P: Subscriptions from Mobile App Stores don't work with Desktop Software

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

We get so many questions about this I decided that an authoritative post would be helpful. 

If you've purchased a subscription from a mobile app store, (e.g. Apple's App Store, the Google Play Store or the Samsung Store), the subscription is for mobile devices only. Running Lightroom Desktop on a PC or a Mac requires a specific subscription purchased for desktop computers.

The Desktop subscription includes access to the Mobile product but not vice-versa. 

Lightroom Web is included in all subscriptions. 

If you've purchased the incorrect subscription for your needs, or your needs have changed, please login here to update your plan: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html 

After subscribing to the Ecosystem plan, you can decide whether to cancel your mobile-only plan.

Hopefully this helps. 

[Brad38769690uvky]

Hi,

I have a subscription Lightroom, i have just purchased a MACBOOK for Photography Editing however it says the 'restore is not available without a purchase'. I am signed in on my iphone and it is working so how do i fix this issue ?

Kind Regards 

Brad

[Mark38851019w4hz]

What a greedy move by Adobe. No reason why I should have to pay double to access on my PC occasionally.

[Nancy OShea]

If you purchased the wrong plan for what you want to do, that's hardly Adobe's fault.

The basic Photography Plan is only $10/month for 12 months.

• Photoshop CC and Photoshop on iPad
• Camera Raw
• Lightroom on desktop, mobile and the web
• Lightroom Classic
• Portfolio website + hosting
• Adobe Express (free starter plan)
• Bridge
• 20 GB cloud storage (upgradable to 1 TB).

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

[Mark38851019w4hz]

First off, subscribing through iOS, it makes no mention of it being the mobile only version. Second, I don't want or having any use for all those extras. I just want Lightroom access through my iPhone and occasionally on my desktop when I have a bigger collection of photos to go through. Have to pay double for that is hardly worth another $60 a year. 

[Nancy OShea]

First off, subscribing through iOS, it makes no mention of it being the mobile only version.

By Mark38851019w4hz

==============

It's assumed you know the difference between iOS (mobile) and macOS (computers).

• iOS iStore = dedicated mobile apps for use on iOS mobile devices only. 
• Computer apps for macOS computers will not work on iOS mobile devices or vice versa.

If you don't believe me, feel free to consult an Apple rep who can explain the differences to you.

[Mark38851019w4hz]

Of course I know the difference. Let me try and make things basic for you so YOU can understand. When subscribing to things, it usually tells you what kind of subscription you're making. There's numerous subscriptions I can make through an iOS app that work anywhere. Nowhere does it mention, when buying the Lightroom subscription, that it is mobile only. Got it now? 

[rumblejunkie]

Hallo. Ich bin neu mit dem ganzen hier. Ich benötige zum begradigen meiner Objektivverzerrung leider das Abomodell auf dem iPad mit Lightroom. Wenn ich solches abschliese, kann ich dieses Abo dann auch am Windows PC Lightroom nutzen, oder ist das wieder ein anderes Abo Modell?

Danke schon mal.

[Sameer K]

Hey, @rumblejunkie. Welcome to the Lightroom community. I've reviewed your account you've used for the community & could not find any active subscription, or transaction for Lightroom.

Subscriptions from mobile app store won't work with Lightroom on desktop. The Desktop subscription includes access to the Mobile product but not vice-versa. Lightroom Web is included in all subscriptions.

Please log in here to get the Lightroom plan: https://adobe.ly/3AQlQ4d;

Let me know if this helps. Thanks!
Sameer K

(Use '@mention' to tag me when you reply)

[Paulo30366041a26b]

Olá!

• Eu assino o Lightroom Mobile, e queria saber se posso usar a mesma assinatura no notebook ou se preciso de pra assinatura.

Caso precise de outra assinatura, é possível incluir o Lightroom Mobile na mesma assinatura do notebook?

[carlospadoveze]

Olá, Paulo!

Obrigado pela sua pergunta! A assinatura do Lightroom Mobile é válida apenas para dispositivos móveis. Para usar o Lightroom Desktop no seu notebook, você precisará de uma assinatura específica para desktop.

A assinatura de desktop é mais completa e oferece acesso a todo o ecossistema Lightroom (incluindo acesso ao Lightroom Mobile), mas não o contrário.
Se agora você precisa usar o Lightroom no seu notebook, seria ideal atualizar sua assinatura para o plano de desktop. 
Você pode atualizar seu plano acessando este link: https://adobe.ly/3C6ot2f.

Após assinar o plano desktop, você pode cancelar sua assinatura somente para mobile.

Espero que isso ajude!

Carlos Padoveze - Social & Especialista de Engajamento

[Luna_Photography]

Currently I have Lightroom on my phone and I'm planning on switching onto my PC. If I buy the "Premium" version on my phone does it mean I don't need to make a subscription on the PC?

[Luna_Photography]

The price between the two has a difference so I don't want to make a mistake.

 

 And if there is a difference can someone tell me what it is please?

[Mohit Goyal]

If you upgrade to the Lightroom Premium subscription via the App Store, Google Play Store, or Samsung Galaxy Store, then you can use Lightroom on mobile only.

If you purchase one of the following, you can access Lightroom across desktop, mobile, and web:

• The All Apps Creative Cloud subscription
• The Creative Cloud Photography Plan
• The single app Lightroom subscription

For more info, see this: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/kb/manage-subscription-android.html

I hope it helps!

