There are purchased items on the iPhone “X’s iPhone” that have not been transferred to your iTunes library. You should transfer these items to your iTunes library before updating. So how about a clue as to what's not transferred and how to?

I'm no Apple expert, just ran into this problem myself.

Solution:

1) Before you can transfer the purchases you need to Authorise the computer (do this from the Store menu)

2) Once the computer is authorised, then you can transfer the purchases (File->Devices->Transfer...)

User Experience comments for Apple:

3) Hiding the menu bar is plain stupid and ruins the User Experience. I've been fighting iTunes for weeks and only now have I found it. How useful. This really is not clever or smart. It's amazingly dumb. Frustratingly this is like the rubbish Microsoft is now doing with Vista/7 and moreso with Windows 8.

Repeat after me: Hiding menus does not help the user of the software.

4) The warning when you try to update is useful in that it stops you losing data but useless in that it doesn't tell you (in sensible, non-expert language) how to do this. It really should have either:

a) A help button taking you to an explanation of the problem

b) A "transfter these files for me button" that takes you through all the necessary steps, including authorising the computer if need be.

I'm gobsmacked that I'm advising Apple on User Experience issues, but there you go.

Sync'd, backup up, File | Devices | Transfer Purchases from iPhone, rinse, repeat. Even saw the message 'Transferring Purchases from iPhone' at one point.

Still couldn't make the 'Purchases have not been transferred' message go away. Gave up. Unclear what we've lost.

This doesn't seem to make any difference.

I'm using iTunes 11 and iPhone 5 on 6.0.1 (and want to upgrade to 6.0.2)

- I have switched on the Menu bar (why on Earth is this switched off by default)

- and then done File>Devices>Transfer Purchases from X's iPhone

There was a brief whirl of activity, which made me think the transfers were made, but no. Same old error message. I agree entirely with Claridge9ne's comment about the error message.

Yep. This was a really dumb move from Apple's standpoint. I tried synching, backing up, everything I saw from the menu (that I only could see if I right-clicked on the phone but NOT on the little disconnect device arrow) and then finally just googled the error message to get this.

What a stupid UI choice. Helpful tip to your usability people: Make the DEFAULT UI braindead simple and then let sophisticated users hide stuff if they like. Doing it the other way around is annoying.

I feel like by doing a Back Up or even syncing my phone this "transfer" of purchases should be occuring. Maybe its just me and not knowing how it all works. Oh well easy fix, thanks for the info.

Kate et al

This is not Apple, nor is this community monitored by Apple. This is just users like you, trying to assist others where we can - so no real point telling us what you think Apple should do.

Here is the Apple iTunes feedback

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Cheers

I too have had the same problem. Computer is authorized, triied transfering and still got the warning. Transfering did nothing.

All my purchases are in the cloud so I never worried about it and restored anyways.

In iTunes, pur your cursor on your iPhone or iDevice and right click. There is an option to "Transfer purchases." Bam! All done!

Now you can update the OS software with safety (even though all your purchases are probably in the cloud).

If you dont see your iPad device on the left in iTunes screen (or anyting else on the left), you will have to ">View->Show Sidebar". Kind of obvious, but it's helpful to to know to do that if you're new to iTunes or iPad.

In my opinion, this is a problem in the user interface, and it's quite unnecessary, and it's quite annoying, and Apple should eliminate it in the next release of the iOS. How it should work: when the upgrade process comes to that point at which it notices some apps haven't been transferred, then it pops up a dialog box and asks "... would you like to transfer them now, automatically? [Yes][No][Cancel Upgrade]" -- or -- (my preference) then it just transfers them automatically without asking.

Uh, yeah, this was a toughie for me too. I actually thought that syncing transfered my purchases automatically. I guess I misunderstood what to synchronize meant.

Luckily I found this page because I was considering to go ahead with the update. I would have lost all my purchases.

I recently was attempting to restore my iPhone trying to fix the mixed up album art issue and I have managed (inadvertantly) to nail down the cause of the "purchased items" error.

iTunes is throwing a tantrum because you will be erasing the Apps off your phone. If you do not see the same apps on you phone in the apps window of the device in iTunes, then that is what it is complaining about. I only figured that out after turning the sidebar back on because File | Devices | Transfer Purchases was greyed out (it's fine now that I have done it though) and saw it transfer nothing but Apps.

That's good to know, Mr. Kellett, and I am grateful for your effort to figure this out. However, there's a low probability that I will know it when the next upgrade comes out. Till Apple fixes this bug, I'll probably just go ahead like I did before and upgrade without regard to my failure in transferring (whatever that means) those mysterious purchases.

Clearing up this issue a little. By default the iTunes UI defaults having the menu bar hidden. Un-hide the menu bar by selecting the drop down button in the very top left corner of the application and select "Show menu bar", or you can press CTRL+B. Only then can you select "File" from the once hidden menu bar and select "Devices" and then "Transfer purchases from xxxxxxxx".

Thankyou very much for the solution i kept getting the "there are purchased items on the iphone that have not been transferred"error and your advise worked bang on! Thanks again,you've certainly helped this old man out.........................Dave.😀