Unable to update bundled iMove/iPhoto/GarageBand?

Fortunately, I've been dealing with a really helpful lady at Apple Customer Services in Cork. She put me in touch with her colleague and he gave me the redemption codes for iphoto, imovie and garageband which allowed me to download the apps again and overwrite the bundled software. However, I'm still left with the Accept button for the original install software. I'm told that Apple are working on a solution to this and it's something to do with the way the serial number of your machine, be it iMac or MacBook, is linked to your Apple ID and the App Store. I hope she's correct, because I really don't want to have to live with this defunct Accept button, because it's basically an error with the machine. I'm told that Apple hope to have a solution by February and Paula at Apple Customer Services has promised to stay in touch until it's sorted satisfactorily.

Unfortunately, I'm having the same issue. I've tried everything and none of the suggestions work for me and my MBP. App Store support seems unaware of the issue and unwilling to escalate me to Tier 2. They simply told me to call Applecare. I called Applecare & they escalated me, but Applecare can't do anything but try to get in touch with the App Store support. They told me they will call me back in 4 days!!!!! Can you believe this? I told them I was offended and annoyed. People purchase Apple products at a significant premium because it is supposed to be the best customer support experience in the world. If I take this experience in isolation I've had better interactions with Acer, Dell or a generic PC maker. Apple management should be embarrased to read this thread. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get this resolved faster (obtaining redemption codes). Please let me know.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/blogs/press-here/Apple-CEO-Tim-Cook-Loves-to-Answer-Yo ur-Email-128823808.html

New Apple chief executive Tim Cook usually responds to email from the public within three days, and a few are saying he's trying hard to be accessible much like Steve Jobs -- but will that continue once the congratulations have died down?

Cook's responses aren't long or drawn out, but are short acknowledgments of the content and sentiments, according to iDownloadBlog. (While Jobs' email address is still active and he is on the company's board of directors, it's unknown if he will be as responsive to his correspondence, MacRumors reported.) Cook is obviously following in Jobs' footsteps, but how much can someone emulate Jobs without being Jobs? That seems to be the most relevant question.

While MacRumors suggests that Cook may be in a honeymoon period, it may be judging Cook too harshly -- perhaps Cook is taking his role as the face of the company seriously and each response is a boon to public relations.

To see if you get a response, write to Cook at <edited by host>

Still to busy with work to get this fixed and in the little spare time I had trying all of the proposed fixes didn't work.

I can say after a few months of trying now that Apple support is awful.

Today i tried to make an appointment and that part of the site is again "down for maintenance". :/

I got another reply saying that iPhoto was installed by the Apple Store and that I can't update it through the Mac App store.

How I can update, they obviously don't tell me.

Why there is an update available for iPhoto in the Mac App Store, when you can't update through the Mac App store because the software was installed by Apple Store, neither.

😠😠😠

Aside from the problems with the video, that is what is supposed to happen with a new Mac, but most of the folks here did not do that because they were not told that they needed to do that. So they have been using the Mac, sometimes for months, until an update for one of those three apps becomes available. For some reason, with so many weeks or months having passed makes this process not work.

As far as the video, I would cut out the horribly boring first 4 to 5 minutes of waiting for the Mac to startup and of you following the on screen instructions for the initial setup. Also, make a much shorter Apple ID password for the sake of the video so you can enter it without making so many mistakes. Finally, adjust your camera so that folks can see the top of the Mac App Store page, most all of the most important reason to have the video was off camera.

I did exactly what was portrayed in the video and still couldn't accept the bundled software iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband or update them. The problem, I'm told by 2nd teir Apple support relates to the way my Apple ID is linked to the iMac serial number and bundled software.

So they finally sent me through the next level and support.
They looked into my problem and I got redeem codes to fix it.

It took a while but all works fine now. 🙂

In the end I am mainly glad that I could resolve this issue via email. I don't agree with the fact you can only receive a certain level of help via telephone.

A company like Apple should offer the same degree of support on all channels.

I found a simple way to do this for the record.

I really appreciate rapid response though!

you may find this interesting:

Click the store tab in the menu bar of the mac appstore, > view my account then re type password

This goes to an account overview page with a hidden purchases section.

Clicking hidden purchases will take you to all of your hidden purchases (even pre installed ones apparently)

Clicking unhide restores them to the normal purchased list!

Here is what I have done.

1. Log out of apple store

2. Click on Updates

3. Click Update on Garageband.

<this time, the login window appears>

4. Key in your login information.

<for me, app store asked for my credentials twice>

5. Garageband updated.

If that doesn't work the first time, repeat 1-4.

Congratuations on your perseverence! 🙂

I've been following your posts (and others) with interest because I have the same problem: My MacBookPro was purchased late last fall, set up by the Apple Store, and came with iLife pre-installed. The App Store icon shows updates available for GarageBand and iPhoto, but they can't be installed for all the usual reasons mentioned in everyone else's posts.

