On the August 31, 2016, Anthony Di Iorio, CEO and Founder of Decentral and Jaxx, tweeted that Apple would only allow approved coins on their App Store. He described Apple’s decision as ‘mindboggling.’
Received official word from Apple. Only approved coins on @AppStore - #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Litecoin #Doge #Ripple #TheDAO. Mindboggling.
— Anthony Di Iorio (@diiorioanthony) August 31, 2016
The immediate impact that this has had is that Dash, which had just been introduced on the Jaxx wallet as early as August 2016 is now to be taken off for Apple users.
It is pertinent to mention here that Jaxx holds a particular appeal to some users as it supports multiple currencies including ETH, BTC and Dash, at the time of the writing and it allows users to transact in these currencies just using a single application. Lately there had also been some buzz regarding the introduction of ETC to Jaxx.
Apple sets a deadline of September 16, 2016 for Dash removal
Apple has had a stricter approach to what they allow on their platform than their rival, Google Android. There are many reasons for which whole applications can be denied entry into an app store, some of which are listed by Apple itself on their website. However, in the case of Jaxx, while the app itself is approved, Apple seems to have made it clear that only certain cryptocurrencies are allowed on its platform.
Cointelegraph contacted Anthony Di Iorio, who is the Founder of Jaxx. He clarifies that stand:
“Apple has only approved BTC, ETH, DAO, Ripple, Doge, and Litecoin. Jaxx has been asked to remove the Dash feature from our iOS versions (tablet & mobile) by September 16. We will comply, but this will not affect any of our other 7 versions for Jaxx.”
Only Apple Jaxx users are affected
It should be noted though that while Jaxx will have to remove Dash from its iOS products, this will not really affect users on other platforms. Anthony Di Iorio confirmed that Dash will still be available for Andorid, Mac OS X, Windows, PC Desktop, Chrome and Firefox extension users.
This means that if you are on any of these other platforms you will be able to access your Dash, even if you had kept your wallet on an iOS device. We have received confirmation from the Decentral CEO that iOS users will be able to use their backup phrase on alternate devices or the platforms listed above and they are not at risk of losing their Dash.
ETC integration may not materialise for Jaxx users on iOS
If we go by what happened to Dash on iOS, the chances that ETC will be approved on that platform by Apple appear to be very slim as it is not on the list of approved currencies. However, that may not stop ETC from being implemented on rival platforms.
We asked Anthony Di Iorio about any upcoming plans for ETC and he says:
“If a specific cryptocurrency isn't approved, Jaxx will not be able to manage that particular token in the iOS version of the app. That said, this would only affect iOS users. We don't really see it as a problem since we will continue to add tokens on our other platforms and we will continue to support approved tokens on the App Store.”
Jax favours a multi-currency approach
Multi-currency wallets do have an appeal of convenience and choice. Wallets like Jaxx thus are an important gateway for users to start experiencing the cryptocurrency world. They add an element of simplification and access that can proliferate cryptocurrencies.
As Anthony Di Iorio puts it:
“I'm pro-Blockchain and pro-technology. I fully support anything that offers people choice and allows for innovation. I'm excited about a number of different projects including Dash, Monero, Zcash, Rootstock, and others. Of course, Ethereum and Bitcoin will always have a special place in my heart.”
As for Apple, it seems that they still retain control over their garden and will only allow things in when they can match certain parameters, yet many of their users will feel that the removal of Dash is a step backwards - including this writer who has used Jaxx to hold some Dash at a certain point on his Apple device.