Tech giant Apple has updated its developer guidelines for explicitly banning ‘mining’ cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.
The new rules have restricted apps which drain battery, put strain on device resources or generate excess heat. All of these take place in Bitcoin mining.
Apple said in its website, “Apps, including any third party advertisements such as cryptocurrency mining may not run unrelated background processes.”
Most likely, no one could successfully ‘mine’ Bitcoin on an iPhone or iPad alone because it takes a huge amount of energy and computing power.
Apple originally set its crypto-related guidelines in 2014 after the unlisting Coinbase and other cryptocurrency apps from its app store.
Cryptocurrency “mining” is the math which is often done by high-powered computers.
In order to trade bitcoin, transactions need to be verified through complex math equations, then and is added to a “distributed ledger.” The miners who solve the equations receive Bitcoin.
Several apps on the iOS store claim to allow users mine with power from their personal iPhones or iPads, including “Crypto Coin Miner” and “Cryptocurrency Cloud Mining.”
On a computer, that process generates 1,400 watts of power, Bitcoin mining company Coinmint stated.
Bitcoin hit rock bottom and reached the lowest in two months over the weekend after South Korean exchange affirmed that it was hacked. The digital currency was trading near $6,726 Monday, Coindesk reported.