IOS – How to gift an app on the App Store for iOS

giftios-appstore

In the olden days, we could easily pay for an app for a friend to own.

One route for this was through the iTunes app on a Mac. Currently in macOS Mojave, the iTunes app seems to no longer know about apps at all.

Old Answers here on Ask Different talk about using the Share sheet on the iOS device, inside the App Store app. But on iOS 12.3.1, I can find no such item in the Share sheet.

➥ Does Apple no longer allows gifting apps?

I see posts about the Mac App Store not offering the "gift an app" feature. Perhaps Apple has removed that from the iOS App Store as well?

Best Answer

Gift option is available under Share sheet for an app, in the App Store app in iOS. Also note that you cannot gift free items.

Instructions to gift an app, from the Apple Support document, Send App Store & iTunes Gifts via email - From your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Gift an app or another item

  1. Open the App Store app, iTunes Store app, or Books app. If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.

  2. Find the item that you want to gift. (You can't gift a free item.)

  3. Find and tap the Gift button:

    • In the App Store, tap the More button in the upper-right corner of the app's product page, then tap Gift App .

    • In the iTunes Store, tap the Share button , then tap Gift .

    • In the Books app, tap Gift .

However, it appears that the gift option is currently not shown. I have observed this in various devices running iOS 12.3.1. It's likely due to an error or an implementation change from Apple's end.

To resolve this, your best bet is to get in touch with their support team.

You can also submit feedback to Apple:

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