Apple blocks the Coinbase wallet on iOS. As per the details from a tweet thread by Coinbase, iOS users will be unable to send NFTs from their wallets on iOS devices anymore.
Coinbase also mentioned in the tweet that Apple has blocked their last app release until the feature is disabled by them.
Apple wants 30% of the gas fee?
The main reason cited and mentioned by Coinbase is that “…the gas fees required to send NFTs need to be paid through their In-App Purchase system so that they can collect 30% of the gas fee.”
Additionally, Coinbase mentioned that, for anyone who understands how NFTs and blockchain work, Apple’s request is impossible. “Apple’s proprietary In-App Purchase system does not support crypto, so we couldn’t comply even if we tried,” cited Coinbase.
Coinbase also mentioned that this is similar to Apple trying to grab a cut of fees for every email sent over open internet protocols. One of the biggest troubles with this action by Apple is that iOS users holding their NFT in an iPhone wallet have to go through a lengthy process to transfer the NFT.
“Simply put, Apple has introduced new policies to protect their profits at the expense of consumer investment in NFTs and developer innovation across the crypto ecosystem.”
The action will definitely affect a whole sector of iOS users that are holding their NFTs in their iPhone wallets. It is unclear whether the decision will be revoked and affect the whole ecosystem.