Cannot restore previous purchase

Plex Players Mobile Devices
1

Server Version#:
Player1 Version#: 26.4 (iPhone 15.3)
Player2 Version#: 26.3 (iPad14,10)

Description: I am unable to restore my one-time “App Activation” (Streaming Playback) on my iOS device despite having used it successfully in the past. Clicking the “Restore Purchases” button in the app does absolutely nothing—no loading spinner, no error message, and no activation.

Steps already taken:

  • Verified Apple ID: Confirmed via App Store receipt; I have only ever used this single Apple ID.

  • Verified Plex Account: Logged into the same account used during the original purchase.

  • Reinstallation: Deleted and reinstalled the app.

  • Manual Purchase Trigger: Tried to “re-buy” the activation to trigger a restore, but the purchase option is no longer visible in the app, even though it’s listed in the App Store description.

Has anyone encountered this “dead” button issue or knows a way to force the license check?

2

The One-Time activation is no longer needed for the newer version of the player that you are using, since the limitations that it unlocked is now free for everybody

See here for a list of what the One-Time Activation actually did: https://support.plex.tv/articles/206318037-what-are-the-features-and-limitations-without-unlocking-the-app/

When said, if using your devices on another network than where the server is located is considered remote streaming, and that was put behind a paywall almost a year ago, and does not relate to the One-Time Activation

See this blog post from March 2025: https://www.plex.tv/blog/important-2025-plex-updates/

In other words you need as a bare minimum a Remote Watch Pass, see: https://www.plex.tv/plans/

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