corndalorian on Nostr: It’s been quite the day for #Nostr and damus in particular due to Apple’s ...
It’s been quite the day for #Nostr and damus (npub18m7…q955) in particular due to Apple’s threatened removal from the App Store. Would love to crowd source a recap here. I’m going to recount as much as I can, and tag some notes, but please add in the replies if I missed anything.
The day started with jb55 (npub1xts…kk5s) sharing screenshots of a notice he received from Apple stating that Damus would be removed from the App Store in 14 days due to Apple’s claims that #zaps are in violation of their policy on in-app purchases. In Apple’s notice they said that tips and donations, even if optional, must use “in-app purchase” if they are associated with receiving digital content, and that zaps allow for this to take place outside of the in-app purchase mechanism.
Users quickly jumped to point out the similarities between zaps and other tipping features in apps such as Twitter and Fountain App.
Long time bitcoiners shared flashbacks to when Apple previously banned bitcoin wallet apps several years ago:
Many on Nostr began calling for a complete boycott of Apple over the issue, and others called for Damus and other clients to take the progressive web app approach to avoid Apple’s restrictions. Still others were looking for a path forward so Apple users would still have access to native Nostr clients. NVK (npub1az9…m8y8) suggested that Damus “should keep the app in the store without zaps while the battle rages. The more users Damus has the more bargaining power you get.” Will replied, “That’s the plan for now.”
The shocking news spread quickly even outside of Nostr, including on Twitter and in tech publications:
In a tweet tagging Apple and CEO, Tim Cook, jack (npub1sg6…f63m) said, “This seems to be a misunderstanding by @apple of how this feature works and what it's for. It's a critical part of the future of the internet. It has the capacity to bring people around the world into the economy without the traditional gatekeepers. Please reconsider @tim_cook.”
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1668648607661056000
Will shared that Apple contacted him to discuss the issue in more detail, and was ultimately told that, “Damus can keep the zap button on the profile but not notes. It is considered ‘selling digital content’ if its on notes.”
Jack took to Twitter again saying, echoing the words of many other users, that “This is still incorrect @apple. Tipping on posts is not selling digital content. It’s a form of feedback. Why limit people sending bitcoin to each other? This is our one opportunity to build a truly global payment protocol for the internet (which would benefit your company immensely). @tim_cook”
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1668711207686094849
News of Apple’s move against Damus continued to spread, catching the eye of Elon Musk, who also tweeted his criticisms of Apple’s policy in defense of Damus saying, “This is not a winning scenario.”
Many who are active in #bitcoin and #Nostr development have provided suggestions as to how Damus could implement zaps while hopefully steering clear of violating Apple’s policies and removal from the App Store.
At this time no specific changes have been announced for Damus, however Will stated that, “The number of people who contacted me today offering support (even from within apple) has been absolutely staggering. There are nostriches *everywhere*. We are going to win.”
The day started with jb55 (npub1xts…kk5s) sharing screenshots of a notice he received from Apple stating that Damus would be removed from the App Store in 14 days due to Apple’s claims that #zaps are in violation of their policy on in-app purchases. In Apple’s notice they said that tips and donations, even if optional, must use “in-app purchase” if they are associated with receiving digital content, and that zaps allow for this to take place outside of the in-app purchase mechanism.
quoting note14vf…uuh6Damus will be removed from the app store in 14 days, apple says zaps are not allowed on their platform because they *could* be used by content creators to sell digital content. This is right before I’m about to give my talk at the oslo freedom forum on how decentralized social networks with lightning integration are bringing financial freedom to the masses... pretty sus… 😕
This would be a watershed moment: If people can’t transact freely p2p on their platform, this has huge implications for the entire ecosystem of apps with lightning integration and v4v.
Users quickly jumped to point out the similarities between zaps and other tipping features in apps such as Twitter and Fountain App.
quoting note1est…ug0dZaps on Twitter good
Zaps on Damus bad
#[1] #FuckApple
quoting note1dal…29t2What’s the difference with me boosting an episode on fountain_app (npub1v5u…n0v5) and then me zapping a note on damus (npub18m7…q955) ??
