What does "check for available downloads" do?

I bought some movies on my iPad while at work today. I didn't have enough space on the iPad so I checked "later" when the option came up about downloading now or later. When I got home, I saw that iTunes was showing the movie in my library with the cloud icon in the upper right corner, meaning that I own this movie but have not yet downloaded it. I thought clicking on "check for available downloads" from the Store menu would locate the purchased movies and download them, but instead I get the message "all purchases have been downloaded for this apple ID" (see image below). So I had to manually fish through the library and locate the purchased movies and click on the cloud icons to start them downloading.
So if "check for available downloads" doesn't do what it sounds like it should, what is it for?
I have the latest version of iTunes: 11.4.0.18

I thought I'd bump my own thread since it's three months later and iTunes is now at version 12 and the "check for available downloads" still does nothing. I am subscribed to a season pass of American Horror Story and every week I get an email saying that a new episode is available for download. But when I launch iTunes and click on "check for available downloads", nothing happens.
Que sera, sera.

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ITunes does not allow me to download at Store "You do not have authority to write in iTunes Media files. Adapt your authorisation in explorer and check for available downloads in Store

As administrator of my pc icannot download musc/video from Store: the message (translated from Dutch) "You do not have authority to write in iTunes Media files. Adjust your authorisation in explorer and check for available downloads in Store

Hey! I had the same problem you did just today when I was trying to get my second iPhone to sync. What you need to do with music or anything extra that you doing you have to creat a second playlist or picture or anything that you would like to use, so that you can add to the second device that you are going to be using. I am not sure if that will help but it helped me out a lot!! Good luck!

I downloaded a movie on itunes and turned my computer off and when i turned it back on the movie wasnt there so i went to re download and it says check for available download and it still won't let me down load it. what do i do?

i downloaded a movie on itunes and turned my computer off and when i turned it back on the movie wasnt there so i went to re download and it says check for available download and it still won't let me down load it. what do i do?

Hi runner_girl7585,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. If you weren't ever able to watch your rental movie, you can report this to the iTunes Store:
How to report an issue with your iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBookstore purchase
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1933
Cheers,
- Ari

HT1725 I have a song that didnt completly download, but when I check for available downloads it says all songs are downloaded but they are not. What should I do

I have a song that didnt completly download, but when I checked for available downloads it says all songs are downloaded. When I close Itunes and reopen it still dosent complete the download what should I do

Depending upon what country that you are in (music can't be re-downloaded in all countries) then try deleting that track from your iTunes library (if it's still in there then iTunes won't let you re-download it) and redownload it via the Purchased link under Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes store home page on your computer's iTunes : re-downloading.
If you aren't in a country where you can re-download music or if it re-downloads in the same state then try the 'report a problem' link from your purchase history : log into your account on your computer's iTunes via Store > View My Account and you should then see a Purchase History section with a 'see all' link to the right of it ; click on that and you should see a list of your purchases ; find that song and use the 'Report a Problem' link.

Check for available downloads does not work HELP

I had previously bought about 100 songs on my laptop, but we encountered a problem were my wireless network would not work. The support at HP wouldn't help us out unless we did a system restore first, so i lost all my stuff.
when i installed itunes again after the restore, it gave me one song from the check for available downloads option, and it says all available purchases have been located. Also, when i try to download a song I already had before it recognizes that I already downloaded it and tells me to use the check for available downloads button, which obviously is not helping me.
anyone else have this problem? I dont really wanna be out a hundred bucks...

and * is wrong with you guys!
The only people who participate here are we your fellow users, so please don't yell at us.
your making music even more expensive! $1.29 for a song i could get for free! *?!
It's the record companies who are controlling the pricing. They forced Apple to accept having more popular songs be more expensive as the price for allowing Apple to remove the copy protection. Rant at the record companies, little good though that will do.
Look for a folder called "Downloads" in your iTunes Music folder. If there is such a folder, look for files that would be the partial download and delete those, so that the download starts over from the beginning. Then try again using the "Check for Available Downloads" command under the iTunes Store menu.
If that doesn't work, contact the iTunes Store customer support department through the form at the bottom of their web page and explain the problem to them.
Hope this helps. Next time, though, it would be better if you started your own topic rather than tagging onto someone else's thread.

