Can I keep a GPS App. after updating to OS 4.0?

[Irish Rose ACE - Guru]

I have the iPhone 3GS and plan on updating the OS to 4.0 when it is released next month, but I don't want to lose this Navigon App. that I am planning on downloading. If I sync my iPhone with iTunes after downloading the app., will I be able to keep it after the update, or should I just wait till after I do the 4.0 update before I download the App? Since I am paying $29.99 for it, I want to be able to keep it after the update...... Also, will I be able to transfer this App. to the new iPhone when it comes out? Or, is it only good on the device that it is downloaded to?

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

[tnvolz19]

Yes you will be able to keep it, but if something happens to it after the update, you won't have to buy it again, it will be free since you've bought it.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Geek · Accepted solution]

When you purchase an app it stays in your iTunes so you can always reload it when needed.  And as stated if you lost it off your computer also you can re-download apps you've purchased before in iTunes and you will not be charged again.

When moving between major OS versions I always start fresh and not use a backup.  I load everything as new as there always seems to be less issues.

[Irish Rose ACE - Guru]

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

Ed, sorry to be such a n00b here, but I am not totally up on Apple yet. When you say "start fresh", do you mean, sync my iPhone with iTunes after doing an OS update, or something else?

On a side note, I can't believe it is taking the Navigon App so long to download. So far it has been almost 20 minutes, and it's only at the half way mark.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Geek]

No I mean when OS 4 is released I will install the new OS and set up my phone as a new phone 'without' using a backup of my data.  Then install everything on the phone as if it was a new phone.

[Irish Rose ACE - Guru]

^ Planet-Ed, thank you...... If you don't do restore after the update by syncing, how do you get the APPs.  that you paid for back onto your iPhone?

[josephz2va]

All applications are free as long as Apple keeps it active on the App Store. There is one exception. They requested all owners like last year to rewrite the applications to be 4.X compatible by the release date of the OS 4 software.

All applications must coincide with the 4.X guidelines or they're removed and need to be resubmitted pending approval. The app stays free pending reinstall/update as long as the app stayed on the App Store and wasn't deleted as well as previous customer purchases tied to the initial program.

It isn't free if you have to do an in-app purchase for example the Navigon Live Traffic Annual Subscription per application's version. Some applications don't have it server side where they keep your account data and require you to repurchase the application's in-app such as GoKivo.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Geek]

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Irish Rose wrote:

^ Planet-Ed, thank you...... If you don't do restore after the update by syncing, how do you get the APPs.  that you paid for back onto your iPhone?

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The Apps are stored on your computer in iTunes.  Once you restore your device and it connects to iTunes and you set it up as a new device you go into iTunes and check the box to have it load the apps from iTunes onto your iPhone at the next sync.

The only downfall for some people is you loose your data like saved games, and settings so you starting completely new.  However for me I rather start fresh than to deal with the little quirks of installing a backup of the device that sometimes has old settings that doesn't always play nice on the new OS ..

Its like upgrading a computer.  I never suggest upgrading Windows Vista to Windows 7.  I always suggest reformatting the hard drive and installing Windows 7 and your programs from scratch.  Less problems.

[Irish Rose ACE - Guru]

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Planet-Ed wrote:

The Apps are stored on your computer in iTunes.  Once you restore your device and it connects to iTunes and you set it up as a new device you go into iTunes and check the box to have it load the apps from iTunes onto your iPhone at the next sync.

The only downfall for some people is you loose your data like saved games, and settings so you starting completely new.  However for me I rather start fresh than to deal with the little quirks of installing a backup of the device that sometimes has old settings that doesn't always play nice on the new OS ..

Its like upgrading a computer.  I never suggest upgrading Windows Vista to Windows 7.  I always suggest reformatting the hard drive and installing Windows 7 and your programs from scratch.  Less problems.

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Thanks again. This makes perfect sense to me. I will probable do the same, since it doesn't seem like it would be a hard thing to do.