install, the App store will show the 3 iLife apps in purchases, but ask you to accept them. When you accept and put in your password, it tells you they were already accepted and will show in your Purchases list.

BUT they do not show in the list, I purchases a free app to see if that would get the store to refresh, but it now only shows that free app.

I might get an answer, iTunes/App store finally wrote me back, confused if it's one of my 4 purchased apps I'm having trouble re-downloading. So they are seeing 4 apps where I only see 1.

Just have to sit down and write this clealy so they understand

I restored, and I completely lost iLife. Went to an Apple store, they exchanged my Air. Programs then updated fine.

Out of curiosity I have brought up my account details in iTunes and checked my purchase history from there. No sign of iLife or the individual apps there either, grrrrrrr!

Another update. Email support have basically given up on me and have directed me to telephone support, which is closed right now. I'll be ringing them tomorrow and will report back what they say. I have to say I'm not hopeful so far though.

😟