Apple adds Automatic Downloads alert to latest Mountain Lion beta

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Apple's previously announced Automatic Downloads feature is slowly coming together in the latest developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, which features a new Notification Center alert for Mac App Store purchases.

Automatic app installs were touted earlier this year as one of the many new features coming to Mountain Lion. Like on iOS devices, it allows users to have App Store software automatically installed on iCloud-registered Macs.

Automatic Downloads are not yet fully functional in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, but when users purchase content from the Mac App Store, the OS X Notification Center posts an alert to "Turn on Automatic Downloads to always install new purchases." The appearance of the notification was first detailed by Zach Kahn.

The alert features an "Enable" button, which will allow users to quickly turn on the Automatic Downloads feature of Mountain Lion. However, in the current pre-release build, the feature is not yet operating properly, as software does not automatically install.

Apple debuted the "Apps in the Cloud" feature on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch with the release of iOS 5 late last year. It allows users to shop for apps on one machine and have the same titles automatically download on the rest of their devices with the same iCloud account.

Downloads


Similar functionality is already available in OS X 10.7 Lion with the latest version of iTunes. Apple's "iTunes in the Cloud" gives users the ability to automatically download iTunes Store content to their machine when it is purchased through their account on another device.

Previously, the option to turn on "Auto Download Purchases from Other Macs" was available in developer preview builds of Mountain Lion. But with last week's release of a new version of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3, users are now prompted with a notification when App Store content has been purchased through their account.



The latest pre-release build of the Mac operating system update hit the Mac App Store last Wednesday, identified as build "12A206J." The final release of Mountain Lion is scheduled to go on sale to the public this summer.

Apple has promised to offer a closer look at Mountain Lion at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which kicks off June 11 in San Francisco, Calif. WWDC 2012 is also expected to feature the introduction of iOS 6, Apple's next-generation mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    ML is coming along nicely. The advancements are what I expected to arrive in Lion. There are still several niggling OS and app advancements that make switching between Apple devices more tedious than I'd like but it world's ahead of other OSes.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    vandilvandil Posts: 187member


    But will it also sync your game save data?  I'm glad that Angry Birds will download on all the Macs a person owns, but what about their completed level stats?

  • Reply 3 of 11
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by vandil View Post


    But will it also sync your game save data?  I'm glad that Angry Birds will download on all the Macs a person owns, but what about their completed level stats?



    The games themselves would have to save their progress in iCloud, the OS won't automatically do it.

  • Reply 4 of 11
    ktappektappe Posts: 823member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by vandil View Post


    But will it also sync your game save data?  I'm glad that Angry Birds will download on all the Macs a person owns, but what about their completed level stats?



    Isn't that what GameCenter on iOS is supposed to do? Does anyone know if GameCenter is going to be broadened to include ML?

  • Reply 5 of 11
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ktappe View Post

    Does anyone know if GameCenter is going to be broadened to include ML?


     


    Yes.


     


    Screen Shot 2012-05-22 at 12.38.09 PM.png


     


    Game Center only saves achievements across devices, not saves.

  • Reply 6 of 11
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Apple's previously announced Automatic Downloads feature is slowly coming together in the latest developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion ...


     


    There is currently a rather nasty password bug in iTunes for those who don't use automatic downloads that hasn't even been officially addressed.  I hope they fix it (or even acknowledge it) before they roll out Mountain Lion. 

  • Reply 7 of 11
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Slight error in the article. Auto app downloads are NOT based on having he same icloud account but the same iTunes account, which may or may not be the same for users. Myself I have my iTunes on my longstanding single word user name but iCloud insists on an email address. My sister and brother in law use the same iTunes and thus can auto download, but have two totally different iCloud accounts.and so on.

    As for the whole auto download thing I wish there was a setting to make it not tell. E that I bought something and to tun on auto downloads. I don't have it on because, shocking, I don't want the same things on all my stuff. The first time sure, the first time for each file tyoe fine, but evey time is annoying
  • Reply 8 of 11
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member


    I don't understand why automatic downloads are appealing. Does everyone out there really own multiple Macs that they routinely switch between? Do they really share their iTunes account with their spouses, kids, etc?


     


    I can't think of anything I want to sync between my home and work computers or with my wife. She doesn't want 100 of my co-workers and clients cluttering her address book any more than she wants my hard rock or classical music getting in the way of her pop.


    We don't share a Facebook account so why would we share an iTunes account?

  • Reply 9 of 11
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bregalad View Post


    I don't understand why automatic downloads are appealing. Does everyone out there really own multiple Macs that they routinely switch between? Do they really share their iTunes account with their spouses, kids, etc?


     


    I can't think of anything I want to sync between my home and work computers or with my wife. She doesn't want 100 of my co-workers and clients cluttering her address book any more than she wants my hard rock or classical music getting in the way of her pop.


    We don't share a Facebook account so why would we share an iTunes account?



    Many of us have several Macs, iPads and iPhones so yes it's useful just for me alone.  Plus my wife uses my ID for the apps store and iTunes to make sure she has everything on her Mac I have (that she wants), we just buy through my account for this reason, even though she has her own iCloud account for her own Photo stream, mail, contacts etc.which obviously she wants separate.  Does this make sense?

  • Reply 10 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bregalad View Post


    ... Does everyone out there really own multiple Macs that they routinely switch between? ...



     


    Absolutely!

  • Reply 11 of 11
    One does not simply own only one Mac so auto download is a welcome gift.
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