How to Gift an App on the AppStore

Looking for the perfect thing to gift your tech-savvy buddy on his/her birthday? Try the Apple App Store to Gift an App. App Store gives you the option to instantly buy and gift the most suitable apps to your loved ones. If your friend loves his iOS device, maybe you can surprise him/her with Gift an App or gifting a perfect digital app straight from the App Store. Apple certainly knows the value of relationships, no wonder it has millions of loyal customers around the world.

How to Gift an app from your own iOS device

---

You can gift an app to anyone through your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch right from within the App Store following these easy steps.

Step 1

Access the App store application from your iOS device. If you are using someone else’s device, make sure to login using your own Apple account Id and password. Browse the store and select the app you wish to gift. You can also refer to the app ratings and comments to check the popularity of the app you have selected.

Step 2

On the app info page, at the upper right corner, there are 3 options,  select the option which reads “Gift This App” to proceed.

Step 3

Another screen with the app info will appear including its price (inclusive of tax), genre and system requirements. If you are sure about the app and agree to pay, tap “Next” to proceed.

Step 4

This will land you on a form page where you have to fill the sender’s name, recipient’s name and his/her email address. You can also type in a message with wishes etc., if you would like to include. You will be charged according to the number of email addresses therefore be careful in adding mails.

Step 5

The next page will allow you to review the app information. Simply tap “Buy Gift” and the app will be delivered to the recipient through email. Tap “Done” to end the procedure.

---

How to gift an app on your Windows or Mac PC

This procedure is quite similar to the above mentioned one. Launch iTunes on your computer and click “iTunes App Store” from the options. Browse the apps and select the one you wish to gift. View the app information and tap “Gift This App” to proceed. Fill the form and click “Continue”. The next page will generate a summary with the recipient’s name and app information. If everything is in place, click “Buy Gift” and it’s done.

International gifting

Unfortunately gifting apps only works within regional accounts. If you’re in U.S. you can send a gift to anyone who is using a U.S account. If the recipient is using a different regional account, it’s not possible to send him a gift. The only option is you pick an app for someone and wire money through pay pal or a similar source and ask him/her to pay for the gift using the money. Well, this does not seem a viable option to me, I’d rather suggest against gifting internationally.

The App Store interface is perfect to Gift an App within the country and I am sure it will please a lot of people. It’s easy and certainly an out of the box gifting idea!