back to article Apple: No currency mining for you in our App Store thank you

Apple has revised its App Store rules to place restrictions on cryptocurrency mining, storage and payment across apps it distributes. The rules change coincides with the company's introduction of beta versions of its forthcoming iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS releases at its annual developer conference. It also comes as Wells …

  1. Joe Cooper

    This is a ban on “unrelated” computation, e.g. app developers putting out free apps with hidden mining code. It’s not otherwise any sort of ban on bitcoin, not that anyone would ever try to mine crypto on iPhones if they actually have to pay for them.

  2. Packet

    Make sense...

    I can see unscrupulous (or at best, misguided) developers slinging in hidden mining code in their apps by making the app free, etc.

    Phone battery suffers, users complain, and blame Apple. It's just a mess waiting to happen.

    Smart of Apple - will Google do the same?

    Just the other day, I got,a browser pop up from these guys https://jsecoin.com asking to use iPad CPU to mine crap (as their alternate option to ads).

    To that, I can only say: From hell's heart, I stab at thee

    1. sabroni Silver badge

      Re: From hell's heart, I stab at thee

      Or, as they gave you the option, you could just say no.

      Maybe the hell's heart stabbing could be reserved for people who run mining code without asking you?

      1. Packet

        Re: From hell's heart, I stab at thee

        I laud your efforts to look at things in an unbiased way.

        I should have clearer in describing the ad network that annoyed me. Said network shows you a prompt that it has opted you you in by default, and only then can you go to a separate site to opt out.

        So yes, at least, they give the option - but it's not a 'hey click here to support us, if you can'.

        it's a 'we've enabled this shite to stress your system, but just so that we don't get blocked by browsers by default, we're offering you a way out'

        Mobile cpu's (particularly older devices) are not as powerful - and such extraneous load is detrimental to their performance.

        Secondly, I consider cryptocurrencies are a scam to the nth degree - a 21st century fool's gold, if you will, complete with the cost of effort of 'mining' said things - and a large number of fools who will buy into it and lose money.

  3. RobertLongshaft

    If you tried to mine any crypto on a phone chip you would fry it. End of story.

    Phone processors are not designed for 24h 7 day a week computational tasks.

    So this is a none story disguised as an attack cryptocurrencies.

    Did someone not buy bitcoin at $400? Diddums.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Someone also said not to buy bitcoin at $18,000. They were right.

    2. Multivac

      If you wrote a really popular app, something that the average parent gave to their kids to keep them occupied on a car journey (and then inadvertently got addicted to themselves as keeps happening to my wife), then you slip in some code that uses say 10% of the phones CPU for mining while the app is running, and that's scaled across thousands of users, you can make a bit of token.

      I'd expect that's really what this is aimed at.

  4. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

    ...In addition, Apple has expanded its prohibition on unnecessarily expending resources, draining the battery...

    Are there not valid reasons for giving Li-ion batteries charge-discharge cycles?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It wears them out, why would you want to add charge/discharge cycles unnecessarily?

      1. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

        It wears them out, why would you want to add charge/discharge cycles unnecessarily?

        Ne'er-do-wells won't care, it is not their hardware that's getting abused.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Makes sense, crypto mining would kill the phone

    Makes sense, crypto mining would kill the phone. Good on Apple on addressing this.

    Stops developers complaining when they hide bitcoin mining software in their free apps and then the app gets pulled. It is there in their terms.

    Would take forever to generate a bitcoin anyway on a phone but may be more profitable over time than ads.

  6. MJI Silver badge

    I know someone

    Who runs a miner on their phone.

    Also heats their house with a mining PC.

    Not sure if they are covering their costs yet

    1. midcapwarrior

      Re: I know someone

      Assuming it's not a joke I'd say no way they are covering their costs with the phone miner.

      1. MJI Silver badge

        Re: I know someone

        He thinks it is earning him a fortune.

        Spent so much on mining kit he has insufficient money for his council tax.

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