Apple’s attitude to NFT apps is still a bit hazy. However, the software can only be used to browse NFTs – not to buy or sell them. Similarly, Rarible’s iOS app provides an NFT browser for “viewing” blockchain valuables. NFT apps with discovery functionality. However, the lack of clear guidelines on iOS has made it difficult for app developers to determine what is acceptable and what is not.
Alan Lammiman, inventor of Daily Apps, has personally experienced this.
Sticky, a mobile-native “NFT” marketplace software, was pulled from the App Store by Apple after several months. App updates with the phrase “NFT” were allowed by Apple throughout this time period, leading to the app’s removal. Apple informed Sticky that using the name “NFT” for digital collectibles that aren’t issued to a public blockchain was deceptive. Sticky had no time to make adjustments before it was removed, according to Lammiman.
But Sticky’s app was operating in murky waters. It used a private ledger, which it mentioned in the app’s description. NFTs were described as “collectibles,” not “security, convertible currency, or investment,” by the corporation.
The removal is a fascinating example of how Apple decides what is allowed on the App Store. It also shows how Apple seems to be reacting to developers’ adoption of new technologies and vocabularies on the fly.