File photo: A man walks past an electric board showing exchange rates of various cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (top L) at a cryptocurrencies exchange in Seoul, South Korea December 13, 2017. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
Apple has decided to ban cryptocurrency mining software from the company's app store.
Last week, it updated the store's review guidelines with an explicit ban against any software that'll mine cryptocurrencies over the device. The only exception is for "cloud-based mining," in which the virtual currencies are remotely generated off the Apple product.
Apple introduced the ban after a developer released a Mac program called Calendar 2 on the app store, which contained an optional cryptocurrency mining function. Activating it let you access the software's premium features for free. In exchange, your Mac's processor mined the virtual currency Monero, which was sent to the developer.
Initially, the Calendar 2 app was seen as a sign that Apple was OK with the cryptocurrency mining. But the company later pulled the app, reportedly because the software's mining function could drain a Mac's battery life and cause excessive heat.
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The updated guidelines now explicitly prohibit apps from running cryptocurrency mining in background processes. In addition, "Cryptocurrency apps may not offer currency for completing tasks, such as downloading other apps, encouraging other users to download, posting to social networks, etc," Apple said.
Despite the ban, cryptocurrency mining was never popular on Apple devices. Most of it has occurred over Windows systems via dedicated mining rigs, which are usually PCs modified with several graphics cards.
The updated ban only applies to installed apps. So Mac and iOS users can still theoretically mine certain cryptocurrencies via an internet browser. For instance, Coinhive offers a Javascript miner that'll generate the Monero currency using your computer's CPU. However, mining over smartphone isn't neccessarily a good idea; it can lead to overheating, which can damage the battery and possibly the casing.
For virtual currency holders who use Apple devices, the good news is that digital wallet and cryptocurrency exchange apps will still be permitted. However, only official digital wallets providers and exchanges will be able to post their apps, potentially cutting out shady third-party software from facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
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