Apple Threatens To Remove Damus Over Bitcoin Tips Feature

• Apple has requested an update from Damus within 14 days of the date of communication.
• According to Damus, it does not sell digital items or provide tools for doing so.

Damus, a decentralized social networking software, has been threatened with removal from the Apple App Store until its developers alter the program to comply with Apple’s guidelines. According to a tweet from the project, Apple has requested an update from Damus within 14 days of the date of communication to assure the app’s continued availability on the App Store.

The “zaps” function of Damus, which lets users earn bitcoin on postings, is the subject of the alert. Zaps may be seen most simply as recommendations. Damus is built on the Nostr protocol, which allows for lightning-fast, almost costless micropayments through the Lightning network. Damus has a built-in Bitcoin payment and tipping widget provided by the Layer 2 Lighting Network.

As per Apple:

“We noticed that your app allows users to send ‘tips’ associated with receiving content from digital content creators using a mechanism other than in-app purchase.”

No Other Option Than to Comply

Core developer William Casarin of Damus told that removing the zaps function is necessary to keep the app on the App Store, and that “we will likely do” so. According to Damus, it does not sell digital items or provide tools for doing so.

The platform stated:

“It simply has a tip button for facilitating p2p [peer-to-peer] transactions like Venmo or CashApp.”

It would be “a dead platform for Bitcoin applications trying to innovate on lightning,” Damus claimed, if Apple decided to delete the Damus app. Nostr-based Damus debuted earlier in February this year, as “the social network you control.” Nostr is a social network protocol that is backed by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter.