Apple blocks crypto mining apps on its products on concerns over battery drain

Apple has decided  to ban on any crypto-mining app that might be used on its mobile products. The recently released guidelines outline Apple’s policy on various cryptocurrency related apps.

As per a report by Coindesk, Apple has recently updated its initial guidelines on cryptocurrency. In the guidelines before the update, it was specified that the apps facilitating cryptocurrency exchange must accord with all the governmental laws and the Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) also must fulfill all applicable state and federal laws.

However, in their recent update, the guidelines now specify Apple's policy on wallets, mining, exchanges, ICOs, and rewards that take the form of cryptocurrency. The updated policy blocks any apps used on any Apple product from mining for cryptocurrencies. The reason behind this switch appears to be related to Apple's policies on hardware compatibility, where it states:

"Design your app to use power efficiently. Apps should not rapidly drain the battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on device resources. Apps, including any third party advertisements displayed within them, may not run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining."

The updates to Apple's official policy on cryptocurrency also come in light of earlier measures taken by the company to clamp down on app development promoting cryptocurrency trade. However, as per previous reports, Apple is trying to compare the relationship between energy consumption and mining efficiency with the previous regulations. This is for better understanding and knowledge of the expanding capabilities and capacities of the devices.

In 2014, Apple blocked an app by Blockchain which was concerned with bitcoin trading and storage on Apple devices. Another bitcoin wallet app from Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange company was debarred by Apple.