Apple is facing the wrath of crypto users yet again as a popular Bitcoin Lightning wallet disappeared from its U.S.-facing App Store.
Bitcoin (BTC) Lightning payments app Wallet of Satoshi (WoS) has disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the United States as it closes in on over 1 million transactions for November.
On Nov. 24, several users and crypto community participants shared on X (Twitter) their attempts to search for the WoS app, which turned up no results or redirected users to competing wallet apps.
Wallet of Satoshi banned in the US? pic.twitter.com/S44qN5UI2U
— ck (@ck_SNARKs) November 23, 2023
However, the WoS app still appeared for download on the Australian Apple App Store and the Australian and Singapore Google Play Store versions at the time of writing.
Wallet of Satoshi is a popular Lightning payments platform that is on pace to process over 1.1 million Lightning payments in November, according to industry author and podcaster Kevin Rooke.
Wallet of Satoshi is on pace to process over 1.1 million Lightning payments in November.
— Kevin Rooke (@kerooke) November 22, 2023
This will be their largest month of Lightning payments ever.
⚡️ pic.twitter.com/oCxIce7kit
Rooke added that it would be the firm’s “largest month of Lightning payments ever.”
However, Wallet of Satoshi cleared the confusion on an X (formerly Twitter) post after stating that it was not banned from the app stores. “We’ve made the difficult decision to remove our app from the U.S. Apple and Google app stores, and will not serve U.S. customers going forward,” it read.
To our valued Wallet of Satoshi community in the United States of America,
— Wallet of Satoshi (@walletofsatoshi) November 24, 2023
We've dedicated ourselves to providing the best Bitcoin experience with Wallet of Satoshi, being at the forefront of Lightning usability and adoption. However, we've made the difficult decision to remove…
The post did not clarify the reasons for the abrupt withdrawal of services in the U.S., although it hinted at a possible resumption depending on “future developments.” Existing users in the USA retain full access to their BTC funds and have the ability to transfer their tokens to other wallets.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Related: Demand for Bitcoin could grow by up to 10x within 12 months: Michael Saylor
Apple levies a hefty 30% tax on in-app payments, which it maintains a tight leash over and has been a barrier for crypto platforms wanting an App Store presence.
On Nov. 17, a group of disgruntled PayPal Venmo and Block Cash App users filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company had entered into anti-competitive agreements with PayPal and Block to restrict the use of crypto technology and payments on iOS.
Apple has a history of removing crypto apps, with the firm delisting the Nostr-based Damus app over a Bitcoin tip feature in June. It also briefly pulled the MetaMask wallet app from its App Store in October.
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