Sometimes Strongbox can have difficulties establishing your Pro status, usually due to an issue communicating with Apple's App Store. Here are some things to try to fix this:
1. Restore Purchases
Sometimes this can be as simple as tapping or clicking 'Restore Purchases' or 'Already Purchased' button on the Upgrade screen. Make sure you try this first.
2. Make sure you're using the correct version of the app
There are two versions of the app: a free version with in-app purchases and a lifetime version that you buy upfront (the name of which is 'Strongbox Pro (Lifetime) in the App Store).
If you have bought the lifetime app with an upfront payment ('Strongbox Pro (Lifetime)') then you will need to install this version on all of your devices. Using the free version with in-app purchases will not work.
(If you have more than one version installed, we also recommend uninstalling the one that you're not using.)
3. Check Your Purchase History
- Go to https://reportaproblem.apple.com/?s=6
- Sign in with your Apple ID and Password
- Make sure you can see your last payment for Strongbox
- If all looks good, make sure you are signed in to your device with the right Apple ID and try to 'Restore Purchases' again as described above.
You may also have an email receipt indicating your payment. Next, if all is OK with your payment, the following steps usually resolve the issue immediately...
4. Confirm if Your License is "Universal" or "Non-Universal"
Have you purchased a non-universal license? This license means that you will only have Pro on your Mac devices. It does NOT include an iPhone/iPad license entitlement and cannot be restored to an iOS device.
If you have a Universal license, then your license will work on all of your iOS and macOS devices.
For more information, see our guide to universal licensing.
5. Restart Your Device
Restart your device - It is amazing how quickly this fixes most issues.
6. Reinstall The App
Deleting and reinstalling the app from the App Store is also very effective at resolving stubborn issues.
It's very important that you know where your database(s) are stored before you delete the Strongbox app. This is particularly important if your database are stored locally on your device, and not in the cloud. We always recommend backing up your databases before deleting the Strongbox app, just in case!
Once you have reinstalled the app and confirmed that your Strongbox Pro license is working, you can add your existing databases back.
7. App Store Refresh
If the above steps didn't help, the following almost always work:
On iOS
- Go to the "App Store" app
- Tap on the "Person" icon in the top right hand corner to access your Account.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap "Sign Out"
- Next, scroll back up to the Top and Sign In again using the same Apple ID you used to purchase Strongbox.
- Go to Strongbox, it may detect your subscription automatically, but if it doesn't then tap 'Restore Previous Purchase' on the Upgrade screen.
On macOS
- Go to the "App Store" app
- Click on the Store > Sign Out menu item at the top of your screen
- Click on the Store > Sign In menu item at the top of your screen, and sign in.
- Go to Strongbox, it may detect your subscription automatically, but if it doesn't then tap 'Already Purchased?' or 'Restore Previous Purchase' on the Upgrade screen.
Still Having Trouble?
If that doesn't work, please get in touch with support (support@strongboxsafe.com) and include:
- A screenshot including the purchase ID and date from the Apple website we mention above, where you checked your purchase history, or of the email receipt
- The debug information from the "About" screen in Strongbox.