With such a vast number of products on sale, it’s no wonder some of them have issues. This post details how you can Report a Problem to Apple to get the iTunes or App Store support you need.
There are millions of apps available on Apple’s App Store and over tens of millions of songs, TV shows, and films on the iTunes Store. With such a staggering number of products, it’s only reasonable to expect some of them to have problems.
But what are you supposed to do if your newest app has a bug? Or what if the film you just purchased isn’t working correctly?
Apple’s Report a Problem service is available for just that.
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Report a Problem
Reporting a problem to Apple informs them about any issues you’re having with App Store or iTunes purchases made in the last 90 days.
Apple offers the following problem topics to choose from:
- Unauthorized purchases: products that you were billed for but didn’t buy yourself
- Missing purchases: products you purchased but cannot download or find in your library
- Unusable purchases: products that fail to download, install, open, or work
- Misrepresented purchases: products that don’t live up to their descriptions
Once you’ve reported a problem, Apple will get back to you with the support you need.
That might mean technical and troubleshooting assistance to smooth out software errors.
Or in other circumstances, it could mean iTunes and App Store refunds for unauthorized or accidental purchases.
How Do I Report a Problem to Apple?
There are three ways to report a problem to Apple: from the invoice, from the website, or from iTunes.
We’ll explain each of these three options below, starting with the invoice.
#1 Report a Problem from the Invoice
After every iTunes or App Store purchase, you’ll get an invoice sent to your Apple ID email address.
This invoice usually arrives a couple of days later and includes details about your purchase.
It also features a link to Write a Review or to Report a Problem with your purchase.
This link is the quickest route to report a problem; unless you never received or cannot find the invoice.
The Report a Problem link takes you Apple’s website. From here, you can select a category and describe the issue to Apple before hitting Submit.
#2 Report a Problem from the Website
Visit reportaproblem.apple.com to report a problem on any of your recent purchases.
After signing in to the relevant Apple ID, this website will list every iTunes or App Store purchase made on that account in the last 90 days.
Clicking the Report a Problem button next to each item allows you to describe that issue to Apple.
You’ll also need to choose a relevant category before submitting the problem.
#3 Report a Problem from iTunes
Use iTunes on a Mac or PC to view all your purchases and report a problem to Apple.
From the iTunes, menu-bar click Account and then View My Account. Enter your Apple ID password you’ll see a range of information about your account.
Under the Purchase History heading, click See All to view purchases made from your Apple ID.
By default, iTunes only shows purchases made from the last 90 days. Next to each of them is the option for More.
Clicking this uncovers the purchase date, device, seller, and presents a link to Report a Problem.
Just like the invoice, clicking Report a Problem loads the relevant page on Apple’s website, allowing you to choose a category and describe the problem there.
What Do I Do When My Purchase is Older than 90 Days?
Apple’s support lasts a generous 90 days, but many of us have iTunes and App Store purchases going back further than that.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee of support with these older purchases. But there are still a few things you can try.
Contact the App Developer Directly
A good App Developer will want to know about problems with their apps. While some developers may no longer be active, you might still be able to reach out to them for help.
Developers could offer you a quick solution or may promise a bug fix in the next update.
On its website, Apple explains how to get App Support from developers using any Apple device.
Manage Automatic Subscription and Billing Issues for Apps
According to a recent study, the average Apple user spends about $79 in subscription and apps.
There are often instances when a user is getting charged for subscriptions that he/she doesn’t use.
The easiest way to look for these subscriptions and charges is to start via the Apple store.
This will provide you with the details around your subscriptions, and you can choose to renew or delete these subscriptions directly.
How Do I Get a Refund from Apple for App or Movie Purchase?
There are times when you buy apps which are added to your ‘Purchased History’ under your Apple ID.
Any movie purchases will also show up here.
Sometimes users find that there are in-app charges that they didn’t sign up for and want to cancel and get a refund for their purchase.
If you are trying to understand these charges and applying for a refund, here are some helpful steps.
Before you start with the steps below, take a moment to inspect the Apple ID. Do you use multiple Apple IDs?
You may have to check this process for the various IDs that you use on your device to narrow down the issue.
- Start with your bank/credit card statement. Do you see any charges starting with ‘itunes.com/bill.’
- If you do not recognize the amounts, there is a possibility that multiple charges might have been lumped into one line item.
- The best thing to do is to start by examining your ‘Purchased History’ so that you can find out the app in question.
- Open up App Store app on your iPhone or iPad and then tap on your profile at the top right corner of the screen
- Next, Tap on Purchased and choose ‘My Purchases.’ This provides you the list of all the apps that you have downloaded for the given Apple Id.
- These show you the apps on your iPhone as well as Apps that you may have purchased using other Apple devices using your Apple ID
- If you have a Family Plan, you should look under ‘Family Purchases’ to see the details of the apps.
- Once you have identified the app in question for which you want to claim a refund, the next step is to figure out how to contact the app developer (Third-party app)
- If it is an Apple app or iTunes movie, use the report a problem feature to get in touch with Apple as explained in the previous sections. If it is a third party app, then check the steps below.
- From the App store on your device, search for the app and tap on it.
- Swipe up to find the Ratings & Reviews section, then tap App Support.
- This should take you to the app’s support page so that you can contact the third party developer and request a refund, if eligible.
Refund for Third Party Subscription Problem
If you are trying to get a refund for a subscription charge as opposed to an app purchase or in-app purchase, you will have to start by examining all the subscriptions that are under your Apple Id.
Apple doesn’t handle these third party subscriptions.
As per Apple, if you purchased subscriptions from a third party service
You might have bought some subscriptions through another company, including:
- Content or services obtained through a website (streaming video and music services, dating apps, etc.).
- Content or services purchased through an app on another company’s platform (like signing up for Netflix through the Google Play store).
You will have to reach out to these companies directly to cancel the subscription and seek eligible refunds.
The best value is to start by restricting in-app purchases. Many users find that a family member purchased in-app elements without their knowledge.
You can now easily restrict such in-app purchases by using the ScreenTime app on your Apple device.
- If you’re using iOS 12, use Screen Time
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions to turn it on
- Then tap iTunes & App Store Purchases > In-App Purchases > Don’t Allow
If you’re using iOS 11 or earlier, use Restrictions (Settings > General > Restrictions > In-App Purchases)
RELATED: How To Use ScreenTime Features when using a Family Plan
Contact Apple Support Directly 
If you can’t reach the App Developer or if Apple is the App Developer, you may want to contact Apple Support directly.
They may not be able to offer specific assistance for third-party apps. However, they should still be able to provide you with basic troubleshooting steps that might fix any errors.
Here’s a guide we prepared earlier that explains precisely how to get in touch with Apple support.
Seeking customer service can be frustrating and tiresome at the best of times. Next time you need to Report a Problem to Apple, we hope this guide makes it a lot more pain-free.