1Password 4 gift didn't unlock 6 Pro features

tamalw

I have a unique issue.

Last year (August 2014) when I visited my parents I attempted to secure my mom's online life by purchasing a gift copy of 1Password for iOS. I purchased it ($9.99), it sent her the email… but she never clicked on the email to redeem the App Store gift.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I visited again, noticed she wasn't using 1Password, asked "what up?!", and she stated she never downloaded it. I dig through her email and redeem the code (big mistake). 1Password 6.1.1 downloads and I get her set up on it.

While she doesn't need the Pro features I figured I had paid for them so why not unlock them… but they weren't unlocked! It wants to charge me $9.99 for the IAP. But I already paid $9.99 for the app!

So it appears that I paid $9.99 to gift a (now) free app. The previous purchase detection doesn't seem to work since technically my mom didn't download 1Password until November 2015.

I email iTunes support the day I redeemed the gift. They don't get back to me. I email them again and they state they won't refund it because the gift was redeemed. They directed me to AgileBits although I don't know if there is anything AgileBits can do.

Ultimately my mom is fine with vanilla free 1Password, but it feels really crummy to have thrown away $10 + tax on essentially nothing.

Am I missing something here? Is there a refund or unlock option? TIA

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: forum-search:gift

Ben

Hi @tamalw,

Thanks for taking the time to write in. I wish there were more we could do in cases like this, but we have essentially no control over or access to the App Store. We can't even see the email address associated with an individual purchase.

Apple runs a very "one size fits all" model -- the App Store offers very little flexibility. On the one hand this is what makes the App Store (and by extension much of Apple's ecosystem and philosophy) so easy and straight forward. On the other hand it creates situations like this one. A bit of a double edged sword, one might say.

At present time Apple offers no way, other than purchasing, to unlock in-app purchases. Even our own team members who were not grandfathered have to purchase the Pro features. Promo codes and gift codes only work on apps, not in-app purchases, which essentially makes codes for free apps obsolete.

I'm sorry I don't have the answer you were hoping for here.

Ben