Bitcoin Lightning Payments App Wallet of Satoshi Disappears from App Stores
The popular Bitcoin Lightning payments app, Wallet of Satoshi (WoS), has been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the United States. Despite its disappearance in the US, the app is still available for download in Australia and Singapore. WoS is on track to process over 1.1 million Lightning payments in November, making it their biggest month ever. However, neither Apple nor Wallet of Satoshi has provided further details about the removal from the US app stores.
Apple’s 30% Tax and History of Removing Crypto Apps
Apple charges a significant 30% tax on in-app payments and tightly controls the presence of crypto platforms on its App Store. This has been a barrier for many crypto platforms seeking to establish a presence on the platform. In fact, Apple has a history of removing crypto apps. In June, it delisted the Damus app for including a Bitcoin tip feature, and in October, it temporarily pulled the MetaMask wallet app from its store.
Hot Take: Implications for Lightning Payments
The removal of Wallet of Satoshi from Apple’s and Google’s app stores in the US raises concerns about the acceptance and future of Lightning payments apps on these platforms. With over 1 million transactions expected in November alone, WoS was proving to be a successful and widely used platform. This incident highlights the challenges faced by crypto platforms dealing with strict regulations and policies imposed by major tech companies like Apple.
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