Thanks,

Mohit

[Th0mas_Chan]

I was using Lr mobile for past few years (100GB plan). Recently I bought A7r5 and my phone unable to deal with high megapixel photos. So I was thinking to use PC for editing, subscribe the LrC plan and cancel the original one. But I found out LRC is included in the mobile plan! That's a really good news to me. But Is that a recent update or it is included all the time? Since there is no any infomation about mobile plan. 

[JohanElzenga]

That is strange, and probably an error. AFAIK, Lightroom Classic is not included in the mobile plan, it is the other way round. The mobile apps are included in the desktop plans for Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Furthermore, Lightroom Classic is not available from the App Store, only Lightroom is. I have not heard that this has changed recently. Perhaps it refers to the first plan on this page. That is the Lightroom (desktop) plan, not the mobile plan: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/plans.html

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Thanks for reaching out about this issue. Subscribers to the Lightroom Mobile plan are entitled to access the Lightroom mobile app and Lightroom on the web.

Due to an error, Lightroom Mobile subscribers were also temporarily able to access Lightroom Classic, but this misconfiguration has since been resolved. For more information, please reference this thread in the Adobe Community forum. You can also always check the details of what’s included in your subscription by signing in to your account page at https://account.adobe.com.

If you’d like to use Lightroom Classic or unlock access to all the Lightroom applications, you will need to purchase a different Lightroom plan. More details about those plans can be found here: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/compare-plans.html

[iamkatietv]

I'm so frustrated. I have Lightroom on my mobile app,
I have Lightroom on my Mac laptop, and they are synced together. And yet one says it's working and the other says I have to renew and buy a subscription.

THEY ARE THE SAME ACCOUNT! AND THE SAME APP!! Why won't it let me use the one on my computer?
This is not the first time it's happened. I'm now remembering why I don't edit on Lightroom on my computer anymore, but Jesus. -- how can it be connected, and yet not?

Someone please help, this is so frustrating. (Also, if I do click on the "renew" button, it even gives me different upgrade plan options. So like, wth?? It's not even the same price on both versions of the app. And if I go online, its another price altogether.)

Again. I am already subscribed, via my Lightroom iphone app. So the computer one should be working, since I have the plan already, right? What's the deal?

[PeterB2]

@iamkatietv 

It looks like you have 2 different subscriptions.

 - An active Lr Mobile only plan purchase via the iOS App Store

 - An inactive Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, purchased via Adobe.com.  

If you want to use both Lr on Desktop and Mobile, you will need an active plan via Adobe.com that supports both.

Please see options here: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/compare-plans.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImLTRo7qAjAMV9BG...

[mcquaim]

Hi folks,

I signed up to the premium account on my mobile and it gives me access to cloud storage and some extra features over the free version.

I thought when I had signed up to a cloud account that I would then be able to sign in on the desktop app and then also have access to the premium features there and the could storage. But, this doesn't appear to be the case, it wants me to create another premium account on the desktop.

I can't get chat support on this stupid website either, just not showing for me.

So, if I have mobile premium do I not have the premium for the desktop?

And, if I sign up for the premium on the desktop does this give me premium on the mobile app?

Cheers,

Mac

[Jim Wilde]

If you signed up for the Premium service on LrMobile, that does NOT include the desktop version. Instead, there are two desktop subscription plans, both of which also includes full LrMobile use:

1. The Lightroom Plan: includes the Lightroom Desktop app, 1TB of cloud storage space, and LrMobile on various smartphones and tablets. 

2. The Photography Plan: includes Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Lightroom Desktop, LrMobile. plus 20GB cloud space.

It sounds like you need to upgrade your existing premium plan to one of the other 2 plans, but you can't do that from this web-site (this is just a user-to-user forum). Instead, contact Adobe at the official adobe web-site for your country (www.adobe.com for the US) and use the Contact form there (there should also be a chat icon lower right of the screen).

[mcquaim]

Perfect, thanks Jim.

I will cancel this mobile plan and then take a look at one of those other ones.

Have a good day 👍🏻

[Mac42]

I just though I'd add to this as I've had the same problem - however I found if you open lightroom on a Web browser, not through the desktop app, and sign in with your mobile details it appears to work! 

[Jim Wilde]

Yes, the web portal is available with all subscription plans, including the premium LrMobile plan. It's good for troubleshooting sync issues, as it's a direct view into your actual cloud account, and it's also very good for album sharing as it has some features not available to any other Lightroom apps. However, it's a bit more limited in regard to the available editing tools in comparison to the other apps.

[jordanjpayne0001]

I think this can and should be made MUCH clearer when prompting users to sign up on the mobile app. I think this is deceptive Marketing.

[BKS1967]

Hello, I have a question:

I have paid subscription for Adobe Lightroom on my Macbook. Subscription is using my e-mail in Yahoo.

In the same time I have paid subscription for Adobe Photoshop on my iPhone, using my icloud account.

I see that I can use ( link ) my paid subscription for Lightroom on my iPhone, but I am not able to link Lightroom subscription on Macbook with my iPhone. When I try to do that, I got a message that I have to cancel my active subscription for Photoshop on my iPhone. My subscription for Photoshop expires in 2026. Can you advice if it is possible to link Lightroom between macbook and iPhone and how to do it?