Apple Care tells users who cannot download/update app from App Store that the third-party developer is responsible

While this isn't an issue directly related with programming, I would like to share my frustration with Apple Care and their knowledge of how App Store and third-party apps work. Perhaps someone at Apple can do something about it.

Every now and then a user of one of my apps contacts me asking why they get an error when downloading or updating the app in the App Store ("Unable to Download App. “App” could not be installed. Please try again later."). I tell them that third-party developers have no power over the App Store or its download/update process, and this is an issue they have to solve with Apple Care. But when they contact Apple Care, they are told that since it's an issue with a third-party app, they have to contact the app developer. Sometimes the user is more inclined to believe what Apple Care tells them and they get angry at me. In any case, I feel helpless and frustrated, because I would love to help them, but have no means of doing so. There is something about the concept of App Store that makes some users believe that third-party developers have more power than they actually have: sometimes, for example, users contact me directly, or even leave reviews on the App Store, asking for a refund, which of course only Apple can do.

Have you had a similar experience? Can some engineer at Apple instruct Apple Care that third-party developers cannot help with App Store download/update issues, so that App Store users don't get mad at the app developers for not being able to install/update their app?

Replies

Yes, this happens to me. No, there is nothing that you can do to fix it.

When I get “Apple Support told me to contact you”, I always ask them to forward the email to me, or if it was a phone or in-store conversation to share the name of the person they spoke to and the date/time, “so that I can lodge a complaint with Apple about that employee”. Of course I don’t have any way of lodging such a complaint, and no user has ever replied with the requested info, but I believe it makes it clear to the user that I’m serious about Apple being wrong.

Does the problem repeats with different users ? If so, just an idea: did you check their OS version ? Is it compatible with your deployment target ?

Does the problem repeats with different users ? If so, just an idea: did you check their OS version ? Is it compatible with your deployment target ?

Yes, the macOS version is compatible.