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Why does books make me buy the same book over and over to see on different devices?

I have purchased a book online and am reading on my iPad... I would also like to be able to read this book on my iPhone as it is more convenient at certain times... but Books made me purchase the same book again for now, double the cost for the same book that I am the owner of, under the same account, just on a different device. Is this how it works? Do I have to purchase the same book over and over if I want to read it on my different devices?

Posted on Mar 28, 2016 8:26 PM

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Mar 30, 2016 8:16 AM in response to Kenneth Nielsen

Hello there, Kenneth.




It seems you are having issues getting purchased content on multiple iOS devices. The following Knowledge Base article offers up a good explanation of how iBooks purchases should work:




About iBooks




Additionally the following article offers how to get those purchases onto other devices:




Download your past purchases




Before you can access a past purchase, you need to do the following:

  1. Make sure that you have the latest versions of software on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and your Mac.
  2. Sign in with the Apple ID that you used for the original purchase. Use these steps to see which Apple ID you used to download an item.
    If you see a message that says, "This device is associated with another Apple ID. You cannot associate this device with another Apple ID for [number] days," you might need to wait to download your purchases. Learn more about associated devices.
  3. Check to see if the purchases you're looking for are hidden. If your purchases are hidden, you might not see them even after you follow the steps below. Learn how to unhide purchases.
  4. See if the content is available for redownload. Previously purchased items might not be available if they're no longer on the iTunes Store. Also, make sure that you’re in a country whereyou can redownload items. If you changed your Apple ID from one country to another, you can’t download items you purchased in a previous country.

If you're a member of Apple Music, items that you've saved for offline use won't appear in your purchased section. Learn more about Apple Music.

If you're using Family Sharing, you can download content purchased by other members of your family group.


{...}


Redownload a book

You can redownload books in iBooks on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac (using OS X Mavericks or later), or in iTunes on a PC.

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Open the iBooks app.
    If you're using iBooks 3.2 or earlier, tap Store.
  2. Tap Purchased from the bottom navigation bar.
    User uploaded file
  3. Tap the Download icon User uploaded file next to the book that you want to download. The book downloads to your device.

On a Mac

  1. Open iBooks.
  2. Click iBooks Store.
  3. If prompted, sign in with your Apple ID and password.
  4. Under Quick Links on the right side of the iBooks Store, click Purchased.
    User uploaded file
  5. Select Not in My Library to view purchased content that isn't on your computer.
    User uploaded file
  6. Scroll to find the book that you want to download.
  7. Click the Download icon User uploaded file in the upper-right corner of the item you want to download. Your book downloads to your library.

On a PC

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Click Sign In, and then enter your Apple ID and password.
    User uploaded file
  3. Click your name and select Purchased from the menu.
    User uploaded file
  4. From the upper-right corner of the screen, click Books.
  5. Click "Not in My Library" to view purchased content that isn't on your computer.
    User uploaded file
  6. Scroll to find the item that you want to download.
  7. Click the Download icon User uploaded file in the upper-right corner of the item that you want to download. Your book downloads to your library.



Finally, if you are signed in on both devices with the same Apple ID and you need to report an issue with your purchases, this article will help:




Report a problem with an item purchased from the iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBooks Store



To report a problem or request assistance with an item purchased from the iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBooks Store:

  1. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com in your browser.
  2. When prompted, enter the Apple ID and password used to initiate the purchase of the item, then click Sign In.
  3. Find the item you're having a problem with, then click Report a Problem next to it.
  4. From the Choose Problem menu, choose the issue you're having.
  5. Follow the onscreen instructions. You might be asked to describe the problem in a text field.
  6. Click Submit, and we'll review your problem.


If you use Family Sharing and you have a problem with a shared item, ask the family member who initiated the purchase to report the problem using the steps above.



Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.




Kind Regards.

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Mar 30, 2016 5:18 PM in response to pedro d

I Appreciate your response but this is a billing issue as well as a technical issue. It seems wrong to make the customer dig and scrounge through mountains of possibilities that may or may not lead to any resolution. I know that if I were buying a book on Amazon that they would be all over it to make it right rather than having customers paying again and again for something that was intended to be paid for once.

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Mar 30, 2016 5:11 PM in response to Kenneth Nielsen

Hello again, Kenneth.


Thanks for the follow up on your issue. The step that refers to unhiding content has a blue hyperlink that allows you to go to the article that provides the information on how to learn the unhiding step. The direct link to that Knowledge Base article is here:


Hide and unhide purchases in iTunes or iBooks on your Mac or PC


If you continue to have issues with the information or need further clarification due to the nature of your issue it may be more usefull for you to use another one of Apple's Support resources by going to the following link to get a more hands-on response:


https://expresslane.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action


Cheers.

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Mar 30, 2016 11:53 AM in response to pedro d

How frustrating to get a "canned" response with no interest in being bothered to help me. I have performed all of the "requirements" - latest OS et. al., and the only thing that might be the possibility that I can see that is mentioned is that the purchase might be hidden. With the comment "learn how to unhide items" without a link or the slightest hint on how to "learn" to unhide items. I think I would have better response from someone not associated with Apple.

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Why does books make me buy the same book over and over to see on different devices?

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