TV Shows Season Pass New Episodes Gone from Check for Available Downloads

I was informed today from iTunes Support that new episodes that become available will no longer come through the Store > Check for Available Downloads option in iTunes. If you notice in your email alerts for the new episode's availability, it now says the new episode is found in your Purchased items in Itunes in the Cloud.
I was also told that if I checked the options "show iTunes Purchases in the Cloud" in iTunes > Preferences > Store tab, that I could just see the new episodes in my Library under TV Shows. I used to have this option and could access the new episodes and download them this way, but that option is now GONE as well from iTunes. I am awaiting feedback from my Senior Support Rep as to what is wrong there.
I have been simply going to the iTunes Store > Purchased > TV Shows and clicking the "Not on this computer" option in the upper right. I have to go show by show and click "Download" or "Download All". I have almost 15 Season Passes at any one time. This is a completely horrible way of downloading them.
When the new episodes were evailable via the "Check for Available Downloads" Option, I had my iMac scheduled to restart every morning around 4am Central. That was about 2 hours after the date/time stamp of the email notifications. Since iTunes was always set to start at login, it would automatically check for available downloads, and then download all the new episodes. I then had a cloning process scheduled that would clone my primary iTunes Media drive to a backup iTunes Media drive. That way if one fails I always have an up to date copy.
This new method totally screws up how slick this whole process worked. I understand streaming and the cloud is the direction they are taking here, but this is completely an about face. I want the new episodes available locally. I want it downloaded when I am asleep and always available locally when I want to watch. That way I dont have to worry about my internet availability. Storm can knockout my internet. The construction down the road can cut the optical cable. I may loose my internet due to a problem with the ISP. Having the files locally allows me to watch them worry free, buffer free, and when I want to.
I urge those who are annoyed by this change to provide feedback here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html
I really hope this decision to remove this functionality is not a sign to come. Next I will be downloading each song one by one when I buy an album because I can just stream it in the cloud.
I love my Apple products and servies. But this totally makes me hate them right now.

I am so angry right now I can not even see straight. So the "Show iTunes Purchases Option" out of the blue showed up in iTunes this morning. I dont know if a reboot fixed it or what. But the attached screen shows the lack of that feature along with the iTunes version.
So I am not freaking crazy. So I turned it on this morning to pick up 3 new episodes. I get home tonigth and sit down on my couch with my Apple TV ready to roll... and it has completely screwed my "watched" vs "unwatched" episodes. I come to my iTunes library on my iMac and sure enough TV Shows and Movies I know I have not watched or started are marked as watched.
I have not watched a single episode of The Following Season 1, and it basically shows I have watched all but the latest 4 shows. I have not watched the last several episodes of Revenge, and it says I have not watched only the last episode. I am guessing as to where I left off, but it looks like Episode 13 was the last episode I watched and iTunes said I had only not watched Episode 19. Vikings Season 1 - I have not watched a single show, but it shows I have watched all but the last 2 episodes, 8 & 9.
Movies - I have bought and downloaded many movies that I have not watched as of yet. For instance: Django Unchainted, and all 3 Matrix Movies. I have watched a couple of the Matrix movies but not all the way through. But I had gone back and marked them as "unwatched" Everything else I had not even touched to hit play or nothing. These are all purchases.
I hunted down all the episodes and movies I knew I had not watched... which took me quite a while... and then when I close and re-open iTunes and at least the watched/unwatched TV shows stayed as I marked them. This was not the case when this feature was first rolled out with iTunes 11. That is exactly why I never used this feature in the first place. Time will tell if it remains stable with the watch/unwatched situation.
Regardless, I am so tired of taking time out of my day and writing iTunes support and giving Apple feedback so they can perhaps look into it and see if its a larger issue than just my library. So they can also maybe realize that some of us actually love their product and want to see them continue to working awesome, slick, and incredible. But as someone who is looking at 8 active season passes.... I may never buy a season pass from iTunes again. The reason why EVERYONE still has a TV antenna and/or cable is because the basic concept of how you watch the programming DOESNT CHANGE. They should take this feedback simply as TV shows are not like Movies and Music. TV shows happen weekly. Having a consistent and repeatable process to get the shows and watch them each week is paramount.
I am usually very good with change and enhancements. But this one.... has completely made me an irate Apple Customer.

Check for Available Downloads... (where are they?)

My daughter has purchased several songs from iTunes using her iPhone and my iTunes account. She never synchs with her Powerbook, so I can't do a Home Share to transfer them to my own, or any of the other computers on our home network. However, according to the iTunes menu, any song bought using our iTunes account should automatically download to my computer. At least that's how I set the preferences.
But it's not working - when I go to the "Check for Available Downloads..." menu it tells me that all my purchases have been downloaded but these new songs are not in my Library. Is iTunes not recognizing that she has purchased them with the same account? (my credit card is certainly being charged using that account) So where are they? How do I get them on our other other computers - and eventually on our respective iPad and iPods?
Any thoughts, instructions or clarifications on how this works, would be appreciated.

Do you have automatic downloads turned 'on' for your account on your computer's iTunes ? If not then you can turn it 'on', but that will only take effect from the next purchase.
Depending upon what country that you are in (it's not possible everywhere) then you might be able to re-download them via the Purchased link under Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes store home page on your computer's iTunes : re-downloading.

