Thread by @SchorLukas

Apple is blocking a release of our @gnosissafe mobile app because we display NFTs in it. After 2 weeks of back-and-forth, I felt that we need to talk publicly about this to raise awareness.

See the thread for details and why this might affect other wallets and apps as well. 👇

2 weeks ago, we submitted a new version of the Gnosis Safe Mobile app to the app store. Shortly after we got the following response.

The update included a new way to connect a Ledger Nano X via Bluetooth to the app, so it had nothing to do with NFTs in the first place. We display user-owned NFTs in our app already for many months. Nevertheless, we answered the questions and outlined our NFT feature.

The next day we got this questionable response, basically saying that Apple does not allow apps, especially wallets, to display NFTs if they are not bought via in-app purchases.

Of course, we thought this was just a human issue. Maybe a junior reviewer made a mistake... So we tried explaining again. The answer: Apps that facilitate storage or marketplaces for NFTs are prohibited on the Apple App Store.

Finally, we tried resubmitting the update again with a clearer update description, hoping that we get another reviewer this time. But no luck...

⛔️ This shows how access to Web3 still relies heavily on gatekeepers like Apple
❗️ It's an industry problem, as the same arguments apply to any wallet displaying NFTs or games making use of NFTs
💡 We need to find better ways to make Web3 accessible on mobile permissionlessly

We will submit an appeal to the App Review Board and hope that they will reinterpret their policy when it comes to NFTs and that this is not just the first sign of Apple cracking down on NFTs completely.

Permissionless access to Web3 is core to our values, so we are willing to go the extra mile to clear this up. Simply removing NFTs from our app is definitely not an option for us.

Did any other iOS app developer face this issue already? If yes, were you able to resolve this eventually?
@MetaMask @rainbowdotme @TrustWallet @argentHQ @CoinbaseWallet @AlphaWallet @zerion_io

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to blame Apple and still think this is just a human issue. So I'd be happy to work with them to improve the guidelines when it comes to wallets. It needs to be 100% clear what is allowed and what is not.

In case anyone is interested in joining the Web3 Mobile development Telegram group, let me know. 👇

https://twitter.com/SchorLukas/status/1437811937170034699?s=20