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Apple's internal 'GameStore' iOS testing app mistakenly hits App Store

An internal testing application for iPhone in-app purchases called "GameStore" has appeared for sale on the App Store by Apple at a cost of 99 cents.

The apparent mistake was caught by German-language website iFun.de, which revealed the error on Monday. The application is still available on the App Store for 99 cents and was released on Dec. 31.

Apple is listed as the official publisher of "GameStore," which is in the Utilities category and is listed as version 1.8. Its brief description reads; "This application allows you to buy different things from within the app."

Within the application is a "Products List" which appears to be used to test the in-app purchase functionality. Users can buy options like "2 Lives" for $2.99, "Awesome Sword" for 99 cents, "Ax" for $19.99, and "Big Gun" for $1.99.

The application also includes a "Shopping Cart," "Payment Q" and "Settings." Though it lacks any content, it is rated for ages 12 and up for "Horror/Fear Themes," "Simulated Gambling," "Profanity or Crude Humor," "Realistic Violence," and "Mature/Suggestive Themes."

The official listing for "GameStore" also includes a link to the Apple website, as it is named as the application's official publisher. The icon is plain white with a cartoon shopping cart in the bottom left corner.

In-app purchases were first introduced with the release of iOS 3.0 in 2009, and the "GameStore" application may have been used by Apple to test that functionality. The purchases were initially restricted to paid "premium" applications, but later in 2009, Apple granted developers the ability to offer in-app purchases in free software.