(I.e., The app store doesn't recognize my Apple ID as linked to the pre-installed iLife software bundle. GarageBand and iPhoto appear in the Apps folder on my Mac, but they don't show up in my "purchased software" list when I click the App Store icon because they came pre-installed. However, when I log in to the Mac App Store via Safari at the Apple website, it shows both items installed and in need of update - but, again, it doesn't recognize my Apple ID to allow download. Which is where this loop started.)

Where did you find the email support that got you the codes?

I am new to Mac, and I have burned through two of my three One to One sessions with trainers who couldn't figure out how to resolve this problem either. I would like to actually start using and enjoying this thing, but so far all I've done is fight this update mess. On the advice of my last One-to-One trainer (and a consulting in-store genius), I called 800-APL-CARE today for help, but was told I'd have to ante up another $50.00 for help with this problem.

Seriously?

Why should I pay for help with a problem that clearly has nothing to do with a failure of my device, but originates with an updating / account recognition problem at Apple? I thought Apple was legendary for its quality and customer service. What happened?

Any help you or anyone else can offer would be deeply appreciated.

Jefraize

Have you tried the method I posted above? There seems to be a problem with keychain management so I documented what I have done. I have 3 mac devices with similar problems and I solved them all using the method I described.

------------

1. Log out of apple store

2. Click on Updates

3. Click Update on Garageband.

<this time, the login window appears>

4. Key in your login information.

<for me, app store asked for my credentials twice>

5. Garageband updated.

If that doesn't work the first time, repeat 1-4.

However, when I log in to the Mac App Store via Safari at the Apple website, it shows both items installed and in need of update - but, again, it doesn't recognize my Apple ID to allow download.

You are badly confused. There is no Mac App Store accessible on line at the Apple website. The Mac App Store is an actual app on a Mac with Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 to 10.6.8 or with Mac OS X Lion 10.7 to 10.7.3. So there isn't anything on the internet accessible through Safari telling you that any apps need to be updated. Apple would only be charging you if your purchase of the Mac was over 90 days ago. The first 90 days of telephone support is free.

If you never accepted the bundled apps into your Apple ID registered with an iTunes Store/Mac App Store account, that needs to be done. Apps that came prebudled with a new Mac should appear in the Mac App Store Purchased pane in an are marked Purchases and on the far right should be a button that says Accept. If you have not accomplished that process, you cannot update the apps.

A process to try;

1 - Log out and quit iTunes and the Mac App Store (MAS)

2 - Go to System Prefs/Users & Groups/~user/Password and enter the Apple ID connected to your iTunes/Mac App Store account. Close Sys Prefs

3 - Delete /Mac HD/Library/Caches/com.apple.appstore/adoption.plist

4 - Reboot your Mac

5 - Open Mac App Store

6 - Go to the Purchased pane and Accept the three iLife apps. Enter iTunes/MAS username/password if prompted.

Hi Jefraize

I had a similar problem. I had few rounds of discussion with telephone support, finally there was one person who gave me a solution that worked.

I am not sure what is your problem exactly, but the problem i had was somehow i ended up with more than one apple id. The update to an app has to be done using the same id you used while purchasing the app. If this is a standard app along with O/S you should use the id that you used to register after purchase...

I resolved the problem by deleting the app and then reinstalling them again. To delete - drag and drop the app into trash can. To reinstall, log into to App store, and click on update and it will update the app from start...

Cheers...Elango

Greetings All,

Many thanks to those of you who took time to reply. After trying several of the suggested solutions, I finally gave up and took my Mac back to the Apple Store with me this morning for my third One to One session. Today's trainer said he had encountered the problem several times recently with other people's computers, and that he had had mixed results with fixes.

Since he was the third trainer who had tried to resolve the problem, and suggestions offered by in-store geniuses had not worked, he contacted Express Lane while I was there in the store and used my dismal repair record and his employee ID to get the case bumped up to Tier 2.

They looked my computer up by serial number and determined that the iLife software that came preinstalled on my Mac was not listed in a particular folder. They deleted that folder; when it reappeared, so did ALL of the appropriate software, including iPhoto and GarageBand. We then went back to the App store, and everything updated without a hitch.

I am sorry I can't be more specific about the name of the problem folder or where to look for it. As I mentioned, I am very new to Mac and just beginning to learn my way around things you probably all do in your sleep. The trainer and Express tech resolved the problem, but they were talking and clicking away faster than I could keep up.

If anyone else out there is still wrestling with this problem, hang in there. It may take patience and dogged determination, but the fix you need is out there - and life gets a whole lot simpler once you find it.

To the in-store trainers who didn't give up: Thank you!

To the folks behind the curtain at Apple: There is a problem here. Please fix it so others don't have to spend countless hours banging their heads against the screen and wishing they'd stuck with a PC.

Thanks again to Kukzee, elango1, and Dah.veed (to whom I also owe an apology for not being able to find the bullet point to spell his name right. As I said, I am embarrassingly new at this. Please forgive me. 🙂).

Be well, all, and happy computing.

Jefraize