Cannot download movies using "Check for Available Downloads"

I was downloading a few movies to watch when iTunes crashed. After starting it back up again, I tried to use the Store->Check for Available Downloads option. I keep getting the error message "Unable to check for available downloads. The network connection has timed out." I've tried signing out and signing back in, downloading from 2 different computers, using wired and wireless connections, and downloading from my account page. None of these has helped, and after contacting the iTunes help staff I received an email asking me for more info. I gave them the info and sent the email on Saturday and haven't received a response. Does anyone have a solution?

They fixed it! I just got an email saying that a digital booklet I was trying to download had started the problem and was stopping many further downloads. They removed the booklet and I'm downloading fine now. They will reinstate the booklet into my download queue once all the other media finishes downloading. Use this link to report your problem. Hope you have success!
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Sto re%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Billing%20Inquiries

Cannot check for available downloads nor download media from iTunes store.

Here's what I can do: 1) I can access the internet. 2) I can access and purchase media from the iTunes store. 3) I can stream radio through iTunes. 4) I can download podcasts.
Here's what I can't do: 1) I cannot check for available downloads. 2) I cannot download purchased media. I receive the following message in a pop up window. "Unable to Check for Available Downloads. The iTunes Store is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."
I have tried all of the following troubleshooting guides recommended by iTunes support without success:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1368
iTunes for Windows: iTunes Store Connection Troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1527
iTunes for Windows: Connection Issues when using Internet Filters, Accelerators, or Firewalls
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1379
I have also removed my router out of the equation and connected directly to my cable modem so port forwarding is not an issue either. The only idea I have left is to call my ISP. Seems like a long shot. I know it is going to be something obvious.

I just realized that I posted this in the wrong forum. If you are an administrator and want to move it, please feel free. Sorry.

Check for available downloads in the Store menu not working!

I have an iPod Touch 2nd gen and use my it mainly for the applications, and that's where my problem is!
Normally I click on Get updates on the apps I have already bought and they normally download for syncing with my iPod but for some reason they aren't. It says "x updates available" but when I click on them it comes up with a message like :-
"You have already purchased this item but not downloaded. To download it, select Check for available downloads in the Store menu"
Which I do. As soon as I click ok it comes up with a network connection timeout and the same when I click on Check for avaiable downloads - EVERY time! Done a diagnostic and network connection is ok and also can still buy stuff.
All I want to do is update these apps, what's wrong???

Contact itunes support.

I downloaded a song yesterday and when i go to play it i only get the first four or five seconds, then it quits. When I check for available downloads, Apple says all songs have been downloaded to this computer.This last purchase didn't download.

I downloaded a song yesterday, April 6th. It didn't download successfully, but Apple or i-tunes said it has been downloadd to my computer. Well it hasn't. I only get the first 4 or 5 seconds when i try to play it. i don't want to pay for it again. What should I do?

Launch iTunes on your computer.
From the menu bar click iTunes > Preferences then select the Advanced tab.
Click Reset warnings and Reset cache
Click OK.
Restart your computer, launch iTunes.
Click Store > Check for Available Downloads...

HT201272 I can't fine the "check for available downloads" button anywhere and I want to download an album I preordered

I can't fine the "check for available downloads" button anywhere and I want to download an album I preordered

It should be under the Store menu on your computer's iTunes :
If you are using your phone then does it show in the Purchased tab in the iTunes store app on it for downloading ?

Unable to check for available downloads. A duplicate filename was specified.

I cannot access my downloads, or rather "download" them, because of the - Unable to check for available downloads. A duplicate filename was specified. - keeps coming up.

Did you resolve this issue? I am having the same problem and CANNOT figure out what to do. It is driving me crazy!

Checking for Available Downloads - ERROR

When going to the "Check for Available Downloads" drop down (because there are pending transactions), I click and wait for my downloads to begin. i get the error "Unable to check for available downloads. The iTunes store is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later".
I am currently fully connected to the iTunes store and searching around on it. I have downloaded the newest version of iTunes and made sure that my credit card information is up to date and loaded properly.
Why does this continue to happen?

I am having the same prob. I have been for a while and i dont know how to fix it. I was hoping I could find an answer here

I bought and was charged for some music. It is not in check for available downloads or my purchased file. However it shows up in recent purchases. I just recovered from a problem and had to uninstall and reinstall. Where could this purchase be?

I bought and was charged for some music. It is not in check for available downloads or the purchased file. It does show up on my view my account recent purchases. Where could this music be? I recently recovered from an iTunes problem and had to uninstall and reinstall and finally manged to get everything back to work. Except for this most recent purchase which just happens to be my son's band so I would really like to have it.

Start with this article.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
If you live in the US, you can always redownload the music at no cost. See this article for information.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
And if nothing else, try contacting iTunes support and explaining the situation to them.
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html
B-rock

What does "check for available downloads" do?

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