iPhones Smashed After Apple Removes Bitcoin App From The App Store

After banning the last available Bitcoin wallet from the App Store, Apple has upset many members of the Bitcoin community. In hopes of winning a free phone those who truly believe in crypto currency are now smashing their iPhones in protest of Apple’s policy.

Just a few days ago Apple banned the popular Blockchain wallet from the App Store. The creators of the app accused Apple of trying to snuff out rival systems because they threaten Apple’s own plans for mobile payments.

Nicolas Cary, Blockchain’s chief executive, says that Apple gave no reason for pulling the wallet from the App Store.

“Tim Cook has telegraphed that Apple plans to develop payments services based on having millions of its users’ credit cards, and it is very suspicious since Bitcoin is a serious threat to that revenue model.”

The Blockchain app is still available for Android, and Cary says a new iPhone version with fewer functions will be submitted to Apple soon.

A user on Reddit, named “round-peg” promised to hand out a Nexus 5 to everyone who posted videos of themselves smashing a working iPhone. Multiple users reported they actually received a Nexus 5 from the Reddit user for posting a video. The post on Reddit has been since removed, apparently for violating Reddit’s policy.

Other sources have said the real reason why Apple removed the app from their store was Bitcoin exists in a legal limbo in the U.S. Bitcoin app developers who have had their apps rejected report Apple cites a guideline that says:

“All apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users.”

Over 200 Bitcoin-related apps still exist in the U.S. App Store, but most of them only offer basic functionality like being able to view the latest market price or contents of your Bitcoin wallet.

Apple has not released any official comments on the Blockchain case or their views on Bitcoin in general. According to multiple sources, Apple is ready to launch its new mobile payments system in partnership with PayPal.

[via Financial Times]