If you’ve used enough computing platforms, such as computers, game consoles, smartphones, or tablets, you’ve encountered the concept of software licensing. This is which is the legal and technological tool that allows you to use the software you buy on a given device. Sometimes software licenses can mean that you’re required to buy the same software program more than once if you want to use it on more than one device. That can be expensive, especially if you have a lot of devices. But that’s not the case for people who own multiple iOS devices. Read on for the excellent news about downloading the same app on multiple devices.
You Only Have to Buy iOS Apps Once
When you buy an iOS app from the App Store, you can use it on as many devices as you want without having to pay a second time. The one catch is that all of your devices have to use the same Apple ID that you used to buy the app originally. As long as all of your devices are signed into the same Apple ID, all of your apps are available on all devices.
The Limitations of iOS App Licensing
There are two restrictions on the buy-once-use-anywhere nature of iOS apps:
As mentioned, all of your devices must be logged in to the same Apple ID. When you buy an app, it’s tied to the Apple ID used to buy it and looks for that on other devices to authorize their use. App developers can choose to require users to pay for later versions, usually major upgrades to the app. They generally do this by releasing a new version of the app under a slightly new name (an upgrade to “Cool App” might be “Cool App 2,” for instance). In that case, you’ll need to buy the new version. But once you do that, all of your devices will be able to use it.
How to Set up Automatic App Downloads
An easy way to get paid apps onto all of your compatible devices is to use the automatic download settings built into iOS. With that turned on, any new app you buy is automatically installed on all your compatible devices. To turn on automatic downloads, follow these steps:
How to Redownload Apps From iCloud
Another way to make sure all your devices have the same apps is to redownload them from your iCloud account. If you’ve purchase an app, use a device that doesn’t have that app installed and is logged in to the same Apple ID. Go to the App Store app. Tap search and enter the app’s name in the search field. When it shows up in the search results, download it. You won’t be charged again.
Using Family Sharing to Share Apps
Apple’s Family Sharing feature takes the ability to share apps across devices one step further. Instead of just sharing apps on your own devices, you can share apps on all devices used by your family members that are connected to your Family Sharing group. This is a great way to share all paid content: not just apps, but also music, movies, books, and more.
How Software Licensing Works With Other Products
Apple’s buy-once-use-anywhere approach to iOS app licensing was unusual when the App Store debuted. In those days, it was common to have to buy a copy of a program for every computer you wanted to use it on. That’s changing. These days, many software packages come with licenses for multiple devices for a single price. For example, Microsoft Office 365 Home edition includes support for five users, each running the software on multiple devices, for the one purchase price. If you download the unified Microsoft Office iPad app, which features Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the same rules apply as any other iOS app download. This isn’t universally true. High-end programs still often need to be licensed on a one-off basis, but more and more, no matter what platform you use, you’ll find apps that only need to be bought once.
