Buying iOS apps for your friends and family who also use iPhones and iPads is possible, but in-app purchases aren’t supported. If you want to buy in-app purchases for them, you can always get App Store gift cards for them and let them complete the actual in-app transactions after they top up their accounts with the new credit. But that process may become a lot easier soon, as Apple is ready to support in-app purchase gifting.
A change in the App Store Review Guidelines, first spotted by MacRumors reveals that Apple will now let developers include in-app purchase gifting options in their apps.
Here’s the language Apple used to describe in-app purchases before the change:
Apps should not directly or indirectly enable gifting of in-app purchase content, features, or consumable items to others.
And here’s how it looks like after the update:
Apps may enable gifting of items that are eligible for in-app purchase to others. Such gifts may only be refunded to the original purchaser and may not be exchanged.
The change makes perfect sense considering that so many applications have in-app purchases enabled and that so many of them use a subscription-based revenue model. Buying a special someone a subscription to Netflix or Fortnite content will become even more comfortable than before.
However, it’s unclear when the new in-app purchase gifting option will be available to buyers, and what App Store interface changes, if any, we should expect. So if you plan on gifting digital content to your beloved ones this Christmas, make sure you have App Store gift cards handy.
