Mikey Campbell
Apple on Wednesday removed Blockchain from the App Store due to an "unresolved issue," leaving some 120,000 users of the only iOS-compatible Bitcoin trading and storage app in the lurch.
Blockchain CEO Nicolas Cary told Wired that Apple did not offer a detailed explanation as to why the app was pulled, saying only that the title was "removed from the App Store due to an unresolved issue."
With over one million users worldwide using software on numerous operating systems, Blockchain is touted as the "world's most popular" wallet service for bitcoins.
Apple's move may not come as a surprise to some as the company has a history of denying app submissions that allow users to trade the world's most popular digital currency.
In November, an iOS Bitcoin wallet app from San Francisco startup Coinbase was removed, while another from Gliph was forced to disable transactions in order to stay in the App Store, reports Bloomberg.
Being a peer-to-peer "virtual currency" that exists only in the digital realm, Bitcoin has been met with resistance from governments loath to recognize it as a legitimate form of money. Most Bitcoin trading occurs online, but exchanges that convert bitcoins to traditional currencies like dollars and euros do exist.
While the U.S. does not have written laws against the trade of bitcoins, Apple's multinational App Store requires developers adhere to the laws of the territory in which their apps are offered. This does not explain, however, why the Blockchain app was yanked from all areas after being active in the App Store debut its debut in 2012.
The apparent demise of Blockchain for iOS leaves Bitcoin traders no recourse on Apple's mobile operating system, though price tracking apps like Coinbits and Bitcoin Tracker are still available.
William Gallagher
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Andrew O'Hara
67 Comments
You say, 'no recourse'... Can Bitcoin traders not use Safari?
It seems everybody is making money with Bitcoin. It was $4 just last year and rose to over $1200! There's plenty of media hype surrounding the currency but nobody really tells you the whole story. Do yourself a favor and find out the Secrets of Bitcoin. bit.do/BitCoinSecrets
This has really angered a lot of Bitcoiners: http://www.coindesk.com/apple-removes-blockchain-bitcoin-wallet-from-app-stores/
An observation: If Apple is really heavily curating it's appstore, closely examining every app before before it's made available then how did bitcoin apps ever get approved in the first place.
An observation: If Apple is really heavily curating it's appstore, closely examining every app before before it's made available then how did bitcoin apps ever get approved in the first place.
Grey area? Apple trying to decide if they can get in trouble for currency transactions done through their devices?