Apple’s ‘GameStore’ in-app purchase testing tool appears in App Store

Update: Apple has now pulled the GameStore app from iTunes and the App Store.

Spotted by Flo’s Weblog at Schimake.com, an application called GameStore, published by Apple, made its way onto iTunes Dec. 31. What exactly GameStore is used for -at this point- is still unknown. At first glance, it appears to be some type of internal test app for in-app purchases and payments.

The official description for the app through its iTunes page is as follows: “This application allows you to buy different things from within the app.” Inside the app, there appears to be in-app purchase content for racing games under the “Products List” tab. Tapping one prompts you to buy the content, but the content itself does not seem to be functional. Other tabs within the app, include: “Shopping Cart,” “Payment Q,” and “Settings.”

While the app is listed as published on Dec. 31, 2011, viewing it from within the App Store on an iOS device shows a post date of June 9, 2009. It is likely this is simply an internal tool used for testing in-app purchase functionality that was published accidentally on iTunes. The app is currently still available through iTunes for $0.99.