pechnatunk
Level 1 (5 points)
iCloud

Q: "this apple id is only valid for purchases in the..." - Cannot update apps, apps also missing.

Hi Everyone.

Something has happened to my account and unfortunately I'm not sure how and when exactly.

A month or so ago I bought Kindle for iphone, around the same time, or shortely after, I did just a normal sync to change the music in my phone.

Now, when I go to the app store in my phone - I only have the Kindle app in the "Purchased" section.

Similarly - when using itunes, I can see I have access to around 90 apps in itunes, however, when I click on check for updates, I get the above message -

"this apple id is only valid for purchases in the UK itunes store".

 

I have moved to the UK from Australia around a year ago - and a lot of my apps have been downloaded here in the UK, why is this happening now?

And how do I fix it?

I am able to update the apps once I put them on to the phone via a sync.

But I'm worried I may one day loose purchases, and I'd to be able to download an app I've already bought when not next to my PC.

Any help would be appreciated.

iPhone 3GS, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on May 10, 2012 9:56 AM

by BigGee42,Solvedanswer
BigGee42 BigGee42
Level 2 (253 points)
A:

I had this issue recently also and I contacted iTunes Support. Except I moved from the UK to Australia.

 

The "This ID is only valid for purchases in the xxxx store" message happens to me occasionally when it loads up the store for my old country (the UK). It sorts itself out when you try a purchase again. Verify your account and payment method are set to the UK. Then read on...

 

Regarding your previous purchases -

 

iTunes Store content is country specific and not available to all countries, however there are likely to be many items you purchased or downloaded that are available worldwide. Apps and music etc that are available in both countries can be re-downloaded for free if previously purchased.

 

To re-download your previous purchases and to ensure that you can keep your Apps up to date you need to re-select them from the iTunes store as if you're buying them again. iTunes will recognise that you've already purchased them and let you download the content for free. It doesn't forget your purchases, it just doesn't show those from a different country in your history. To test it out, try downloading one of your cheaper Apps or songs again. It should advise that the update is free as you've already purchased it. Once downloaded, they'll be in your history.

 

If you don't update your Apps from the new country's store, you won't be able to keep them up to date unless you update the Apps via an iPhone or iPad.

 

This is a quote from the e-mail I received from iTunes Support:

 

Graham, I would like to inform you that to update to the latest version of apps in the new country, you will need to "re-purchase" (for free) those apps from the App Store in the new country. You will not be charged when the item downloads. Also, if you re-download the apps from the store, you won't see outdated notifications anymore.

 

This also applies to the Mac App Store, assuming that the App is available in both original & new countries. It certainly worked for my copy of OS X Lion!

 

Interestingly enough, for some bizarre reason, if you have Apps on an iPhone or iPad you can continue to update these without having to re-download them. The device doesn't care which country the App came from. Weird...

Posted on Jun 3, 2012 10:24 PM

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pechnatunk

Q: "this apple id is only valid for purchases in the..." - Cannot update apps, apps also missing.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by TooDarkPark,

    TooDarkPark TooDarkPark May 10, 2012 11:00 AM in response to pechnatunk
    Level 4 (1,590 points)
    May 10, 2012 11:00 AM in response to pechnatunk

    This is normal. Changing countries also makes apps that are not licensed to be sold in that country will no longer be allowed to be updated. To update them, you will have to move back to the country they were originally purchased in as well as change your billing to an address in that country.

  • by pechnatunk,

    pechnatunk pechnatunk May 11, 2012 5:46 AM in response to TooDarkPark
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iCloud
    May 11, 2012 5:46 AM in response to TooDarkPark

    No, this can't be normal - the apps; such as facebook and ibooks are ubiquitous around the world.

    It would be very close minded and naive of Apple to not understand that people move around the world.

    I believe it is some sort of setting I need to change in the itunes store.

    Some additional information is that all emails being sent to me from Apple since my reset yesterday, are now in French. The last time I reset my phone was about a year ago in France.

    This must have something to do with it. Incidently - back then when I reset my phone, itunes maintained all my purchases from Australia.

    That's why I am asking, why is this happening now?

