We are very thankful when you decide to purchase something in Hue Essentials. Still, we can imagine that something went wrong during the purchase. Sometimes you pay for an in-app-purchase but it does not seem to work. What to do next?
Purchased or not?
First check what you ordered. Go to the upgrade screen in Hue Essentials and locate your in-app-purchase like for instance “Premium”. If all went well, then it says “purchased”. It also tells you what the package, in this case “premium”, contains. However, if you do not see “purchased” but a price or “buy”, then it was not purchased.
Subscriptions
Sorry, we do not offer subscriptions at this time. Only a one time purchase to get the package you get to keep forever.
Restore
Suppose you are sure you purchased it and the in-app-purchase did not activate, you can look for the “Restore” button on the upgrade screen. You find this at the top in iOS or at the bottom in Android if you purchased the app from Google Play. Follow the instructions in Android what to do. If this is not enough, then do not only clear cache but also clear data of the Google Play Store app on Android. The iOS app should restore directly after you tap the button. If you encounter an issue with Hue Essentials downloaded from the Amazon Appstore, then contact us at support@hueessentials.com.
New phone or reset
Let’s say that you restored your complete phone after a reset and Hue Essentials did not restore your purchase automatically. Please check the following:
- Use the restore function (if available) on the upgrade screen (see above).
- Check if you are using the correct Apple, Google, or Amazon account on which you made the purchase.
- Android: If you are using multiple Google accounts on your phone, then Hue Essentials may have been installed on the wrong account. Resolve this by uninstalling Hue Essentials. Open the Play Store. Log in to the correct Google account at the top. Then install Hue Essentials again.
Purchase not seen (Google Play)
It could also be that you purchased an item and even money was deducted from your payment method but you cannot get it to work. In that case, it could be that the purchase was unsuccessful in some way. Google sometimes stops a payment under the flag “payment declined”. In such cases, often an invalid payment method was used like an expired credit card or a telecom provider not allowing for transactions. If money was deducted, Google refunds this automatically which can take a few days or longer; more info at: Learn about refunds on Google Play - Google Play Help
Purchases between different app stores
A purchase you made on one type of store (for example: Apple) does not unlock this feature on another device using a different store (for example: Google).
Amazon is a different store than Google Play Store; however, you could purchase something on an Amazon device in the Amazon store and then install Hue Essentials using the Amazon Store on your mobile. This will install a different copy of the app using the Amazon store and which is incompatible with the Google Play Store.
We are not allowed to add a purchase method authentication from third party stores on another platform. For example: we are not allowed to add a Google Billing method in an Apple app. Therefore, purchases are not shared between stores.
Family library
Google in-app-purchases are not eligible for sharing through family library. Amazon has no sharing options. We cannot change their policies on this topic. Apple updated its policy recently.
Google Play Store
Use Google Play Family Library - Google Play Help (please check what is eligible for sharing)
Amazon Appstore
https://www.amazon.com/myh/households (please check what is eligible for sharing)
Apple App Store
Apple Family Sharing allows you to share this app with up to six family members. In-app purchases are now shareable with your family members, but only if the developer updates this per in-app purchase; we allow sharing!
Conditions may apply: Apple introduced this recently (December 2020) and information on this topic may not be updated. Hue Essentials has opened up the sharing possibility as we have always been a strong supporter of this policy.
To enable Family Sharing, open the Settings app on your iPhone / iPad. Tap on your Apple ID (at the top with your profile picture). Select Family Sharing. Add members of your family to the organiser and set roles for them.
Next to this, you will need to select the content you wish to share in your Apple ID with your family like Purchase Sharing, etc.
The latest iOS 14.3 update may be required (we are not sure about this due to lack of information).
After you have followed the steps, please check whether the other members can now use the in-app-purchases you made. It may take some time and / or reopening of Hue Essentials to sync this to the profiles of the other Apple devices.
See details for Apple: What types of content can I share with my family? - Apple Support
Alternative for Google Play Store (using Amazon instead)
Some users indicated they do not have Google Play installed or do not wish to use that service. Still they do want to make an in-app purchase in Hue Essentials like Premium. You can use the following alternative on your Android phone:
Uninstall Hue Essentials. Then install Amazon Appstore. (Create an account and) Log in to Amazon. Install Hue Essentials from this alternative store. You can now make an in-app purchase in Hue Essentials through this store. Do not uninstall the Amazon Appstore afterwards. If you did, then please reinstall the store, log in again, install Hue Essentials again, and your purchase should be restored.
Refunds (Google Play)
If you really regret your purchase made in the Android version, then contact support@hueessentials.com with your Google Order ID. Find your Google Order ID in:
- Your inbox for your Gmail account linked to your purchases; they are sent by Google Play. It is called Order Number.
- Directly in your Google Payments. Log in to https://payments.google.com (if site does not work properly, do it on your PC). Go to Subscriptions and services, view purchases, find the Hue Essentials purchases (one of them is sufficient). Open it and find the Transaction ID (something like GPA.XXXXXXXXXXXX).
Refunds (Apple App Store)
We would be sorry to see you go! Apple is in charge of refunds and a developer has no control in this process. Please find more details on how to get a refund from Apple at: Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support
Refunds (Amazon Appstore)
- Go to Your Digital Orders and find the Hue Essentials order you would like to return.
- Select your reason for returning the purchase and then select Submit.
Refunds from Philips Hue or other brands
Please contact your reseller directly about your physical products. Hue Essentials does not sell light bulbs but only the app Hue Essentials.