How to Gift an App: Holiday Shopping Made Easy!

Our feature this week is written by Rosie Wayper of HomeRoutines, one of our mom developers with a flair for household management. Her tips on gifting apps will go a long way this holiday season as more friends and family members wonder what to put on their new iPhones and iPads. She comes to the rescue by showing us how to gift your favorite app! No clutter, no fuss, just pure good stuff. Thanks also to Dawn Kempf of iPhone Birth Announcements for suggesting this timely topic for our audience.

Apps make a perfect little gift: they are inexpensive, and they’re guaranteed clutter free, fat free and guilt free, and you don’t have to face a crowded mall to buy them.

The developers here at Moms With Apps have developed wonderful apps suitable for all ages, from games to storybooks to educational and creative activities and more – perfect for just about everyone on your to-buy-for list!

Just one note before you sit down that list and start sending apps in all directions: the App store has a couple of limitations you need to know about.  First, the person you’re sending an app to needs to have the right sort of device to actually run that app.  Second, you can only send gifts of apps to someone who will be using the same App Store as you; that is, someone in your country.

I’m in New Zealand, using the New Zealand app store, so I can only send gifts to other people in New Zealand.  (Sorry, Diane in Denmark)

You can give apps from iTunes on your computer, or the App Store app on your iPhone. For my examples below I am gifting the deliciously festive Cupcakes! Holiday Edition, by Moms With Apps member Maverick Software.

Gifting Apps from your computer

1. Find the app you wish to give as a gift, and click the down-arrow next to the Buy App button.



2. Click “Gift This App”



3. Choose the delivery method.You can choose to either send the gift instantly via email, or to print out a voucher – fantastic at this time of year.  You can slip the voucher into a nice envelope with a hand-written holiday card or note, then mail it to your lucky friend…  or tuck it into a Christmas stocking. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

   

4. Fill in the details about yourself and your recipient, and a personal message, then click “Continue.” (The App Store is pretty smart – if you enter the email address of somebody who has already bought the app you’re trying to give them, it will let you know so you can select another app instead)

   

5. Read over your order one more time to check it’s all correct, then click “Buy Gift”

   

6. That’s it! Your iTunes account will be charged as soon as you click the Buy Gift button, and the gift will be emailed, or you will be able to print out your voucher.

Gifting Apps from your iPhone

The process is pretty much the same on your iPhone, only there is more scrolling involved.

1. Find the app you want to gift to your lucky friend or relation:
   
2. Scroll way, way, done, past the screenshots to the very bottom of the screen.  Touch “Gift This App.”
3. The rest of the process is the same as on iTunes on your computer, just in a slightly different order:
   Confirm that this the app you really want to buy.
   
4. Fill in the name, email address and personalized message.
   
5. Review the details and tap “Buy Gift” to make your purchase.

Another gift sent!

Browse the app store instead of the mall this year, for personalized gifts that are so easy to send. Do you have recommendations of your favorite apps? Please share a comment with our readers on which apps your family has enjoyed.