Everything you need to know about re-downloading apps, games, iBooks, music, TV shows, and movies from the iTunes Store and iCloud

iTunes in the Cloud lets you access content you've bought from Apple's iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore, re-download it to your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and to iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, and stream your music, movies, and TV shows to your Apple TV.

• How to set up iTunes in the Cloud automatic downloads
• How to enable automatic iTunes in the Cloud downloads over 3G/4G on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
• How to enable automatic Newsstand issue downloads on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
• How to change the iTunes account associated with your iTunes in the Cloud device
• How to de-authorize an iTunes in the Cloud device

How to set up iTunes in the Cloud automatic downloads

iTunes in the Cloud let's you automatically download any App Store apps, iBookstore iBooks, and iTunes music you buy. For example, if you buy a game on your iPhone, it can automatically download onto your iPad. If you buy a song on iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, it can automatically download onto your iPod touch.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap Store near the bottom.
3. Toggle Music, Apps, and Books to On
4. Enter your iTunes password to authorize.

An iTunes account can only have 10 devices enabled for iTunes in the Cloud at the same time. Devices include iPhones, iPod touches, iPads, as well as Mac and Windows PCs, and Apple TVs. If you reach 10, you can't add an additional devices until you remove one first. (See below.)

How to enable automatic iTunes in the Cloud downloads over 3G/4G on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad

If you're not concerned about your cellular data cap or any potential overage charges, you can choose to have iTunes in the Cloud automatic downloads happen even when you're off Wi-Fi and on 3G or 4G.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap Store near the bottom.
3. Toggle Use Cellular Data to On.

If you do choose to allow 3G/4G downloads, there's still a maximum file size limit of 50MB. Any content bigger than that can only be downloaded over Wi-Fi.

How to enable automatic Newsstand issue downloads on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad

If you subscribe to any magazines or newspapers in Newsstand, you can choose to have new issues download automatically to your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad when they become available.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap Store near the bottom.
3. Toggle any magazine or newspaper apps listed at the bottom to On.

Newsstand content downloads will only happen while on Wi-Fi.

How to change the iTunes account associated with your iTunes in the Cloud device

If you have multiple iTunes accounts, for example a personal and a family account, or a family and a business account, or accounts in more than one regional iTunes store, you can change which account is associated with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap Store near the bottom.
3. Tap the email address of the Apple ID currently logged into the App Store (at the bottom of the screen).
4. Tap Sign Out.
5. Tap Sign In.
6. Tap Use Existing Apple ID.
7. Enter the email address and password for the iTunes account you want to switch to.

To guard against unfair use or illegal distribution (for example, to stop friends from swapping accounts to get free access to each other's content), you can only change iTunes in the Cloud accounts once every 90 days.

How to de-authorize an iTunes in the Cloud device

If you reach your 10 device limit for iTunes in the Cloud and need to remove a device, or if you simply lose, sell, or upgrade a device and want it off you account, you can remove it via the iTunes desktop on Mac or Windows.

1. Launch iTunes on Mac or Windows.
2. Click your iTunes email address at the top right. (If you're not already logged in, click Log In.)
3. Enter your iTunes email address and/or iTunes password.
4. Click on Manage Devices, middle right.
5. Click on Remove for any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad you no longer wish associated with iTunes on the Cloud on your account.

How to re-download apps and games with iCloud

For a long time now, The App Store has let you re-download paid apps and games without having to pay for them again. Now, however, this functionality is officially part of iCloud and iTunes in the Cloud. It means if you downloaded an app or game a long time ago, on a different device, or simply deleted it because you stopped using it for a while, you can go back and download it again, free of additional charge.

If you know the name of the app you want to re-download:

1. Launch the App Store app.
2. Tap the Search tab (iPhone and iPod touch only) or into the Search box (iPad).
3. Enter the name of the app you want to re-download.
4. Tap the Search button on the keyboard.
5. When the search results show up, find the app and tap the Install button.

Note: If you see a price button (e.g. $0.99) instead of an Install button, it means you'll be charged for the download. Make sure you're on the proper iTunes account, and that you've really bought the app previously before re-downloading.

If you don't know the name of the app and need to find it:

1. Launch the App Store app.
2. Tap on the Purchased tab tab (iPad), or Updates tab and then tap Purchased (iPhone and iPod touch).
3. Tap Not on the iPad/iPhone to see a list of apps not currently on your device.
4. Scroll through the list to find the app you're looking for.
5. Tap the iCloud download button to re-download the app to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
6. Enter your iTunes password, if requested, to confirm.

Your app will now download to the Home screen of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

How to re-download iBooks with iCloud

Just like App Store apps, you can easily re-download iBookstore iBooks to your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

1. Launch the iBooks app.
2. Tap on the Store button in the top left corner.
3. Tap on the Purchased tab along the bottom navigation menu.
4. Scroll through the list to find the book you're looking for.
5. Tap on the iCloud download button to re-download the book to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
6. Enter your iTunes password, if requested, to confirm.

Your book will download to your iBooks bookshelf.

