Apple Loosens Grip on NFT and Crypto Apps After Antitrust Smackdown
Apple’s walled garden just got a crypto-sized hole. The tech giant quietly updated its App Store guidelines to allow NFT and cryptocurrency transactions—after years of squeezing developers with 30% fees and restrictive policies.
The backstory:
This comes hot on the heels of a U.S. antitrust ruling that left Apple’s app monopoly looking shaky. Now, apps can finally process NFT sales directly (without Apple’s infamous ’tax’) and use crypto for payments. Cue the champagne popping in Web3 startup offices.
The fine print:
Don’t expect a free-for-all. Apple still bans NFTs from unlocking features within apps—because why make things easy? And of course, all crypto services must comply with local laws (translation: more paperwork for devs).
Wall Street analysts are already calling this a ’strategic retreat’—which is finance-speak for ’we got caught with our hand in the cookie jar.’ Meanwhile, crypto devs are racing to exploit the new loopholes before Cupertino changes its mind again.
