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NoBoMac

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 1, 2014
5,874
4,471
Maybe hidden?

App Store > Tap your avatar > Tap your name. Scroll down, tap "Hidden Purchases".

Have these apps been getting updates? If not, can see, maybe, that running into a situation where the app is in some sort of abandoned status (eg. not fully pulled from the store) allowing for downloads but dropped from the purchased list. Quick scan of my purchased list shows a few apps that no longer have a cloud icon next to it under "Not on my". And digging into the full purchase history from the early days of App Store (App Store > avatar > name > Purchase History) shows some apps purchased that do not show up in the purchase or hidden list.

Seem to recall a story from a number of years ago where Apple was pulling app listings and pulling those apps from purchased list as well. Think it was tied to Apple's cleanup of the store. Kinda tied into, among other things, abandonware.
 
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Taz Mangus

macrumors 604
Mar 10, 2011
7,815
3,504
Did you happen to use a different Apple ID when you purchased those other iOS apps that are showing up?
 

Diamond Dog

Cancelled
Original poster
Apr 6, 2018
394
1,085
Maybe hidden?

App Store > Tap your avatar > Tap your name. Scroll down, tap "Hidden Purchases".

Have these apps been getting updates? If not, can see, maybe, that running into a situation where the app is in some sort of abandoned status (eg. not fully pulled from the store) allowing for downloads but dropped from the purchased list. Quick scan of my purchased list shows a few apps that no longer have a cloud icon next to it under "Not on my". And digging into the full purchase history from the early days of App Store (App Store > avatar > name > Purchase History) shows some apps purchased that do not show up in the purchase or hidden list.

Seem to recall a story from a number of years ago where Apple was pulling app listings and pulling those apps from purchased list as well. Think it was tied to Apple's cleanup of the store. Kinda tied into, among other things, abandonware.
Nope, not hidden unfortunately. I do have a number of hidden apps, but the ones I am speaking of are not hidden (well, they don't show up on the list at all, so I don't even have the option to hide them-- ha).

One example is the Apollo app for Reddit. I have it on my iPhone and iPad, it's not hidden, and I receive regular updates for it. But, if I go into my purchased applications, it isn't listed there.

This has only been a minor inconvenience up until now. Whenever I get a new iPhone or iPad, I set it up as new (no backup) and then manually install my apps. Given many of them aren't on the Purchased list, I have resorted to taking screenshots of my home screen(s) when updating devices.

EDIT: What's odd is that a handful of these impacted apps are are paid apps. If I get a new device and go to install the app, I search for it on the App Store, and it will show the price instead of the cloud download symbol that you'd expect to see. I then have to "Purchase" the app instead-- but when I do, it says I have already purchased it and so it is restoring my purchase. So somewhere in the Apple system, it knows I've purchased these apps.
 

mrochester

macrumors 601
Feb 8, 2009
4,642
2,560
I get this exact issue too from time to time. I’ve no idea how it works or how to fix it.
 

Diamond Dog

Cancelled
Original poster
Apr 6, 2018
394
1,085
I get this exact issue too from time to time. I’ve no idea how it works or how to fix it.
I remember Googling it once before when it annoyed me for some other reason and finding that many other people had the issue, but I never found a solution. Now when I Google it, I don't find much of anything.

Guess I'm going to have to dedicate a couple hours to talk to Apple this evening... ):
 

Ruggy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2017
983
640
It has happened to me and the solution is the same as above: go to purchase the app again and it will tell you that you have already purchased it and allow you to download it again.
Also you can try signing out of your account and signing in again and if you have family set up, make sure someone else hasn't purchased it in which case you have to go in from their account.
If you've ever changed the email or password for your account then that can cause it. But as I say, buy again and it should sort it out.
 
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