Damus, Nostr Social Network App, Faces Potential Ban from Apple App Store Due to Bitcoin-like Tipping

A new app is now facing a possible removal of its presence in the Apple App Store, and this is with the recently launched Damus, a known social media app of Nostr. This is because Apple argued that its Bitcoin-tipping feature called a "zap" which allegedly violated the platform's community guidelines for its transactions feature.

Several executives have expressed their thoughts on Twitter, including its former CEO and founder, Jack Dorsey, and Epic Games' Tim Sweeney, arguing against Apple's policies.

Damus is a Facing a Potential Ban for its Bitcoin-Like Transaction

The decentralized social media platform, Nostr, is also known for offering the Damus app on the Apple App Store, but its existence is now threatened by the company says 9to5 Mac. This is largely because of its "Zaps" which are Bitcoin-like transactions that tip users in their posts and profiles, for featuring content that is supported by the audience.

With the potential ban it faces, Damus said that in 14 days, the app may be removed from the App Store as Apple claims that this method may be used by influencers to sell digital content.

The Twitter co-founder spoke up against Apple's threat to Damus, saying that the Cupertino giant does not understand how the feature works.

A former court rival of Apple, Epic Games' Tim Sweeney also claimed that Apple is gunning for money transferring services like Damus, alongside Patreon, and possibly PayPal and Stripe.

Damus Violated Apple App Store's Policies? So it Says

According to reports, Apple contacted Damus regarding this feature and said that it violated App Store policies, and asks for the removal of it on the app to continue its availability on the app-distributing platform.

Damus confirmed via Twitter that it is set to remove zaps for individual posts but would be available for the user profiles to still receive tips from supporters or followers.

The Apple App Store's Strict Guidelines

Apple has been in court battles for a long time, as well as many executives that frown upon the company's App Store's policies with its strict guidelines and its massive commission rate. One of the most iconic court battles with Apple was with Epic Games and Fortnite, where Cupertino won a stay for implementing third-party payment channels for the App Store.

The famed company is best known for its massive commission rates on apps available on its platform, with as much as 30 percent for those high-earners to pay Apple. It was also made known that NFT apps that distribute their apps on the Apple App Store are required to pay as much as 30 percent of all transactions to the company.

With Apple's strict guidelines already made known to the world, many disagree with what it asks from developers and companies, especially during this time. Damus is the latest one to be presented by an issue from Apple regarding the App Store, centering on its tipping feature that will see drastic changes to avoid its removal from the platform.