Tweets from Jaxx say Apple has rejected its application to integrate Ethereum Classic ETC into its wallet on the iOS App Store but didn’t specify why.
One of the tweets says:
Just got word from @apple. #ethereum good, #ETC bad. They will not allow @eth_classic on the @AppStore
— Jaxx Wallet (@jaxx_io) September 7, 2016
The creators of the universal Blockchain wallet had integrated ETC into its suite of software wallets on seven different platforms and submitted an updated version of its app for Apple’s approval.
FreeWallet, whose app is on Apple’s App Store, said it took some effort to pass through Apple's approval system.
"To be approved by Apple, you need an authentication option not related to social networks (e-mail or phone number)," FreeWallet CEO, Alvin Hagg, says in a statement to Cointelegraph. "We were already implementing that, so it wasn't a problem actually. We respect the rules and regulations of every platform we publish on, and strictly follow the guidelines of Apple App Store. This is the key factor why Freewallet hasn't experienced any problems with publishing yet."
ETC “has deficits”
However, Charles Hoskinson, whose company IOHK build cryptocurrencies and Blockchains, expressed his opinion about “serious deficits with ETC.”
Key among them is the need for a re-branding and a media strategy to make new users understand ETC and how it differs from ETH; and a lack of an official or a reliable channel of information about the events of the ecosystem or commitments of various actors which he claims has lead to FUD, impersonations and attempts at market manipulation in the absence of clarity.
Another potential problem is the fact that the Ethereum Foundation owns the Ethereum trademark with its continuous use likely to provoke a trademark infringement lawsuit to companies using the Ethereum brand and name.
Hoskinson told Cointelegraph that the factors are quite significant “which is why I mentioned them in my write up.”
He added: “ETC is an organic and totally decentralized movement which is leaderless and doesn't have a particular direction at the moment. Thus, it's pulling into different domains searching for its sea legs.”
IOHK suggestions
He also noted in his piece that IOHK cannot move unilaterally to address all of these problems but can chart a course and invite the community to follow where necessary.
Some of its next line of actions include selecting a community manager to assist meetup group founders, manage social media channels, broadcasting accurate information etc to combat FUD and deal with the media entities; subsidize an educator to produce content on ETC ranging from the replay attack to new proposals suggested in various roadmaps; and considering ideas about smart contract languages coming from Synereo and Juno's Hopper with a partnership already entered into with Kent University to begin an analysis of the transaction languages used in cryptocurrencies.
IOHK has chosen Scorex 2 as a good base to build the ETC Main Client and is proposing the formation of a federated group tentatively called the smart contract engineering task force to guide the roadmap process. It is also making a commitment to not use the Ethereum brand or name in its repos or company assets.
“Apple’s loss”
In other tweets, Jaxx says that the rejection of ETC is a loss for Apple and its users:
Just got news from @apple. Our new release 1.1.1 w/ ETC integration does not comply w/ one or more App Review Guidelines. ETH good, ETC bad.
— Jaxx Wallet (@jaxx_io) September 7, 2016
@TechniumUnltd @Apple @eth_classic @AppStore @Android We will move forward according to our own mandate. It's apple's loss.
— Jaxx Wallet (@jaxx_io) September 8, 2016
This is not the first time that the claim that such a rejection will only be a loss to Apple and its users would be coming from Jaxx’s direction.
Following a recent notification by Apple for the wallet to remove Dash from its iOS products before September 16, the CEO of Jaxx, Anthony Di Iorio, said the directive will not affect users on other platforms, but only iOS users.
Jaxx is not the first cryptocurrency-related application to be shunned from the iOS store.
Apple pulled Blockchain.info‘s iPhone app from the App Store without any specific reason. The email which the Blockchain CEO Nicolas Cary received stated that the app had been “removed from the App Store due to an unresolved issue.”
What’s next for Jaxx?
In response to a follower’s tweet which suggested that Jaxx iOS users will expect Litecoin and Dogecoin to be considered next for integration, Jaxx stated that they will not plan their new tokens around Apple’s directives adding, again, that the disapproval “is Apple (and their users) loss. We support 7 other platforms.”
According to Di Iorio, Apple approved apps on its App Store which handle only six cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, the DAO, and Ripple.
Jaxx is preparing to add about 15 to 20 tokens into its wallet over next few months.