Apple Adds Gifting App To IOS Just In Time For Christmas
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
In the spirit of the season, Apple has expressed some generosity and has allowed iOS 6 users to gift an app to another iOS user. This feature was once (and still is) a feature in iOS 5, but when iOS 6 rolled out this fall the feature was missing.
According to 9 to 5 Mac (who also discovered this feature had been turned back on), Apple likely left this feature out as they were rebuilding the iTunes store earlier this year. With the launch of iTunes 11, Apple has finally made the iTunes Store look the same on all devices, from computers to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
In previous versions of iOS, the option to give a gift was never prominently displayed, though it was easy to find. This new implementation is also tucked away a bit, but directly in line with other iOS actions. The desktop version of iTunes also has this functionality.
To gift an app to your favorite iPhone user, (or those to whom you feel a deep and crushing sort of obligation) travel into the App Store on your iOS device of choice. Once you’ve located the app you’d like to give, look for the ubiquitous “share” button in the top right corner. As of today, there’s a new, blue “Gift” icon sitting amongst the options to share through mail, message, Twitter and Facebook.
Tapping the “Gift” button takes you to a form wherein you’re asked to give the recipient’s email address. You can also send the same app to multiple people if you so desire. Senders are also given the option to write a short note to the recipient(s) not to exceed 200 characters. Finally, the benevolent giver is then asked to select when this gifted app should be sent, either “Today” or up to 90 days in the future.
Apple also allows the Gift Giver to select some artwork which will accompany the app, complete with a handful of festive options and colors. From here, the app is just one tap of the “Buy Gift” button away. The recipient will receive notification via an email which contains the link to the gifted app.
It’s worth mentioning that this feature only works with paid apps.
In earlier versions of iOS, the option to give a gift lives at the bottom of the app’s description page. Once users had read through the description and reviews, the “Gift This App” button was found at the very bottom.
Of course, it’s likely not many people bothered to read through the description and reviews before buying an app. Furthermore, placing this new option in the “Share” section of iOS adds further continuity to the platform on the whole.
Start your holiday season early and spread some good cheer by sharing your favorite apps with your favorite people.
After all, what says “Happy Holidays” better than buying each of your siblings GarageBand and working up a rousing rendition of “Here We Go a’Wassailing” on virtual guitars and keyboards?
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2012-12-15 03:31:00
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112748681/appple-gifting-app-ios-121412/
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