Coinbase Bitcoin Wallet App Gets Axed From iOS App Store
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http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/bitcoin/ca65fc5b...
The app initially got rejected multiple times, for many different reasons (not related to the quality of the app). My feeling is that they were trying to find excuses not to accept this kind of app. During the first few months, I had to disable the payment function (making the app pretty much useless). Ultimately, I rebuilt the whole app, and integrated it directly with Windows Phone's Wallet (think Passbook). I'm still not sure why, but they accepted it right away.
Perhaps they could use the same approach, and integrate Coinbase with Passbook, giving one more reason for people to use Passbook (which I believe Apple would appreciate)? I'm not quite sure, but it worked for me.
I'm thinking an integration with CoinMap, where if you walk into a store that accepts Bitcoin, it shows up on your home screen (if this is possible).
That would be awesome actually.
> Stole all my coins
Obviously bull, but damn, some people just do damage for the heck of it, don't they?
I wish I could contact reviewers...
I just hope it's not a bug, but it would be extremely surprising.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blockchain/id493253309
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/coinjar-for-iphone/id7252098...
More likely they removed it to fix a bug, than it being forcefully taken down.
e: clarity
Fix what up exactly?
If apple would start doing this 90% of the apps in the store had to be purged.
Coinbase is already unsatisfying, as far as software wallets go, because you have to register with an email address. Your coins are held in a shared wallet, not on the device. But at least you get the idea of how Bitcoin works on a phone.
On the other hand, Apple didn't explicitly design iOS to be a highly secure environment suitable to store digital money on. A couple months ago, a bug in Android's random number generator was discovered that compromised all key pairs which used it. Android wallets had to issue an update which moved all the bitcoin in each wallet to a new address, generated with the patched RNG. But for a day or two, most Android wallets were vulnerable.
Wouldn't you rather have your wallet stored say on your home PC, but be able to transfer in and out from your mobile device?
Bitcoin is now > $400, it's well past early adoption stage. That was back in mid-2011.
( As an example, I did a technical presentation about Bitcoin to ${WORK}, a very traditional financial services company, in July 2011. Even then and in that context it wasn't a startling new concept. )
What's occurring now is the 'gold rush' stage, in which mid-curve-technology-awareness people are willing to use whatever technology is necessary to secure some Bitcoinage. I don't think the lack of iOS wallets is hindering that.
It was nice to have the Coinbase app but there was always a risk they were going to pull it. Gliph still works...
> With the introduction of Passbook, Apple has launched mobile payments on iOS and competing virtual payment systems, including bitcoin, must be terminated.
Except Passbook isn't mobile payments on iOS. The article was wrong then, and it's still wrong now. There seems to be no relation at all between Passbook and Bitcoin.
It's the "doctors hate this elementary school teacher who discovered one weird trick!" of pet causes.
P.S., I just signed up with coinbase.com 2 days ago and entered in my bank details. My heart stopped when I saw coinbase on the frontpage of HN; given the kind of news we've been hearing about bitcoin-xchgs these last few days...
1. The App Store approval process (and app sand boxing) is so good that no malware made it through that needed the kill switch. Or,
2. Malware has made it out to customers, and the kill switch was used. However, Apple certainly isn't going to publicize that fact, and the malware author probably isn't going to either.
Hats off to the guys at Coinbase. I really like their approach to Bitcoin so far.
I doubt Steve Jobs would have allowed the situation to be handled so badly.
Then again I may be wrong. The concept of an app store is great for having all the apps in one place but it's prone to abuse when run by a company.
There shouldn't be any reason other quality, viruses or spyware to reject an app.
Refusing an app because its in competition with your product is anti-competitive and should be illegal.
Short of recalling all Iphone 4's there was nothing he could do.
Why do you thing they gave out free rubber straps? That was them basically admitting they messed up.
And no I'm not idolizing him I have never owned an Iphone or an apple product in general but he was a great leader.
Telling customers hold it differently http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8761240.stm is a policy decision.
This exact behavior happened all the time when Steve Jobs ran Apple. Remember Google Voice, or the countless other apps that Apple banned from the walled garden for whatever reason?
If anything, this is evidence that Apple hasn't changed.
http://www.dailytech.com/Apple+Accused+of+Ripping+Off+Develo...
One has to be astonishingly unperceptive to not see this.
Has Apple ever done this or said they could?
Technically, it would obviously be possible, but I don't remember Apple doing it.
My understanding is that when an app is pulled, it's usually still available for download if you had already bought it; but they have removed even that ability in a few cases.
I'm assuming that Apple or Google won't take responsibility for the wanton destruction of your property.
So maybe deploying wallet apps on devices where you don't control when your wallet gets nuked isn't such a great idea.
This may have changed with iOS 7's auto updates.
How is this news?