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Do Apps that I purchase work on another User Account?

v10type-r

New Member
So I thought that if I installed an App on my Surface, my wife who has been set up as another User would have access to these paid apps... is this not so?

I installed Angry birds star wars just to try it out, but when I switched users, it requested to purchase it again with my wifes account..

This is kinda annoying that we can't share apps purchased for 1 device.. am i doing something wrong?
 

Mr.NK

Super Moderator
Apps bought by you are connected to your account, so your wife have to buy it herself or use your account to Play angry birds. You may contact the Support for a Transfer to her account, but i'm not sure if this is possible.
 
OP
V

v10type-r

New Member
I guess I could have just 1 account, but that would be annoying having her have access to my ppl hub, email etc..
 

mrasmussen

New Member
I agree, I have the same issue on other tablets/phones. It would be ideal to have up to some number of accounts, maybe 4 be connected only at the app store level.
 

rbur

New Member
Try this procedure... it worked for me to put an app on my wife's RT user account:
Although it may look like it ... it does NOT download another copy of the software but it does install the app.
good luck ...
Ron...

1. Log into your second account on your device.
2. Open up the Store.
3. Open up Settings.
4. Click on Your Account.
5. Click on Change user.
6. Log in with a Microsoft account that has already purchased apps from the store.
7. Swipe down from the top and select Your Apps.
8. Select an install any of the apps that you had already purchased with that account.
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
It may be annoying but yes they do want you to buy two apps. Remember you are only licencing the right to use an app and that is on a per user basis not a per device basis. Thinking about it the other way you can use apps you purchase on as many Windows 8/RT devices as you want. It actually seems fair that since they don't make you purchase per device in that sense, that even though two users share one device each needs to buy their own apps.

The good thing to note as Ron mentioned, is that you don't have to download an app more than once per device. This is a welcome space saver. While there may be a work around for now I wouldn't be surprised to see the loophole closed in a future update. Just the way the modern e-commerce works.

JP
 

guitar1969

New Member
But It seems you could have both accoutns set up on the surface, and just turn of the people syncing, and calender features. I do a similar thing on Androids . Pesonally, I don't use my MS account for any syncing people and calenders - I do it all through my Gmail account so my Android phone is synced as well.
 

R0bR

Member
I'm pretty sure I've read a few articles that indicated that Microsoft mandated that store apps could be installed onto 5 computers, or perhaps that was accounts.
 

vdek

New Member
I'm pretty sure I've read a few articles that indicated that Microsoft mandated that store apps could be installed onto 5 computers, or perhaps that was accounts.

Your account can be registered with up to 5 computers.
 

Irascor

New Member
As already stated, you just need to log into the store with the account that purchased the app under the user that you want to see it.

From: Licensing apps - Windows Store for developers - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Apps can be installed on multiple PCs and user accounts

These days, people may use several PCs in the course of their daily lives, or share PCs with more than one person in their household. We want these customers to have access to a great Windows 8 experience on all of those PCs.

The licensing terms allow customers to install and use their apps on any user accounts on up to 5 PCs. Why only 5 PCs? Because we also believe in the value of the developer’s investments in their apps, and we want to protect that investment from abuse.

You can view your list of apps by selecting View your apps on the Account and settings page. Jonathan Wang’s post, Designing the Windows Store user experience, describes this page in the Reacquiring apps section. This image from his post shows the customer selecting 4 apps to install from their list:

Your apps page with 4 apps selected, and buttons to install, view, select all, or clear selection.
See all of your apps and reinstall them

From this page, you can install your apps on a different user account on the same shared PC.

Say, for example, that your family has a shared PC. You have previously used your Microsoft account to purchase a game that all your kids like to play. You can install it for each of your kids by having each of them sign in to their Windows accounts on the shared PC, then launch the Store and sign in to the Store using your own Microsoft account. There, you’ll see all your apps and you can re-install the app on your kid’s Windows account. Installing apps on multiple user accounts on a shared PC still only counts as one of the five allowable PCs where you can install apps.

Note: The Windows 8 Customer Preview release does not yet fully support signing in to the Store with a different account if a Microsoft account is connected to the Windows account.
 

R0bR

Member
Your account can be registered with up to 5 computers.

Found it, it's in the Windows Store Terms of Use:

"What are my rights for apps I get from the Windows Store?

All apps made available through the Windows Store are licensed, not sold, to you. In most cases, that license includes the right to install and use your app on up to five Windows 8 enabled devices simultaneously. If you try to install an app on more than five devices, it may be deactivated automatically from one of these devices, so that no more than five instances are activated at any one time. In limited circumstances, such as when a publisher designates the app as eligible for use on only a certain type of device, apps might not install on other types of devices."


Windows Store Terms of Use

EDIT: Doh! Irascor best me to it.
 
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