Apple Enables Passbook Gift Cards In The Apple Store App For International Countries

Apple has updated its Apple Store application in a number of international territories, adding support for Passbook gift cards. The update, which appeared a few hours ago, is so far available for iDevice users in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy. Though we had expected a larger number of European countries - including France and Germany - to get the feature also, this doesn't seem to have been the case. In the app's release notes, Apple outlines the new feature:

Gift cards by email now available in select countries. Buy and email them to friends and family right from the app. These gift cards are easily integrated with the Passbook app to use at your favorite Apple Retail Store.

Bug fixes and performance improvements have also been made in the update. Of course, the Passbook feature in the Apple Store app requires iDevices to be running a minimum of iOS 6. The application is available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and weighs-in at just 6.7MB. So far, we've heard no information concerning when further countries, and particularly those in Europe, might expect the feature to launch. We'll let you know if this changes. In the meantime, the updated Apple Store app can be downloaded free of charge in the App Store. Check out the updated application now, or for more international news, be sure to take a look at our AppAdvice International column. See also: Rdio For iOS Updated With New Recommendations Engine And Redesigned Stations Player, Ahead Of Scheduled Launch Date, Nike+ FuelBand SE Now Available Via Apple Stores, and Today's Best Apps: Nike+ Move And Knock.

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