The lesser license of the App Store version, unfortunately.
No outstanding balance: the old card expired; new card issued before the Sickness.
Subscription fatigue. To diary them is not impossible, but not practical either.
“If you have a new card”: you didn’t read the post. The App Store payment method cannot be changed using current card, according to Officer Algorithm,
Cannot call Apple Care from overseas, but thanks.
I am sure your suggestions are well-intended and probably apply to someone whose circumstances fit them.
My suggestions were based on the most common causes of the issue you appeared to describe, including when attempts are made to charge a subscription with an expired card.
A call to AppleCare will almost always resolve the issue. I don’t know where you are compared to the account etc but in most countries there’s a local number to call and/or chat support. In most countries, you can also get Apple to call you.
Clearly I don’t know what unusual, uncommon group of circumstances/location apply to you that mean the usual trouble-free approaches are non-starters. I also haven’t a clue what ‘officer algorithm’ means.
Thanks for the backhand.
Thank you!
Thomas
Not really, I don’t think it should be like that, at least in my opinion.
Please no subscription. I moved from the App Store version to L&L. Syncing with Dropbox requires a minimum of patience, writing does, too.
When I said there’s no official Apple presence here and no way to call, I meant just that.
The algorithm is AI, not a human being. So “Officer Algorithm” is a name given to a non-human AI security official who only understands those inputs it knows about. When Officer Algorithm thinks “all paper is letter-sized and there’s an Apple Store with a +1 telephone number in your neighborhood” and you say, “but wait, my paper size is A4 and I can’t dial +1 numbers” Officer Algorithm doesn’t know what to do.
And I still have no idea what you are saying. What country are you in?
If Apple was happy to sell you stuff via the App Store in your country I’d be absolutely amazed if your country wasn’t on this list of local numbers to call:
support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201232
Of course most of those numbers are freephone lines which is irritating enough in itself as they’re free from landlines (who still has one of those? Thanks, Apple) but expensive from mobiles. A regular number would actually be cheaper (free - or at least in included minutes) for many (most? Almost all?) users.
I’d also be absolutely amazed if you genuinely can’t change your credit card details for the App Store. You might need to do it via your Apple ID (if memory serves) which has very sensible security precautions attached so not just as simple as typing in new numbers and clicking update — but if Apple have a bug that means there are some customers they’re not able to take money from, I can assure you they’ll want to know about it!
This is a good example of what I call the “expat tax.” “Things can’t work that way…” except they do. We’re way off point here, but;
- buy a product in one country
- travel to another country
- stay in the other country due to the pandemic
- Officer Algorithm thinks you live in the other country: you don’t.
- You could pay $$ to call Apple–maybe.
- You don’t want to pay $$ to call Apple.
- Apple is not in the country where you are physically located.
Etc.
What astonishes me is that developers can’t fix these problems either.
Without reading my other posts the situation may not make sense because subsequent posts are incomplete. I’ve made my point and had my say. The Apple Store software license is a lesser license not controlled by the developer. Over and out.
FWIW, we’ve also had support issues when people moved to countries where the Apple Store isn’t available at all. And of course neither we nor any other developer can control how Apple’s licensing requirements might change in the future.
Katherine
“There is no official Apple presence here”: that means that Infinite Loop does business in this country through agents; that is, local distributors.
“There is … no way to call” I do not want to pay $$ to call Infinite Loop in California (lovely time difference). The cost of the landline, non-VOIP call would equal the price of the subscription.
“AI” means “artificial intelligence.” This is a system, a recipe for dealing with human beings on an automated basis without human intervention.
“Officer Algorithm” is a cartoon character I made up to represent having to interact with AI in meatspace. He doesn’t really exist.
AI can handle those situations for which it has been programmed and not others.
The country code for the United States (and Canada, strangely) is “1.” To dial a number in the United States, you dial an international access code, represented here by “+”. This code varies from country to country, In the UK and Western Europe it’s “00.” In. the US it’s “011.” VoIP providers may use different codes.
A4 paper refers to the size of paper for business correspondence in most of the world, but not in the country where Infinite Loop is located.
I’d rather not post my location on open forums. Trust me that there are such places where the characteristics I have described apply.
Anything else? Next time I’ll use footnotes.
If I could “Like” this response I would. 
NO NO NO! This is insane.
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