Apple shares new crypto App Store guidelines
Platform is lax on cryptocurrency and NFTs, as long as apps don't point to external purchasing options
Apple has updated its App Store policies this week, with new rules pertaining to cryptocurrency and NFT usage on the platform.
The company is seemingly not against apps that implement or include digital currencies or tokens but said that apps "may not use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality."
This includes things such as license keys, augmented reality makers, QR codes, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets.
It added that apps may use in-app purchases to sell services related to NFTs, such as minting listing and transferring, provided that NFT ownership doesn't unlock features of functionality within the app.
Apps can also let users browse NFT collections, as long as they don't include links or other calls to action that point customers towards external purchasing options.
While Apple is open to these technologies, Google has historically been hesitant. The firm banned cryptocurrency ads in an advertising policy update in 2018, but crypto and NFT apps are allowed on the store, though there is no clear outline regarding NFTs on Google Play.
Google's most recent guidelines for app publishing, effective September 2022, states that it does not allow apps that expose users to "deceptive or harmful financial products or services."
"For the purposes of this policy, we consider financial products and services to be those related to the management or investment of money and cryptocurrencies, including personalised advice," it reads.