Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Nipz

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 1, 2006
1,434
0
UK
I was wondering if it would be possible for someone to download an app (say something like NetShare) and then send other iPhone users the app file to put on their iPhone?

Thanks

Ben
 
not unless the two phones have access to the same iTunes account and password. Which means two people use the same credit card.

Otherwise, no. Apps are DRM'd and tied to your iTunes account.

arn
 
I know you referred to NetShare which is technically unavailable at the moment, but you're still asking about theft/piracy in general... Don't go down that road... Just pay for your applications, and wait for the ones you want to become available again.
 
Don't you see something a little wrong with what you are proposing?

And other threads have said the files downloaded are associated with a certain iTunes account, so they can't be backed-up and given to someone else for their iTunes. Unless you friend always wants to say sync their apps with your iTunes or you give them your same password and account.
 
Im happy to pay for every app! dont get me wrong...

I was just meaning for apps like NetShare that is not longer available if it would be possible.
 
Im happy to pay for every app! dont get me wrong...

I was just meaning for apps like NetShare that is not longer available if it would be possible.

Just cause they don't sell it anymore doesn't make it any less illegal.
 
Ok i think this is being taken out of context. All i wanted to know if it was possible. Arn answered my question and thats all i needed to know.

I know its illegal and for that reason i wouldnt do it, but i was just curious to see if it was possible...
 
here's another question - just out of curiousity.
I guess i dont ENTIRELY understand how this all works with purchasing apps on the iphone vs. itunes.. But since you CAN purchase them fromy our phone and put them onto your itunes account, does that mean that you could "temporarily" sync your phone to a friend's cpu, get the apps you wanted, and when you try to sync back up to your own cpu, wold the app be downloaded to your apps in that cpu like as if you purchased it from your phone?? or because it is now a newly synced device, it will erase all old stuff and just upload what is on itunes??

I'm not trying to steal anything here, just curious. I am entirely against piracy, i woudl just think a hole like that would be a BIG issue for lots of developers..
 
Your phone gets tied to your iTunes store account when you set it up for use. The only way you could use someone else's apps would be to Restore your phone using someone else's iTunes account - which of course would erase all of your data from the phone. So no, you can't illegally pirate apps that way.
 
ok. thats what i thought.. i had never really thought too much about it (i dont know anyone ele with iphones anyways) but after reading this thread, it just popped into my head as a possible way to get around it..

clearly apple has thought of it.
 
so there is really no other way of sharing apps with friends who have iphones? i mean, one of us has to restore back to factory settings and lose all the data (txt, e-mails, etc...) and use the same credit card? you can't just get the apps from the friend's iTunes account and then switch back to your iTunes account?

it's kind of unfortunate that Apple removed great apps like Netshare and Box Office from the app store and possibly never put it up again. :(
 
You can share apps just like you share music, with up to 5 computers, as Arn mentioned, if the user has your password, like my girlfriend does. I let her check out an app I bought the other day.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.