Reason: Other (describe below)
Comments: We could not complete your order in a timely fashion. Your order has been automatically canceled. Please retry your purchase.
Which led me to do some investigating. To my surprise, if you buy an app via the online market and don’t actually install the app to your device in a timely manner, your order gets canceled. Which I suppose is a good thing if you are unable to install it. In my circumstances though, it is a bit disappointing. Here’s why. I buy an app that is on sale for 1 day only. I select to install it to my device which I don’t because due to lack of Ice Cream Sandwich support and a/or a different LCD density I can not. That is fine with me, I know that when the app does get support for IC, my ROM updates or I manually change my density I can then install it. Since I didn’t install it by choice, I am told to repurchase the app and try again. Of course this is not an option since half the apps I bought yesterday are no longer available for 10 cents. Which means I am not going to buy them at full price. That sort of defeats the whole purpose of the promo.
This issue can also arise for many others in completely other circumstances. For instance if a tablet app pops up in this list at some point and I know I am getting one for Christmas and I buy the app now because it is on sale, why should I be punished for not installing it right away? What if your device is broken or damaged and you are waiting on an exchange, but don’t want to miss out on the app special? Maybe your device is missing or was stolen? Not everyone is in my exact same situation, but I think many people are being left out of the deals due to circumstances that shouldn’t deny them the apps on sale today.
Now I am stuck in a quandary. Do I dump ICS for say, CM7 for the next ten days just so I can buy great apps at amazing prices? I don’t think so. I suppose I will just have to bust out my terrible tablet that runs Android 2.1 so I can install them so they stay in my friggin ‘My Apps’ sections so I can install them later. Which is also proving to be a problem for some apps that aren’t made for a tablet. Apparently I am stuck in a lose/lose situation. Talk about a huge headache over something that shouldn’t even be present. Especially on an app that is 10 cents! Has anyone really installed one and said, “Ya know what, this runs horrible on my device. I want a refund!”
As far as a solution that I think is both viable and sensible on Google’s end. The simplest solution that I think would benefit the greatest number of people is adding a new option in the drop down menu. You know, the one where you select which device you want to install it to. Add a new option in that menu label something like “add to My Apps” or “Install Later”. Something that triggers the system to know that you are actually wanting this app, but that you just wish to purchase it now and worry about the install later. Once you trigger the install on a device that is when you should have the 15 minute window. This would solve the issue on promotional apps that have a time frame and save people who are in my situation or any number of other scenarios from loosing out on an application.
Does anyone out there have another solution that is feasible? Is anyone else out there going through the same frustration with this that I am? Let us know. Maybe someone will take notice and figure out a solution that can cater to the thousands of us on custom ROM’s, missing phones, damaged devices or any other number of reasons that we can’t install the purchase right away.
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I do find that bothersome, however I understand why they do it that way. It has to do with the return window. Previously, when the window was 24 hours, when you made the purchase, your payment method was authorized immediately and if you didn’t cancel within the 24 hours, the charge would be presented for payment. If you cancel within the 24 hours, they just don’t present the charge for payment and the authorization would have been cleared from your bank in a few days automatically.
With the new 15 minute window, it does a soft authorization on the card but does not actually authorize the amount to the card until the 15 minutes expires. The key point is that the 15 minutes is from the point at which it is installed. It is this way due to some games and apps taking a while to download, you don’t want your entire return window eaten up by the download time. Now the problem. The soft authorization that google runs against your payment method is only valid for a short period of time, typically 24 hours. If you don’t install the app right away, google has 2 options — cancel the order when the authorization expires or charge the order and then issue a refund if canceled after installing. The second option is obviously much simpler and will cause less problems for customers seeing charges on their bank statement for apps they haven’t even installed.
If they were to offer a solution, it would be to return to the old method of authorization, where the payment method is authorized immediately and if the app is uninstalled the authorization is never presented for payment. I don’t see google offering a save to apps or install later option unless they just make it so that when you purchase it, the price is locked in and even if you wait a month to install it, your card is then authorized at the locked-in price. That leads to tracking issues though as you now have apps being purchased one day, but not installed for x number of days (weeks, years) so the dev would see the “intent to purchase,” as I shall call it, at day 1 and then may never actually have the app paid for.
