HT203167: If you see an exclamation point next to your items in iTunes

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knotp37

Q: I have changed the country but the my purchased is all lost. How can I restored my purchased if I change country?

I have changed the country but the my purchased are all lost. What should I do?

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1, None

Posted on Jun 3, 2012 9:15 AM

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Q: I have changed the country but the my purchased is all lost. How can I restored my purchased if I change country?

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  • by BigGee42,

    BigGee42 BigGee42 Jun 3, 2012 10:07 PM in response to knotp37
    Level 2 (253 points)
    Jun 3, 2012 10:07 PM in response to knotp37

    I had this issue recently also and I contacted iTunes Support.

     

    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.

     

    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. 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.

     

    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.

  • by Kvicja,

    Kvicja Kvicja Jul 11, 2012 12:34 AM in response to BigGee42
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 11, 2012 12:34 AM in response to BigGee42

    I tried it as you wrote. I re-downloaded Need fro speed - Undercover, but Apple charged me for it again. It didn´t said that I have already purchased it. I´m pretty scared now. Cause I bought a lots of apps in disccount. I still have them in itunes backed up, but its still better feeling to have them in purchased history. Do you have any advice?

    Could swtiching my country back, give my applications back too?

  • by Kvicja,

    Kvicja Kvicja Jul 11, 2012 1:26 AM in response to Kvicja
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 11, 2012 1:26 AM in response to Kvicja

    I´ve got an update to my last reply. I tried to redownload one more application especially Doodle jump. It was different. Becasue when I was re-downloading Need for speed I clicked on the price and it started downloading, but then i found i had already downloaded that game in my iphone, so now i had two same shortcuts on my desktop on iPhone. But Doodle jump in appstore said Installed. So I reallized that in appstore not every application offers those re-downloads. All games that I had from Electronic Arts were the same as Need for speed. Showing the price even i had them on my iPhone already. So now I know for which applications i will pay again and for which not. When the application you have already in your iPhone, says in appstore Installed, you can be sure that if you wold like to re-download it, will be for free.

  • by Kvicja,

    Kvicja Kvicja Jul 11, 2012 1:29 AM in response to Kvicja
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 11, 2012 1:29 AM in response to Kvicja

    Now I´ll have to try it in Mac app store. Hope evry application will. Be for free again.

     

     

     

    And one more thing. The re-downloaded applications WILL NOT appear in your purchased history.

  • by BigGee42,

    BigGee42 BigGee42 Jul 11, 2012 5:51 PM in response to Kvicja
    Level 2 (253 points)
    Jul 11, 2012 5:51 PM in response to Kvicja

    It sounds strange that you ended up with 2 versions of the same App on your iPhone. This doesn't normally happen, as it would be overwritten, and it would suggest that the app you recently downloaded was not the same as the original version.

     

    Question - how do you know you've been charged to re-download the games? Apple doesn't send out an invoice for a few days after. Are you sure you've actually been charged?

     

    I can confirm that the App store does not have to confirm that an App is already installed for it to be available again for free. I actually deleted many of my purchased games from iTunes and my iPhone (i.e. they didn't show as installed) and re-downloaded them from the store so that they would register as being downloaded from my new country. I wasn't charged for any of them.

     

    So, one obvious question remains - did you use the SAME Apple ID for your new country? i.e. did you update the country in your Apple ID account settings to be the new country, or did you create a completely new Apple ID for your new country?

