Apple iOS users can now gift an app from the App Store

Apple has brought back a feature that lets you send an app as a gift to your favorite fellow iOS user.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer

Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.

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Lance Whitney

Dec. 14, 2012 5:15 a.m. PT

iOS users searching for holiday gift ideas can head on over to Apple's App Store.

You can now directly send a paid app to someone as a gift, a feature that was previously available with iOS 5 but disappeared when iOS 6 debuted this fall.

To use the feature, open the App Store app on your iOS device. Choose a paid app that you'd like to gift. Click on the Share button in the upper right corner. The Share options window appears with a new icon in the lower right called Gift. Tap on the Gift icon.

You'll be prompted for your Apple ID password, and you may be required to confirm your payment type. You'll then be asked to enter the e-mail address of your gift recipient and a personal message if you wish to include one.

Select the date you want your gifted app to be sent and a color theme for the gift. Confirm your gift, and then tap on the Buy Gift button to send it on its merry way.

Your giftee should receive your message and a link to the app. Of course, you can always send someone an electronic gift card for iTunes. But if you know the person's taste in apps, sending the app itself as a gift provides a bit more of a personal touch.

(Via 9to5Mac)