Reason: Other (describe below)
Comments: We could not complete your order in a timely fashion. Your order has been automatically canceled. Please retry your purchase.
Which led me to do some investigating. To my surprise, if you buy an app via the online market and don’t actually install the app to your device in a timely manner, your order gets canceled. Which I suppose is a good thing if you are unable to install it. In my circumstances though, it is a bit disappointing. Here’s why. I buy an app that is on sale for 1 day only. I select to install it to my device which I don’t because due to lack of Ice Cream Sandwich support and a/or a different LCD density I can not. That is fine with me, I know that when the app does get support for IC, my ROM updates or I manually change my density I can then install it. Since I didn’t install it by choice, I am told to repurchase the app and try again. Of course this is not an option since half the apps I bought yesterday are no longer available for 10 cents. Which means I am not going to buy them at full price. That sort of defeats the whole purpose of the promo.
This issue can also arise for many others in completely other circumstances. For instance if a tablet app pops up in this list at some point and I know I am getting one for Christmas and I buy the app now because it is on sale, why should I be punished for not installing it right away? What if your device is broken or damaged and you are waiting on an exchange, but don’t want to miss out on the app special? Maybe your device is missing or was stolen? Not everyone is in my exact same situation, but I think many people are being left out of the deals due to circumstances that shouldn’t deny them the apps on sale today.
Now I am stuck in a quandary. Do I dump ICS for say, CM7 for the next ten days just so I can buy great apps at amazing prices? I don’t think so. I suppose I will just have to bust out my terrible tablet that runs Android 2.1 so I can install them so they stay in my friggin ‘My Apps’ sections so I can install them later. Which is also proving to be a problem for some apps that aren’t made for a tablet. Apparently I am stuck in a lose/lose situation. Talk about a huge headache over something that shouldn’t even be present. Especially on an app that is 10 cents! Has anyone really installed one and said, “Ya know what, this runs horrible on my device. I want a refund!”
As far as a solution that I think is both viable and sensible on Google’s end. The simplest solution that I think would benefit the greatest number of people is adding a new option in the drop down menu. You know, the one where you select which device you want to install it to. Add a new option in that menu label something like “add to My Apps” or “Install Later”. Something that triggers the system to know that you are actually wanting this app, but that you just wish to purchase it now and worry about the install later. Once you trigger the install on a device that is when you should have the 15 minute window. This would solve the issue on promotional apps that have a time frame and save people who are in my situation or any number of other scenarios from loosing out on an application.
Does anyone out there have another solution that is feasible? Is anyone else out there going through the same frustration with this that I am? Let us know. Maybe someone will take notice and figure out a solution that can cater to the thousands of us on custom ROM’s, missing phones, damaged devices or any other number of reasons that we can’t install the purchase right away.