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos May 11, 2012 5:53 AM in response to pechnatunk
    Level 9 (54,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 11, 2012 5:53 AM in response to pechnatunk

    The apps may or may not be identical in content.  I know many years ago part of the licensing agreement for Mac OS was you would not take your copy outside of the USA.  I think back then there was some security software on it that was only licensed for the US.  In any case, it isn't Apple saying it (don't you think they would prefer to make it as easy as possible for them to take your money?), it's the license owners.

     

    App Store Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2001 when using iTunes --> "To change countries, scroll to the end of the iTunes Store home page and click the flag indicating the current country. To choose a different country, click the appropriate flag."

     

    iOS: Changing the signed-in iTunes Store account - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1311

  • by BigGee42,Solvedanswer

    BigGee42 BigGee42 Jun 3, 2012 10:24 PM in response to pechnatunk
    Level 2 (253 points)
    Jun 3, 2012 10:24 PM in response to pechnatunk

    I had this issue recently also and I contacted iTunes Support. Except I moved from the UK to Australia.

     

    The "This ID is only valid for purchases in the xxxx store" message happens to me occasionally when it loads up the store for my old country (the UK). It sorts itself out when you try a purchase again. Verify your account and payment method are set to the UK. Then read on...

     

    Regarding your previous purchases -

     

    iTunes Store content is country specific and not available to all countries, however there are likely to be many items you purchased or downloaded that are available worldwide. Apps and music etc that are available in both countries can be re-downloaded for free if previously purchased.

     

    To re-download your previous purchases and to ensure that you can keep your Apps up to date you need to re-select them from the iTunes store as if you're buying them again. iTunes will recognise that you've already purchased them and let you download the content for free. It doesn't forget your purchases, it just doesn't show those from a different country in your history. To test it out, try downloading one of your cheaper Apps or songs again. It should advise that the update is free as you've already purchased it. Once downloaded, they'll be in your history.

     

    If you don't update your Apps from the new country's store, you won't be able to keep them up to date unless you update the Apps via an iPhone or iPad.

     

    This is a quote from the e-mail I received from iTunes Support:

     

    Graham, I would like to inform you that to update to the latest version of apps in the new country, you will need to "re-purchase" (for free) those apps from the App Store in the new country. You will not be charged when the item downloads. Also, if you re-download the apps from the store, you won't see outdated notifications anymore.

     

    This also applies to the Mac App Store, assuming that the App is available in both original & new countries. It certainly worked for my copy of OS X Lion!

     

    Interestingly enough, for some bizarre reason, if you have Apps on an iPhone or iPad you can continue to update these without having to re-download them. The device doesn't care which country the App came from. Weird...

  • by shey.delacruz,

    shey.delacruz shey.delacruz Sep 20, 2012 9:22 PM in response to pechnatunk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 20, 2012 9:22 PM in response to pechnatunk

    You can change your  Country through changing your location settings. Just follow the link below. You just need to to of course agree to their terms and agreement then modify your new billing address. Worked for me

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1311?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

  • by Wilburight,

    Wilburight Wilburight Jan 7, 2013 11:49 PM in response to shey.delacruz
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jan 7, 2013 11:49 PM in response to shey.delacruz

    I bought and used two iPad 2s overseas 19 months ago. After returning to Australia I had to re-establish my ID with my new location. Over time several apps were being flagged with a little ! in iTunes on my PC and I couldn't figure out why. Suspecting they were somehow corrupted, I tried to reinstall them. This worked for a couple, but several could no longer be found in the iTunes Store, so I've essentially lost these. It's a crazy system that brings to mind the ineffective regionalising of DVDs.

     

    Thanks to the Apple Maps debarkle, I rarely use these iPads and even more infrequently attempt to backup and sync them through iTunes on my PC. However, when I do plug them in, I'm told I'm not who I say I am or I've used the wrong password - the same username/pw I've always used and still can use on the iPads themselves right now. Apple then offers to send an email that I've yet to receive. Then to add to my confusion, iTunes lets me connect the iPad normally as if nothing just transpired! I'm not sure it's related to an iTunes program update (Windows 7) since I so rarely connect lately, or to my country swap, but it's annoying. Almost as annoying as iTunes is confusing, cumbersome and slow.