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After a tense fortnight filled with negotiations, Damus, a social media application lauded for its Bitcoin-friendly stance and back by Jack Dorsey, has successfully evaded removal from the Apple App Store. A dispute ignited on June 13 when Apple pointed out that Damus’ tipping feature, known as ‘zaps’, had contravened its in-app purchase rules. Apple insisted that Damus eliminate the ability to reward content through Bitcoin (BTC) via ‘zaps’, instead of using Apple Pay.
The ‘zaps’ tipping feature, which enabled Bitcoin transactions at the post level, was viewed by Apple as a method of selling digital content. This led to the tech conglomerate threatening to oust Damus unless it complied with Apple’s guidelines. The community of Bitcoin enthusiasts, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, were not impressed with this decision. The common consensus was that Apple’s stringent rules were hampering the widespread adoption of Bitcoin.
In a statement, Apple asserted that it applies a uniform set of guidelines to all applications hosted on its App Store. The company also underlined the necessity of their review process in ensuring a balanced ecosystem for developers and consumers alike.
Canadian developer William Casarin, the creator of Damus, expressed dissatisfaction with the review process but eventually managed to reach a compromise. As a result, Damus version 1.5, which maintains the ability for users to send ‘zaps’ at a profile level, was greenlit by Apple. The posts, however, will no longer feature ‘zaps’.
Looking beyond the Apple incident, Casarin seems eager to forge ahead, focusing on introducing new features to his app. Celebrating the approval, he shared a post on the decentralized social media platform stating, “Damus v1.5 approved,” followed by a triumphant, “Onward.”