There are just many factors at play there. While I like that option and have wished for it myself many times, I just don’t anticipate a change to this procedure.
Hmm. Thank you for the amazing response and some great insight. I definitely want the devs to get paid, even if it is a sale app where they are taking a hit. In the long run it does provide more users with an app that they might have hesitated to purchase before and gives some advertising power at the same time.
On to the Google aspect and the “install later” type of option. Perhaps a secondary check box that states ” By purchasing now and opting to install later you will be charged for the app/game and will NOT be offered a 15 minute return window.”
Just ideas. I think it is something that needs to be addressed.
I thought of the idea of waiving the return policy, but I really don’t see Google doing that one either. You know how many refund requests will be generated when someone leaves their market logged in on the pc? Or if the kids have access? And then the credit card disputes when they can’t be refunded. I figured that would be too many headaches for google to want to deal with, so I left it out.
Use 4shared app from the market and see if you can redownload it for free
i download but never install apps from amazon all the time, i got a whole list of un-installed apps from amazon, just because I may need them later but dont want them right now. Sucks about Google thou, you said that yesterday and i was wondering how you do that, i didnt think there was a way to download but not install in android, and i guess there aint. i dont kno what to tell you either
Amazon can do it because they have an “all sales final” policy and don’t give refunds so they have none of the return issues to deal with.
Same thing happened to me and it pissed me off. I can see why they do it, but it just plain sucks as far as the offer foes..I am running ICS too and wont be able to install most of the apps offered…so much for the google offers…although i may just bust out my g1 and buy them there
As Google obviously know that you haven’t installed the app, how about sending an email to you an hour before they cancel the order stating that you haven’t installed the app and your order will be cancelled in one hour if you don’t install it.
At least this way your not just suddenly surprised with a cancelled order option and not given any choice.
This is just another option and sure we can come up with many more, but simply cancelling your order just seems plain wrong.
Such a simple idea. Amazon already lets you do this. You can purchase an app and install or reinstall it anytime.
Amazon can do it because they have an “all sales final” policy and don’t give refunds so they have none of the return issues to deal with I detailed in my comment above.
I bought many of the $.10 apps as well online and am running Gingerbread but one app I ordered said canceled. However it shows up on my phone in Market under My Apps as purchased and it can not install. It was canceled due to “an internal market error” I can’t purchase it again as it is also no longer on sale. Different problem than you but same result. An app that I would have to pay $4.99 for to get it to install now instead of the $.10 I actually tried to pay initially.
Can you please clarify a related issue?
I purchased, downloaded and installed an app (for 10p, but that’s not the point).
But I then decide (AFTER 15 mins has passed) to uninstall it temporarily because I don’t have the space right now on my creaky, old (18m!) phone.
Will the app then remain available for me to re-download at any time in the future, without the order being cancelled?
Since you installed it you are fine. It is if you never install it that you run into issues. simply installing an app and then uninstalling won’t trigger a cancellation. As far as I am aware at least. It should and forever be in your ‘My Apps’ list on any device you sign into going forward.
The button will actually say refund within the 15 min and after that it changes to uninstall. As long as you click uninstall and not refund you will be fine. Note that doesn’t work if you uninstall from settings> apps. So after 15min you can uninstall all you want.
I had no idea why google was doing this to me. My phone went underwater, and while I am taking time to resuscitate it with a dry rice bath for several days, I decided to purchase many apps, and were having them cancelled 24 hours later. Just glad that amazon is offering some of the same things in app store for the same price, I know they don’t cancel unless I ask.
Thanks for posting this.
NO problem. Even though it may sound terrible, I am glad others are going through similar frustrations. Sorry about your phone!! I hope the rice baths brings it back to life. I know it has helped me out a time or two.
amazon is the solution for those of use who cant install…thank goodness for pricematching
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