SOFTWARE - APPS - 04.05.2016

How to restore in-app purchases

Mobile apps

If you’ve ever bought a mobile app you can rest assured you won’t lose out when switching to a new smartphone (unless you switch from iOS to Android or vice versa). Indeed, you can at any time go to the App Store or to Google Play in order to download this app again, provided you’re using the same Apple ID or Google account. But what about any in-app purchases? In other words, what happens if you’ve bought play money or extra lives to be used within a game?

Types of in-app purchases

One type of in-app purchases are consumables : the things you “consume” while using the app. In a game, this could be extra health points to remain alive longer. In an office app, it could be the possibility to create a specific number of documents.

The second type of in-app purchases are non-consumables : purchases which entitle you to use something permanently, for instance, to get rid of ads in an office app, to unlock the professional features of a photography app, to gain access to a specific level or person in a game, etc.

In Android

In Android, all in-app purchases are in principle managed by Google Play. Non-consumables are restored automatically (at least, after a couple of minutes) when you reinstall an app or after you’ve reset your device or bought a new one. Make sure that you’re logged in with the same Google account as the one you made the in-app purchase with. A minority of the apps also have a special Restore Purchases button on their start screen or in the settings.

The situation is different for consumables: if the app allows these purchases to be managed by Google Play and you haven’t used them (up) yet, the remainder will be refunded. However, it is also possible that the app itself keeps track of these purchases through its own account system: in this case, you will have to log in to this system and hope that your purchase will be refunded. In other cases, the app will store this information locally on your smartphone: in this case, the remaining consumables will be lost.

In iOS

In iOS, in-app purchases are not managed by the App Store, so you will have to hope that the app itself offers a restore option.

Reinstall the app and look for a Restore Purchases button on the start screen, in the settings or in the shop that is integrated into the app (mainly in games). You will be asked to log in to the App Store using your Apple ID, so that the app can restore your in-app purchases. Again, make sure that you log in using the same Apple ID as the one you made the purchases with. This works for non-consumables only.

For consumables, it’s up to the app itself to keep track of your purchases, so it’s far from certain that they will be restored. If you can’t see a Restore Purchases button, Apple recommends contacting the app developer. Go to the App Store, find the app concerned, hit the Reviews tab and at the bottom click on App Support to find out how to contact the app developer.