Mac users have never faced the authentication nightmares endured by folks using Windows. Likewise, although there are hard limits on how much sharing you can do, the apps and games on your iPhone can likewise be shared with friends and family.

As was once the case with music on the iTunes Store, software sold through the App Store arrives on your iPhone or iPod touch wrapped in Apple’s FairPlay DRM digital rights management (DRM) technology to prevent good, honest folks like you and I from sharing our games and apps with the entire planet in one go. Fortunately, the same wrapper also allows you to share iPhone apps with up to five friends.

1. In iTunes, buy an app or game from the App Store
2. In iTunes, select Applications from the left sidebar
3. Click and drag the file to your desktop, then:
— If it’s small enough, you can email it to your friend’s computer
— Copy it to their computer via your local Wi-Fi or ethernet-based network
— Transfer it to their computer via a thumb drive
3. On the other person’s computer, which must be connected to the internet, drag or double-click the app so it appears iTunes

4. iTunes will ask you to authorize the application on that computer
— Enter the app purchaser’s iTunes ID and password

5. You are now good to go!

See also:
— How to: iPhone OS 3.0 home button tricks
— How to: Troubleshoot, restart a frozen, crashed iPod nano
— How to: Lock your iPhone, iPod touch in landscape mode
— How to: Set up ‘Find My iPhone, iPod touch’

Apple’s FairPlay DRM licensing terms allow you to share any application or game you “own” with up to five different people. However, that’s five people total for your computer, not five different people for each piece of media or application, so share wisely.

A good turn done better

If you’ve ever watched a couple grade schoolers each playing a Nintendo DS, you’ve seen how magical it can be for them to discover and share games. I’ve watched my son instantly make friends this way a dozen or more times.

Granted, this sharing only lasts as long as the two DS units are close enough to wirelessly handshake, but it’s a really cool feature, and something Apple and its developers should bring to the iPhone and iPod touch (a.k.a. the funnest iPod ever).

If nothing else, it’s a superb marketing tool…

What’s your take?

Related:

Entry was posted

on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
under Commercial Software, Free Apps, Games, Internet, Legal, News, iPhone, iPod Touch.  Print This Post

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