#nostr #bitcoin #v4v
On fountain they have a wallet… Damus I don’t
Long time bitcoiners shared flashbacks to when Apple previously banned bitcoin wallet apps several years ago:
quoting note1pz2…2l7nDid you really expect they changed? https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2014/02/06/apple-removes-blockchain-bitcoin-wallet-apps-from-its-app-stores/
quoting note1j94…0hp3Apple banned Bitcoin wallets many years ago, users started smashing their iPhones on social media. Apple changed their mind... note14vf…uuh6
Many on Nostr began calling for a complete boycott of Apple over the issue, and others called for Damus and other clients to take the progressive web app approach to avoid Apple’s restrictions. Still others were looking for a path forward so Apple users would still have access to native Nostr clients. NVK (npub1az9…m8y8) suggested that Damus “should keep the app in the store without zaps while the battle rages. The more users Damus has the more bargaining power you get.” Will replied, “That’s the plan for now.”
quoting note1tad…vxr2I think #[0] #[1] should keep the app in the store without zaps while the battle rages.
The more users Damus has the more bargaining power you get.
quoting note1jhk…n9hfThats the plan for now. I will resubmit with zaps in the future since i do not believe i am violating any guidelines
The shocking news spread quickly even outside of Nostr, including on Twitter and in tech publications:
quoting note1efe…g58aSeriously
https://www.theblock.co/post/234392/apple-damus-app-removal-warning
quoting note19sm…0ssfThe news are spreading fast. I just received this link in a message
https://decrypt.co/144374/apple-app-store-says-damus-has-2-weeks-cut-bitcoin-tipping-get-booted
In a tweet tagging Apple and CEO, Tim Cook, jack (npub1sg6…f63m) said, “This seems to be a misunderstanding by @apple of how this feature works and what it's for. It's a critical part of the future of the internet. It has the capacity to bring people around the world into the economy without the traditional gatekeepers. Please reconsider @tim_cook.”
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1668648607661056000
Will shared that Apple contacted him to discuss the issue in more detail, and was ultimately told that, “Damus can keep the zap button on the profile but not notes. It is considered ‘selling digital content’ if its on notes.”
quoting note1fxw…gj7pApple has contacted me and has scheduled a call to discuss this in more detail
quoting note1cmy…lunkDamus can keep the zap button on the profile but not notes. It is considered “selling digital content” if its on notes 😕
Jack took to Twitter again saying, echoing the words of many other users, that “This is still incorrect @apple. Tipping on posts is not selling digital content. It’s a form of feedback. Why limit people sending bitcoin to each other? This is our one opportunity to build a truly global payment protocol for the internet (which would benefit your company immensely). @tim_cook”
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1668711207686094849
News of Apple’s move against Damus continued to spread, catching the eye of Elon Musk, who also tweeted his criticisms of Apple’s policy in defense of Damus saying, “This is not a winning scenario.”
quoting note1rt5…ca42👀
Many who are active in #bitcoin and #Nostr development have provided suggestions as to how Damus could implement zaps while hopefully steering clear of violating Apple’s policies and removal from the App Store.
quoting note1r5z…ermc⚡️ #[1] #[2]
quoting note1k9v…gn2vWhat if somebody made a nostr micro app that looked at your reactions and sent a zap every time you had a reaction. This wouldn’t need to be in Damus, but because Apple will allow lightning wallet integration, and zaps based on profiles, but not posts, you can still put in your address and do a wallet connect. But then users could use a service, using nostr, but not created by any of the developers working with apple, to do a zaps for reactions service.
Should be pretty easy to do with Nostr Wallet Connect, no?
The only downside is I bet Apple probably wouldn’t let you link to or mention it in the app…
At this time no specific changes have been announced for Damus, however Will stated that, “The number of people who contacted me today offering support (even from within apple) has been absolutely staggering. There are nostriches *everywhere*. We are going to win.”
quoting note1xal…l2wjThe number of people who contacted me today offering support (even from within apple) has been absolutely staggering. There are nostriches *everywhere*. We are going to win.