How to re-download iTunes music, movies, & TV shows with iCloud

Re-downloading music, movies, and TV shows is a little more complicated than re-downloading apps simply because licensing restrictions don't allow it in all areas (yet). Music is currently available in many regions. TV shows are only available in Australia, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S. Movie re-downloads are only available in the U.S.

Here's a current listing of which types of content are available for re-downloading and in which area.

• iTunes in the Cloud availability by country

If iTunes re-downloads are available in you region, you can safely restore your content to your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC without being charged again.

1. Launch the iTunes app.
2. Tap on the Purchased tab along the bottom of the navigation menu.
3. Tap the View button at the top left to choose between movies, music, or TV shows (options vary by region, not all may be present).
4. Tap Not on this iPhone/iPod/iPad.
5. Scroll through the list to find the content you're looking for.
6. Tap on the iCloud download button to re-download the content to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
7. Enter your iTunes password, if requested, to confirm.

Your content will download to your Music or Video app.

How to get more help with iCloud

If you still need help with re-downloading apps, games, iBooks, music, TV shows, or music to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or any other iCloud feature, head on over to our iCloud Forum and ask away!

• How to set up, back up, restore, and update using iCloud
• How to set up and use iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars
• How to set up and use iTunes Match
• How to set up and use Photo Stream
• How to set up and use Documents in the Cloud
• How to set up and use Find my iPhone
• How to set up and use Find my Friends

Ally Kazmucha, Chris Oldroyd, and Gary Mazo contributed major sections of this guide.

CNET drops a big bottle of killjoy juice on recent rumors that Apple might just be ready to rollout their fabled iTunes Replay service -- the ability to re-download and stream content to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV and iTunes on Windows and Mac from the iCloud -- or a Netflix-like subscription service.

While Apple has music and now TV available for re-download, at least in the US, apparently they've only got agreements with 4 of the 6 big studios needed to add movies to the mix.

One reason is the HBO window. During specific periods of time--often referred to in the film industry as windows--HBO owns the exclusive electronic distribution rights of films from three of the six top films studios: 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. Any retailer that wishes to sell physical DVDs from these studios during HBO's window is totally unrestricted. But online retailers are legally prevented from delivering movie downloads from the three HBO-restricted studios during HBO's window and they also can't stream titles from those studios. This means that right now iTunes can't stream a movie to a customer during the HBO window that the customer may have purchased outside of the window.

Broadcast windows are also the reason movies and TV Shows sometimes disappear and reappear from iTunes, Netflix, etc. But the bottom line seems to be, at least for now, that iTunes movie re-downloading, streaming, and subscription services are still a long way off.

[CNET]

Heard about Apple's iCloud beta and wondering how you can use it to download all your previously purchased apps, songs, and books in iTunes? Well you're in luck, because with iTunes 10.3, it's easy (although music is currently limited to US users only. Sigh.) Read on to find out how, after the break.

[Inside iTunes]

Here's how to re-download your apps, music, and books:

1. Launch iTunes on your Mac or PC
2. Find the Quick Links section in the store toolbar at the top right
3. Click on the Purchased link
4. Navigate through your app, music, and book purchases
5. You can choose between complete purchase history for each category, or Not in my Library to see just what's missing on your machine
6. Click the iCloud button next to anything you want to pull back down to your local library, or click Download All to restore everything you've ever bought.

Welcome to the cloud!

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UPDATE: AppAdvice spoke to an Apple dev at WWDC and found out:

all of this was just a simple bug in the system. We decided to not just take their word for it, we tested all the possible scenerios we could think of and in all cases we were presented with the pleasant “You have already purchased this item. To download it again for free, select OK” message. We can confirm that repurchase option no longer appears in any instance.

Um, yeah, no. Although it's great that the restriction on re-downloading directly to the iPhone appears to be completely removed from iPhone 3.0 GM, the mere presence of the new dialog disallows anyone from playing the "bug" card. In any event, end users are now saved a good deal of confusion, so kudos.

ORIGINAL: Just over a week ago, TiPb reported that Apple had made a change to their re-download policy for iPhone 3.0 Beta 5. Previously, if you'd already bought a paid app, going to the App Store and hitting the Buy button again popped up a text alert saying you could download it for free.

With iPhone 3.0 Beta 5, which allowed for multiple iTunes account login, that message changed to "You can redownload it for free on your computer, or tap Buy to buy it again."

We guessed this was to prevent app-sharing. If you logged in to 2 or more accounts, Apple didn't want you to be able to download your buddies apps free of charge as well. Not the best trade-off, but understandable.

Now AppAdvice has figured out more of what's going on:

In the final release of iTunes 8.2 last week, Apple included some logic that tells a device what iTunes accounts are authorized on the computer. Many users that were using the beta releases of iTunes were not prompted with an available update and found no reason to upgrade. Those users’ devices were never getting the authorization information to pass on to the App Store when they tried re-downloading apps.

So bottom line: if you have more than one legit iTunes account, authorize them all on iTunes 8.2 on your computer, then sync with your iPhone (running 3.0) and you should be good to go.

SInce we here at TiPb expect our buddies to buy their own apps anyway (and support developers so we get even more great apps!), that's just dandy with us.

(Thanks to Jay and Trevor for the tips!)