How Can I Recover My Market Apps?

[magicspeller]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie here with a big problem I hope someone can help me with.

I have three Gmail accounts. When I first got my phone a month ago and not knowing what I was doing, when prompted to log into a Gmail account, I set things up with my tertiary/third-most-used account (#3). Little did I know the consequences. When I decided I wanted to now set the phone up with my primary account (#1), I discovered that the only way to do so was with a hard reset!

Well, after doing a hard reset and setting up my #1 account first, and now wanting to download and install several dozen Market apps that I previously had installed (several of which I'd paid for), I logged into Market, only to find a message saying "No downloads from Android Market."

I assume that Market doesn't recognize my new Gmail address as belonging to the same person as the one I was using previously. I have added accounts #2 and #3 and synced all three acounts, but it didn't help. Is there a way that I can associate the two accounts for Market so that I can get my apps back?

I assume that if I hard reset again and set up my #3 account first, as it was before, that my apps will come back. I went to the Market site on the Web and signed in with my #3 account information, and they are there.

Can anyone tell me if this will work, and if there's any way to accomplish it without a hard reset?

A helpful soul at XDA-Developers pointed me to the Android Market support form online, and I have submitted a request there. Unfortunately, it's Saturday, and I don't have to wait until Saturday (or later!) to get an answer and start using my apps again.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hrethgir]

Set it back up with the 3rd account that you bought all the apps through, and then add the other accounts. This way you will get all your apps back, and also receive emails to the other accounts. But if you really want it set up with just the #1 account, you'll need to set it up with #3, then install AppBrain and that will make a list of all your apps that you can share. The reset the phone up with the #1 account and get the AppBrain list from #3 and install everything. Unfortunately, this will only reinstall the free apps, you would have to repurchase the pay apps. The first way I mentioned would probably be best: account #3 as the primary for apps, and link the others so you get the emails you want.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I would reset and set up the phone with the tertiary account. Then I would download all the paid apps and back them up with My Backup if you're not rooted or Titanium if you are. Then you could remove the SD card and reset again. Sign in with the primary account that you really want to use and then restore the apps from your backup. Note that with this method, the paid apps would not be linked to the market so you would not get updates, but you would have the apps.

 

[magicspeller]

Thank you both very much. I did the deed -- I started over and set my phone up with #3 account, just as it was originally, then added the other two accounts in the settings.

What surprised me was that not only did all my apps show up in apps, but as soon as I finished the initial setup, they started downloading and now I have them all back on my phone -- without having to download a single one manually. Very nice!

 

[Hrethgir]

Thank you both very much. I did the deed -- I started over and set my phone up with #3 account, just as it was originally, then added the other two accounts in the settings.

What surprised me was that not only did all my apps show up in apps, but as soon as I finished the initial setup, they started downloading and now I have them all back on my phone -- without having to download a single one manually. Very nice!

Glad to hear you got it working!