Getting Free Apps or Buying Them
You just got a brand-new, shiny iPhone and you want to fill it up with music and those little software programs called “apps†before you head off on trip. Downloading free apps directly from your iPhone or through iTunes on your computer is straightforward and easy, and so is buying them or music with a credit card.
Make sure you’ve set up an account through iTunes. Then edit the account information to include your credit card information so any purchases can automatically be charged to that card.
Then find the app or music in the iTunes store and click on “Free†(if the app or song is free) or “Buy†if you need to purchase it.
Moving Into the “I†World
After using a “not-so-smart†Motorola Razr cellphone for several years, my wife decided in January of this year that she wanted an iPhone. Since I’ve had an iPhone 3GS for over two years, advising her which of the currently available iPhone models would best suit her needs was simple. Buying the phone at the local Apple Store and getting it setup didn’t take long.
Although my 3GS doesn’t have all of the features of my wife’s new iPhone 4S, both phones run the same iOS 5.1 operating system so it wasn’t difficult for me to show her how to use her new phone. To make life simple when it comes to syncing between iPhone and computer, we also replaced her laptop PC with a new MacBook Pro.
So far, so good. But not for long.
“iTunes Gift Card Hellâ€
If some nice person (like me) gives some nice person (like you) an iTunes gift card to buy apps (or songs), our relationship could be soured, thanks to Apple’s less-than-intuitive way to redeem the card. Here’s a true story about one person’s trip into “iTunes Gift Card Hell.â€
My wife’s birthday arrived a couple of weeks after she purchased her iPhone. Giving her an iTunes gift card so she could purchase apps or music for her phone seemed like a “no-brainer.†But I’m lucky I didn’t get “ brained†with a heavy frying pan after she tried to redeem the gift card.
From time to time I write reviews of iPhone apps for this blog. Sometimes app developers give me a redemption code so I can download the app, test it, and write a review at no cost to myself.
I quickly learned that it order to get an app for free using a redemption code, I had to scroll to the bottom of the iTunes Store page and click on “Redeem†in order to enter the code before selecting the app for download. I assumed that the same sort of process would be followed in redeeming an iTunes gift card and it is. Well, sort of.
When my wife tried to redeem the gift card, she first got an error message telling her the redemption code was invalid. Then she got error messages saying the card had already been redeemed. The music album she tried to get using the card was never downloaded, and it appeared that the $25 gift card had been used up.
Although you can phone Apple tech support folks if you have a problem using your iPhone or Mac computer, you only have two choices if you have problems buying something through the iTunes Store: Conducting a computer “chat†session, or sending an e-mail.
So several e-mails flew back and forth between my wife and Apple. “Try this,†said Apple tech support. “That didn’t work,†said my wife in reply. “Hmmm, well then see if this works,†said Apple. “No-go,†said my wife.
What we had here (to steal a phrase from the movie Good Hand Luke) was “a failure to communicate.â€Â All Apple had to tell her was “Go to the iTunes Store, find the album, click on the ‘Buy’ button, and you’ll get the album and the price of it will be deducted from the credit balance on your account which was created when you successfully redeemed your gift card.†[1]
How It Works
So, you get an iTunes gift card. How do you avoid back-and-forth with Apple that my wife encountered?
Simple.
First, make sure that you’ve set up an iTunes account and that you entered a credit card number (which will be necessary if you buy apps or music that costs more than the value of the gift card).
Go to the iTunes Store, and click on the “Home†icon that looks like a little house. Look at the top of the right-hand column under “ Quick Links†and click on “Redeem†to get a screen that looks like this.
Enter the redemption code in the box and click on “Redeem.â€Â The value of the gift card will be entered into your account as a credit balance.
Then find the apps or music you want to purchase. Click on the “Buy†button and your credit balance will be reduced. (If you exceed that balance, your credit card will be charged for the difference).
Fix This, Apple!
Most of what Apple makes, whether it is hardware or software, can be used without much effort or training. But that’s not the case with purchasing apps or music through the iTunes Store.
Apple should either add a “Redeem†button next to the “Buy†button when you select the desired app, album, or song from the iTunes Store, or ask if you have a promotional or redemption code to use instead of your credit card when you click on the “Buy†button. That would make the gift card redemption process as easy as pie, instead of as “difficult as pi.â€
(Click here for Apple’s instructions on deeming gift card or promotional codes.) [3] Â
Related Posts
Promises, Promises Earlier this month, Apple announced over 200 new features that will be available to owners of iPhone 3GS and 4 models, and the iPad and iPod Touch, when the company releases the newest version of its mobile operating ...
READ MORE
It’s Sunday, February 26, 2012. Your favorite “movie review†show of the year is going to be on that evening when you’ll be nowhere near a TV set! Diastersville! No, not if you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, and especially ...
READ MORE
The iPhone rumor mills are starting to run around the clock, predicting when the next iteration of the iPhone will be available for purchase (maybe June, maybe September) and what it will feature (bigger screen, thinner profile, tear-drop shape or ...
READ MORE
The free KLM Passport for iPhone app lets you create a mini-movie of your trips taken by air. This promotional video provides an overview of the app, although it isn’t a step-by-step tutorial: httpvh://youtu.be/RJd5cpvRBf8 Here’s the app’s description on iTunes: “The KLM Passport app ...
READ MORE
If Santa left you a toilet plunger under the Christmas tree you’d probably surmise that you’d been a very naughty child. That’s unless it was the iPlunge stand designed to prop your iPhone up on a table top to make ...
READ MORE
You check in for your flight at the airport ticket counter and trustingly hand over your luggage to an airline employee. Then your bags disappear from sight. Hopefully, you’ll see them riding around a luggage carousel after you arrive at ...
READ MORE
Here are three apps that you can use year-round, but would definitely be handy to have aboard your iPhone if you are traveling during the holiday season. Tripit Tripit is both an iPhone app (which also works on the iPad) and a ...
READ MOREExcept for some apps, the word “free†doesn’t often come to the mind of an iPhone owners. The phone itself isn’t cheap ($199-$399 for a new 4S), and you’ll probably end up buying some accessories (a dock, a case, car ...
READ MOREApple's latest iteration of its popular smartphone, the iPhone 4S, will be available from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint next Friday, October 14th. But if you can't wait out the week, starting today you can pre-order the new phone directly from ...
READ MOREZapping Apps to Your iPhone
“Watching The Oscars†on The Road with Your iPhone or iPad
iPhone 5: On the Horizon, or Over It?
Your “Passport†to iPhone Travel Movie Making
Taking the (i)Plunge with Your Smartphone
Where’s My Bag? (There’s An App for That)
Three iPhone Apps for Holiday Travel
“Free†Texting on Your iPhone
Queue Up For The New iPhone 4S
iPhone 5, Can You Hear Me? Where Are You?
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Dick Jordan [4] Links
- ^ to steal a phrase from the movie Good Hand Luke (www.imdb.com)
- ^ D’oh (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ (Click here for Apple’s instructions on deeming gift card or promotional codes.) (support.apple.com)
- ^ Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Dick Jordan (www.digiprove.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment