ShapeShift, the famed accountless cryptocurrency exchange app, was excluded from Apple’s App Store till it removed Dash.
A streamlined exchange often found integrated directly into wallets such as Coinomi and Jaxx, ShapeShift allows users to seamlessly convert a wide variety of cryptocurrencies into another, without setting up an account or disclosing other information. Reddit user ISkiAtAlta noticed that the app was missing from the App Store, and several other users have similarly been unable to find the app listed anymore.
The app returned to the App Store shortly this time without most of the Bitcoin alternatives supported on its web platform and Android application including Dash, only supporting the exchange of approved currencies by Apple.
Jaxx Wallet Also Targeted Over Dash Support
The ShapeShift exclusion is only the latest in a trend of Apple systematically blocking Dash from inclusion on its platforms. Earlier this month, the Jaxx wallet, which recently added Dash support, was also threatened with exclusion from the App Store, explicitly because of its integration of Dash support. Jaxx includes ShapeShift functionality built into the app, allowing users to exchanges coins directly in the wallet. The decision to exclude ShapeShift may be related to Jaxx’s use of the service to exchange cryptocurrencies not approved by Apple.
Apple’s exclusion criteria are purportedly based on a whitelist of approved cryptocurrencies. This list includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, and DAO tokens, but excludes other major cryptocurrencies such as Dash, Monero, and Ethereum Classic.
Apple’s history of blocking cryptocurrency used to include Bitcoin
While this recent spate of exclusions does not seem to affect Bitcoin, there was a time in recent memory when this was not the case. Back in early 2014, Apple banned all Bitcoin wallets from the App Store, pushing all mobile Bitcoin users to Android. Even after allowing Bitcoin wallets back into the App Store more than half a year later, a limited selection was available to iPhone users.
Android, meanwhile, has taken a very different approach to cryptocurrency support, allowing all manner of cryptocurrency wallets and services into the Play Store. Dash users have many options to choose from, from Jaxx to Coinomi to a dedicated wallet with InstantSend support. One wonders whether Apple will revise its closed strategy as more and more alternative cryptocurrencies gain popularity, causing it to lose part of its user base to Android.
