Jack Dorsey – a bitcoin supporter and the former CEO of Twitter – is taking issue with the fact that Apple Pay doesn’t offer support for bitcoin payments.
Jack Dorsey and Apple Spar on Twitter
Not long ago, Dorsey took to Twitter and sent a message directly to Tim Cook, the head of the phone and computer company. He asked why Apple doesn’t provide support for the world’s leading digital currency, though Cook hasn’t responded to his question at the time of writing.
Dorsey also brought up a tweet from Damus suggesting that Apple Pay supporting bitcoin could be one way to solve the many violations that apparently occur through the platform. The founder of Damus – William Casarin – has commented that Apple has threatened to remove his company’s app from its store given its ties to cryptocurrency.
A general statement was given out by Apple on why it would not allow Damus to be available. It read:
Two weeks ago, we identified a feature in the Damus app that allowed users to send a tip in connection with digital content in the app, which violates App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.1 and 3.2.1 (vii).
Casarin also threw his two cents into the mix and said he’s had his own conversation with executives of Apple. He mentioned:
I had a call with Apple, and they told me that they don’t want zaps to be used for selling. I thought one of the compromises we can do is we’ll remove all note zapping functionality.
Following the company’s complaints, Casarin said he worked hard to make changes to the app to ensure it would meet Apple’s guidelines. However, all that work was for nothing as upon resubmitting the app for consideration, he received the same phoned-in response. He stated:
I spent the last two weeks removing the ability for users to see zaps. I resubmitted it and they just gave the exact same response.
The enterprise then issued another statement explaining it has dealt with Casarin, though few details regarding any potential compromises were given. The company reported:
As we previously communicated to this developer, they were to address the issues we outlined to them by their next update. Upon receipt of their latest submission, we found the issues were unresolved and rejected their app… We review all apps against the same set of guidelines that are intended to protect customers and provide a fair and level playing field to developers.
What Are the Rules?
Casarin says the tech company’s approach to BTC-based apps has been all over the place. Criticizing its methods, he mentioned:
The frustrating thing is that whenever you get feedback from Apple reviewers, they don’t tell you specifically how you’re breaking the guidelines. It’s very frustrating. I think a lot of bitcoin apps are at risk.
