Paid Apps and Phone Switch

[ulnek]

if i end up getting a new phone, what happens to the apps that i bought? are they transferable or are they only allowed for the phone i bought them with? with blackberry you were able to port paid apps to new phones. not sure how it works for android. if you are able to port apps to new phone, how is this done? thinking of going to the htc incredible. thanks for any info.

 

[gabbott]

Good question, I bought a few apps for my moment and am going to get the EVO but wondering the same thing. I'm hoping since they are tied to my gmail account they should transfer.


Edit:

Hrmm, found this:

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android+Market/thread?tid=03cc4b7eea7faee4&hl=en

Looks like it's up to the app developer

 

[Peanutbutter_N_Jelly]

Just a guess, but I think so. At least the ones you buy from the market since they're linked to your gmail account

 

[easy1jay]

Yep. I went from the Motorola Droid to the Droid Incredible. When I went into the market to download the apps to my new phone, they were already shown as paid for.

Also, I use the same gmail account.

 

[ulnek]

ah good. thank you. makes me feel better about buying apps. one of the main detraction for me was the issue of switching phones. since it's up to the developer, guess i should ask them before i buy anything, just in case. wish there was a way to save the app installer or something.

 

[Qazme]

They are indeed tied with your mail account not the phone. So transferring apps only depends on if they are compatible with the version of Android you are running. And not many apps don't run on a newer version of Android!

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

Its a pretty seemless switch. If you get a new phone and right after you set it up and go to the market, all your apps are there under "Downloads" to be re-downloaded. Its only there temporarily, so I usually recommend people installing a new ROM to immediately go there first. Paid apps will always be there, they show up as "purchased"