Starbucks Card, Revisited

Oh, look, I have some updates. Let’s just hit the “update all” button…wait a sec, where’d my Starbucks Card app go? And what the heck is this Coffee Card? I didn’t install this!

In the most recent round of updates from the developer, the Starbucks card app for your Android phone has been renamed to “Coffee Card.” The app itself has a new icon which no longer resembles anything related to Starbucks. Peeking at the “What’s New” tab in the Android Market does not divulge the “why” for the name change. However, if you open the app itself and hit the “About” button, the reason becomes clear (as shown to the left).

Other apps that covered a similar niche (the Starbucks Gift Card system) appear to have received similar instruction. For example, the new “My Coffee Card” (formerly the Starbucks Card Widget) has placed the news of a C&D from Starbucks directly on their “What’s New” page, stating that they were also required to rename their app available through the Android Market as well as change the icon. My Coffee Card is a much more in-depth app, with a system built in to reload the gift card similar to the Starbucks website. My Coffee Card has also kept the paid version of their app available.

Does this mean we’ll be receiving an official app from Starbucks to match the iPhone? One can only hope!