Coinbase Wallet Says Apple Blocked Its Feature for Sending NFTs 

Coinbase Wallet tweeted Thursday (Dec. 1) that Apple has prevented it from adding a feature. 

Apple blocked Coinbase Wallet’s latest app release until it disabled a feature on Coinbase Wallet iOS that enabled sending non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Coinbase Wallet said in the first post of a thread. 

It added that Apple wanted the gas fees — blockchain transaction fees — required to send NFTs be paid through its in-app purchase system so that it could collect 30% of the fees, and that this isn’t possible because Apple’s proprietary in-app purchase system doesn’t support crypto. 

“This is akin to Apple trying to take a cut of fees for every email that gets sent over the open Internet protocols,” Coinbase Wallet said in another tweet in the thread. 

Coinbase Wallet also said that Apple’s policy makes it harder for those who hold NFTs in a wallet on an iPhone to transfer it to other wallets or gift it to friends or family, and that it harms developer innovation in the crypto ecosystem. 

“We hope this is an oversight on Apple’s behalf and an inflection point for further conversations within the ecosystem,” Coinbase Wallet said. 

Mentioning Apple’s Twitter account, it added, “We’re here and want to help.” 

Reached for comment, Apple said the App Store guidelines apply to all developers, are designed to provide safety and security to users, and enable apps to use NFTs. The firm added that it works with all developers to explore solutions.

This news came on the same day that Twitter CEO Elon Musk apparently halted his “war” against Apple that began Monday (Nov. 28) when Musk said Apple had “mostly” ceased its advertising on Twitter and had threatened to pull the social media platform from its App Store. 

Musk had said that he was prepared to “go to war” with Apple over the future of the Twitter app, but on Wednesday (Nov. 30) he posted a video of his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and said they had resolved a misunderstanding. 

For all PYMNTS cryptocurrency coverage, subscribe to the daily Crypto Newsletter.