Having recently clarified its position on virtual currencies in the App Store (hint: Apple doesn’t hate them as much as you thought it did!), we’re starting to see certain iOS apps which deal in Bitcoin being approved for availability in the App Store again.
One of the first is CoinPocket, an app which allows users to send and receive Bitcoin, as well as collect private keys into a single spot and encrypt them. It’s very similar to Blockchain and Coinbase: two Bitcoin wallet apps which were previously given the boot by Apple.
CoinPocket had previously gotten around Apple’s Bitcoin crackdown by making itself available as an HTML5 app inside mobile web browsers. Now officially approved, it can access your iOS device camera for QR code scanning.
Other Bitcoin apps include eGifter — which allows users to purchase gift cards using the virtual currency — and Betcoin, which is a simple betting game played with Bitcoin.
Apple revised its stance on Bitcoin in its recently updated App Store guidelines. The company noted that apps can “facilitate transmission” of virtual currencies, so long as they do this in compliance with state and federal laws for the specific territories in which the app functions.
With Apple now approving Bitcoin wallets, developers will likely race to submit more fully-featured apps for iOS, since it enjoys a high market share in some of the world’s wealthiest territories.
Source: Coindesk
Via: TheNextWeb
