Apple Says No More To Reinstalling And Updating Refunded App Store Apps

Neither reinstalling nor updating refunded apps from the App Store is now allowed by Apple, as reported by MacRumors. Previously, if you purchased an app in the App Store and then had it refunded for whatever reason, you could still continue reinstalling and updating the app. Unsurprisingly, this loophole in Apple's App Store refund policy had been exploited by abusers and scammers, much to the consternation of app developers.

The App Store no longer allows people who received a refund to reinstall or update the app with a clear message: pic.twitter.com/zR5drjVCke

— Michael Simmons (@macguitar) May 24, 2014

But as noted by Michael Simmons, cofounder of Fantastical maker Flexibits, App Store customers are no longer allowed to reinstall or update apps they've refunded. Attempting to do so results in the following error message:

Update Unavailable with This Apple ID This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled.

The restriction has also been applied to refunded apps from the Mac App Store. I expect many a developer is glad to see this long overdue restriction finally put into effect by Apple. See also: Apple's 'Complicated' Beats Acquisition Could Be Delayed For Several Reasons, GBA4iOS Emulator Makes Triumphant Comeback After Nintendo Takedown, and At Twitter's Behest, Tapbots Issues Mandatory Updates To Tweetbot.

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