  • by Kvicja,

    Kvicja Kvicja Jul 11, 2012 7:21 PM in response to BigGee42
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 11, 2012 7:21 PM in response to BigGee42

    I´ll describe you exactly what I did.I have one Appstore account which I use for both iPhone Appstore and Mac Appstore. I lived in Czech republic I had connected Czech card and addres to this account.Now I moved to Canada I thought it would be good to have there my new adress. So I went into Mac Appstore account settings and just changed the adress. Then I hit confirm button but it said this card isn´t canadian credit card. So I had to type in my new canadian card. So thats all I did. Then I looked into my purchased history and there were not any of my previously purchased applications. So I looked up some informations and found your suggestion. One day after re-purchasing Neeed for speed, I looked at my internet banking And exactly that money I spend with taxes were grabed out of my bank account. Then I recieved mail reciepe from apple store including those apps. Then I tried another app which wasn´t from Electronic Arts and it said that thing about free uprgrade, that I had already purchased that app. One thing that makes me worry, is that even if I delete some app and then re-purchase it for free it doesn´t appear in my purchase list again.

  • by ghostway,

    ghostway ghostway Sep 11, 2012 10:19 AM in response to knotp37
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 11, 2012 10:19 AM in response to knotp37

    Hi all,

     

    this seems to be spreading widely, now there are already several threads about purchases lost after Apple started more agressively enforcing new purchase rules in August 2012.

     

    its confirmed by several of us unfortunate users. Previous purchases are lost, any updates to previous apps cant be downloaded and itunes is showing annoying error messages when trying to update this apps.

     

    Purchases in new store seem to be charged again. There is no clear handling and explanation from apple. except that you have to download purchased items from old country store and then forget them as you purchase new items from new store.

     

    any help?

  • by Edithisabel,

    Edithisabel Edithisabel Oct 5, 2012 11:26 PM in response to knotp37
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 11:26 PM in response to knotp37

    I got exactly the same problem as I moved from Australia to Hong Kong and changed the country settings but I kept my apple ID.

     

    What am I supposed to do? Contact apple store support. This is a really consumer unfriendly work around.

     

    I'm not happy that I need to look for work arounds on the Internet and re-download the apps again.

  • by ghostway,

    ghostway ghostway Oct 6, 2012 12:22 AM in response to Edithisabel
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 6, 2012 12:22 AM in response to Edithisabel

    Contact apple itunes suport.

     

    It is clearly a problem and they need to solve it. Now they think it is "expected" behavior.

     

    If you re download the apps all your settings and stored in app data is gone.

  • by Justin in prague,

    Justin in prague Justin in prague Jun 2, 2013 8:47 AM in response to BigGee42
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 2, 2013 8:47 AM in response to BigGee42

    I tried this i.e. I had already purchased skyfall on my first account and it wanted to charge me again on my new account. Crazy that you could in theory build an entire library and then it is diappears if you move countries. If this is the case then I would encourge people to rent and never to buy movies on itunes.

  • by Justin in prague,

    Justin in prague Justin in prague Jun 2, 2013 8:48 AM in response to ghostway
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 2, 2013 8:48 AM in response to ghostway

    Its worse with Movies - the purchase disappears completely!

  • by Justin in prague,

    Justin in prague Justin in prague Jun 2, 2013 8:51 AM in response to ghostway
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 2, 2013 8:51 AM in response to ghostway

    Hi - did you solve this? Is this even legally acceptable? It's your same account - in my case i am still living in the same country just changed the bank card of teh country I am using. I think apple havent considered how many europeans move around from country to country.

  • by younes30,

    younes30 younes30 Oct 10, 2013 5:55 AM in response to Justin in prague
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 10, 2013 5:55 AM in response to Justin in prague

    i am very sad that more then 8 years of purchasing and data will be in jeopardy to be lost and vanished,, and the reason is that you changed your country!! .. what a treatment !? .. apple you failed on this !!.. apple you need to think about us* we deserve some attention !!

  • by wildcat1559,

    wildcat1559 wildcat1559 Oct 10, 2013 10:18 AM in response to knotp37
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 10, 2013 10:18 AM in response to knotp37

    I recently changed countries as well. I simply changed my settings back to the previous country went into purchases and downloaded all the content. It was all music mainly and a couple of apps so i didnt have any issues. Changed settings back to current country no probs. you may have issues though if your apps are country specific meaning youll have to change back to the old country to do updates, so if the same apps are available in both countries then updating should be hassle free.

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