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Apple has just made its first clear move against cryptocurrency mining on iOS devices. The company has just brought important updates on its Review Guidelines that apply to the App Store, and they explicitly block malicious apps from mining. These rules will shortly come into action not only on iOS, but also on macOS, and they will apply to all platforms developed by Apple.
Apple decided to fight against cryptocurrency mining
This initiative started in March, when Apple identified an app that used the devices in an improper manner. Calendar 2 offered users premium features but only after it performed cryptocurrency mining on their MacBooks. Apple removed it from the App Store immediately, but the developer offered a different explanation.
The Calendar 2 dev said the app disappeared from the App Store for a whole different reason. Apps should not drain battery, cause devices to overheat, or consume too many resources. Apple didn’t reveal anything about cryptocurrency, and the developer claimed the app violated these rules.
Shortly afterwards, the tech giant decided to take serious measures against cryptocurrency mining. Therefore, it came up with some clear rules that apply to all apps across all Apple platforms. The first one allows wallets of virtual currency, but only if they were allowed by developers who must belong to an organization.
Apple will ban all mining apps from the App Store
Cryptocurrency mining will be allowed in a way, but not if it puts strain on the device. For instance, mining outside the device, like cloud-based mining, should be fine. Actually, Apple allows such transactions, but only if they come from trustworthy institutions and are legal. In the end, apps cannot give virtual currency away to users if they download their app or present it to other people.
Cryptocurrency mining has now become quite a serious problem. This happened mostly because third-party apps deliver virtual coins without permission, and because they used the devices to produce even more such coins. Therefore, Apple decided to remove all apps that perform such unlawful activities and let everyone know about it.
Image source: Pixabay
