Mac App Store showing an update for an app I don't own

Hi guys,

This is a weird one. I have bought/downloaded a few apps from the Mac App store. Angry birds is not one of them.

Angry Birds is now appearing on the Updates page in the Mac App Store.

If I click Update, "You have updates available for other accounts" appears, with "Sign in to [email protected] to update applications for that account" below it.

I've never signed in with this email address. I've never even heard of this email address. And I can't remove the update from the updates page.

Any ideas?? I'm baffled.

Cheers,
Ben

Does anyone else in your family have access to either that computer or your iTunes account?

If not, you should check with Apple about the possibility that your account password has been compromised.

I would change my account password first thing, then worry about fixing it. It sounds like someone has your account info.

your account is safe. That warning comes with pirate downloaded app. It's showing because you're using app that purchased by someone else and share them over internet.

Copy that e-mail and google it. you will see how to remove it.

I don't even have that app though! Never did, pirated OR legitimate. I don't want it either.

I can't think of any other explanation.

If the computer was bought 2nd hand, is it possible you may still have bits of a previous account still on there?

Cheers

Hugh

Guess that's possible. It was bought second hand. Thanks for your help!

Same problem, same email address given.

This thread is probably long forgotten by all of you but i've been getting exactly the same problem and it even gives me the same email address to sign in to. Again, never downloaded Angry Birds, I don't torrent and this is a new Mac. I know it's not causing any bother but it's really irritating me seeing that little red notification when I can't get rid of it.

Did you ever find out what was causing it?

Anstey

Being suspicious that somebody else is getting the same problem, I went on the hunt, and found this https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3137945?start=0&tstart=0 so it's not so uncommon as you think.

Unless you really have been downloading pirated apps, it appears to stem from rogue apps in the Mac App Store masquerading as free versions; see here also for possible fixes https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2800264?start=0&tstart=0

Cheers

Hugh

Fixed!

Turns out it was my LEGAL copy of FCPX, apparently it's happening to legal and cracked copies alike. Sifted through all the various fixes and I didn't fancy wiping my HD or re-installing FCPX so i picked the easy looking one. Download twitter from app store, show package contents on both FCPX & twitter and replace the FCPX receipt file with the twitter one ( found under /contents/_MASreceipts/ ), close everything down, reopen app store and BAM. Done. Took me 5 minutes. WIN.

Good, glad it worked. Either the store itself or FCPX that you downloaded seems to have been hacked.
Hopefully Apple are aware of this problem and will take action.

Cheers

Hugh

Quick fix for this

1) Follow the hints here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4301699?start=15&tstart=0

2) If that fails (e.g. if there is no evidence anywhere on your system of the offending app), you have pirated software on your system (whether you installed it or not - no accusation intended) in which someone put their own Apple Store "receipt" file from a valid app into one they didn't pay for to trick the system into thinking it was paid for. The way to track this down:

2a) Launch the Terminal.
2b) Type: "locate _MASReceipt/" (without the quotation marks) and press Return (Enter).
2c) That gives you a list of installed apps that came from, or have been faked to appear to have come from, the Apple Store. Compare this list to the list in the Apple Store application under Purchases.
2d) Make a short list of those which appear in the "locate" list but not the real App Store list; in the App Store application, select Store -> Sign In, login with that, then pick Store -> View My Account, then (after App Store makes you login again for no reason) select View Hidden Purchases, and eliminate any apps that appear here from your short list of suspect apps.
2e) If your suspects list is just one app, trash that and reboot.
2f) Otherwise open (in a text editor) the receipt file in the _MASReceipt folder inside the application bundle (e.g. /Applications/FooBarBazQuux.app/Contents/_MASReceipt/receipt) of each suspect app in turn, and look for text strings, such as an app name, publisher name, user ID, or other telltale content that has something to do with the app you can't update or get rid of and nothing to do with the app in which you found that receipt file. When you find the culprit app, trash it and reboot.