Coinbase Wallet app says Apple blocked update for offering NFTs without in-app purchases

Another day, another controversy regarding App Store policies. This time, Coinbase Wallet, an app to secure your crypto wallet, has posted a long thread on Twitter saying Apple blocked its latest update because the Cupertino company wants Coinbase to use the built-in in-app purchases function when users transfer NFTs to one another.

Per the Twitter thread, Coinbase Wallet says that “for anyone who understands how NFTs and blockchains work,” the company can’t use Apple’s payment system as it’s “clearly not possible” once it “does not support crypto.”

While previous versions of Coinbase Wallet offered the ability to send NFTs on its iOS app, the latest update got stuck with the App Store review team, which said, “the gas fees required to send NFTs need to be paid through their In-App Purchase system, so that they can collect 30% of the gas fee.”

“You might have noticed you can’t send NFTs on Coinbase Wallet iOS anymore. This is because Apple blocked our last app release until we disabled the feature.

(…) The biggest impact from this policy change is on iPhone users that own NFTs – if you hold an NFT in a wallet on an iPhone, Apple just made it a lot harder to transfer that NFT to other wallets, or gift it to friends or family.

Simply put, Apple has introduced new policies to protect their profits at the expense of consumer investment in NFTs and developer innovation acrsoss the crypto ecosystem.”

While Apple does not support cryptocurrency on its Wallet, this is far from being the first complaint about App Store policies. Yesterday, BGR reported that the Spotify CEO said Apple Music was giving itself “every advantage while at the same time stifling innovation and hurting consumers.”

While it’s still unclear how the story will develop, BGR will keep an eye on the matter, as Apple hasn’t provided a public statement about this issue presented by Coinbase Wallet.