What you need to know
- Apple usually sends email receipts for App Store and iTunes purchases.
- Some people haven't received those emails for weeks.
- The strange issue seems to have started around November 1 .
Some App Store and iTunes users are reporting that they are no longer receiving email receipts when they make purchases, according to a thread on Apple's support site (opens in new tab) (via 9to5Mac).
Apple usually sends emails when someone makes a purchase via the App Store or iTunes, although it sometimes waits and then bundles a few together for billing purposes. However, some people haven't received any email receipts since around November 1.
It started on or about November 1st, 2019. The receipt emails stopped coming for my iTunes purchases; iBooks, iCloud storage, apps, movies, TV shows, etc., from Apple. Of course I get my notice from my credit card (AmEx) that a charge has been posted by iTunes. The last email receipt I received from Apple iTunes was Oct 30th.
I haven't been suffering from this issue personally, but my main Apple ID is a UK account. I do have a US Apple ID, and I'm currently waiting for a Disney+ receipt. I'll have to see if it arrives before adding myself to the list of affected parties. And it will be interesting to see if this only affects the US stores, too.
However, if you find yourself in need of a receipt there's a way to get Apple to re-generate one for you.
- On an iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app and tap your name.
- Tap your Apple ID, followed by "View Apple ID."
- Scroll down to "Purchase History" and tap it.
- Find the purchase that you need a receipt for and tap "Total Billed."
- Tap "Resend" to get anew receipt.
The fact that this workaround works suggests that this is simply an issue with the automatic sending of receipts, rather than them not actually being generated. And of course, Apple continues to charge you regardless.
Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.
Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.
