• Apple has requested an update from Damus, a decentralized social networking software, within 14 days to comply with their guidelines or risk removal from the App Store.
• The subject of this alert is the “zaps” function of Damus, which lets users earn bitcoin on postings.
• Damus is built on the Nostr protocol and has a built-in Bitcoin payment and tipping widget provided by the Layer 2 Lighting Network.
Apple’s Request for Update
Apple has requested an update from Damus within 14 days of the date of communication in order to assure its continued availability on the App Store. This comes as a result of Apple’s disapproval of Damus’ “zaps” feature that allows users to earn bitcoin through postings.
Damus Overview
Damus is a decentralized social networking software developed on the Nostr protocol which provides lightning-fast micropayments through Lightning network. It also has a built-in Bitcoin payment and tipping widget provided by Layer 2 Lighting Network.
Potential Impact
If Apple decides to remove Damus from its App Store due to noncompliance, it could greatly hamper user experience and innovation opportunities associated with Bitcoin applications as they would be rendered useless without access to the store.
Core Developer Overview
William Casarin, core developer at Damus, stated that removing the zaps function is necessary in order for the app to remain available on Apple’s App Store. He further clarified that no digital items are sold or tools are provided by this platform; instead it only facilitates peer-to-peer transactions like Venmo or CashApp via its tip button.
Conclusion
This incident highlights how strict Apple can be when it comes to compliance with its guidelines even if product offerings don’t directly involve them such as in this case with Damus’ zaps feature which only facilitates user payments between themselves without any involvement from Apple itself.