MS sucks at keeping track of installed/bought apps

[kalldrexx]

I'm going to rant here cause this is ********.

I reset my phone the other day, because I realized I had a 16gb SD card in my old Droid that I could put in my Focus. After the reset and tying my MSN account to my phone I expected all my apps and games back on the phone (since you know, MS has a record of apps I installed and paid for).

Turns out, only a fraction of my installed apps were automatically installed, the rest have to be searched for and found manually. For example, Rocket Riot got reinstalled, but the harvest and 2 other XBox live games I had installed did not. I still don't remember what photo app I had installed and have no way of figuring it out.

Finding games that you have already purchased is ridiculously hard (i.e. impossible unless you remember them by name). There should be a list of apps you have purchased.

Finally, all apps that were re-installed were only installed in trial mode, and I had to go through the marketplace, click buy, sit there and wait for it to realize I had already purchased it, and then update it. This was especially annoying when I was at a concert the other day and while waiting for the band to start I wanted to play rocket riot, but due to all the people (network congestion in the area) I couldn't get it to recognized I had bought the app and thus couldn't play past the trial.

Such a ridiculously hard and frustrating process.

/rant

 

[HeyCori]

Zune PC software > Settings > Account > Purchase History > Apps

Should give you a history of everything you've downloaded.

 

[kalldrexx]

Zune PC software > Settings > Account > Purchase History > Apps

Should give you a history of everything you've downloaded.

Oh thanks, that's good to know. Although I find it funny that everything is duplicated 4 times each (claims I got the trial for burnt it all 4 times on the same day, same with harvest and praetor).

 

[jasqid]

I had to do a reset and found the same thing as you. Although, none of my apps downloaded.

Although, they way the phone is currently setup, it's good that it doesnt download all your games because most of the xbox games are rather large and require zune connection or wifi to download. As many customers would be in a pickle with their data usage meters.

I wish they would get a true backup-restore feature built into Zune so when you do a reset, just sign back into your live ID and connect to Zune for it to sync your stuff back automatically.

 

[kalldrexx]

I wish they would get a true backup-restore feature built into Zune so when you do a reset, just sign back into your live ID and connect to Zune for it to sync your stuff back automatically.

Actually that is the method that the iPhone uses and it definitely would be best, especially if it could back up game/application data (i.e. be a full backup rather than just a settings backup)

 

[gibbyhome]

I have reset my phone a few times and what I have found is that, everything that I have installed with the zune software gets reinstalled, and everything that I installed using the Phones Marketplace does not get reinstalled ?
I'm woundering if there is a way to tell zune to install eveything that I purchased ?
another strange thing that happened is that I uninstalled beez from my phone and when I synced my phone the other day it reinstalled it ?? very strange ..
I know there must be some reason for all the I just dont have my finger on it yet

 

[Tyndall]

Anything resembling the way iTunes works with the iPhone should NOT, under any circumstances, be implemented for WP7. Being tied to a desktop program for a mobile device is just wrong-headed.

 

[1jaxstate1]

How would one put videos, pictures, music.... onto the phone? Magic.

Anything resembling the way iTunes works with the iPhone should NOT, under any circumstances, be implemented for WP7. Being tied to a desktop program for a mobile device is just wrong-headed.

 

[HeyCori]

If magic was an acceptable solution I would be all for it.

 

[HeyCori]

Anything resembling the way iTunes works with the iPhone should NOT, under any circumstances, be implemented for WP7. Being tied to a desktop program for a mobile device is just wrong-headed.

Funny enough an Engadget editor just wrote a blog about how much he hates using itunes.

Editorial: Hey Apple, why does it take an hour to put an album on my iPod? -- Engadget

I even thought about getting my GF a iPhone and the first thing that came to mind was... uuugggh itunes.

 

[jimski]

Had the same issue when I reset, but imagine having to deal with 160+ apps/games. Total of 26 auto-loaded, but of those about 8 had been previously deleted and another 8-9 got loaded as trials. Took under an hour for everything but apps and another 3 hours searching for the apps in Marketplace Not a good way to encourage users to buy lots of apps. Fortunately, I maintain two tablesnin OneNote; installed apps & deleted apps. Printed out the list and pulled out my red pen. Old technology rules.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[1jaxstate1]

I agree that iTunes suck, but that article is kinda ****ty. If he just exits out the backup, it would be much quicker.

Funny enough an Engadget editor just wrote a blog about how much he hates using itunes.

Editorial: Hey Apple, why does it take an hour to put an album on my iPod? -- Engadget

I even thought about getting my GF a iPhone and the first thing that came to mind was... uuugggh itunes.

 

[ctt1wbw]

Anything resembling the way iTunes works with the iPhone should NOT, under any circumstances, be implemented for WP7. Being tied to a desktop program for a mobile device is just wrong-headed.

I use both, one for Windows/Zune/WP7 and the other is my MacBook/iTunes/iPad. Trust me, I curse MUCH less using the Mac than the Zune method. Trust me. iTunes has it all over Zune in every aspect.

 

[ctt1wbw]

I agree that iTunes suck, but that article is kinda ****ty. If he just exits out the backup, it would be much quicker.

This person is a complete jackass. It doesn't take an hour to put an album on my iOS device. It might take an hour to do a complete erase and restore from a backup, but certainly not for one album. Moron.

 

[1jaxstate1]

Yeah, I'm glad the people in the comment section called him out on his nonsense.

This person is a complete jackass. It doesn't take an hour to put an album on my iOS device. It might take an hour to do a complete erase and restore from a backup, but certainly not for one album. Moron.