Great news, Coinbase users. An open-source variant of the Coinbase app for iOS is now available from Apple’s App Store — just over seven months after the official application was mysteriously pulled by Apple.
The app is using the Coinbase API to make a connection to the service, but before you begin worrying, both Olaf Carlson-Wee and another staff member chimed into a Reddit thread noting that the app is the real deal, though it hasn’t been officially released by Coinbase themselves.
“We are happy to see this community effort based on our open API! We have reached out to the developer to review the code and are happy with the quality and security of the code,” Carlson-Wee wrote in response to dubious Redditors.
Another Redditor added that he commenced a support chat with a company representative to ask about the application but was told “nobody at Coinbase knew of this.”
That very support representative, Erik, responded shortly thereafter: “Almost right after you got off chat, I got the confirmation from the [developers] this is our new open-source app! Sorry for any coinfusion and let us know how it works for ya!”
Great to see this community contributed app! We reached out to the dev to review the code and believe it is secure. https://t.co/hPZVSr7GOI
— Coinbase (@coinbase) June 20, 2014
Bitcoin enthusiasts have been longing for an wallet app since Apple started an anti-bitcoin campaign last year. Not only did they manage to kill Coinbase’s official app, but others like Coinjar and even Blockchain.info.
Apple’s changing attitude
Since the Cupertino, California-based electronics and software giant has revealed their iOS 8 mobile operating system (earlier this month), their attitude toward bitcoin applications has changed significantly.
The company amended their App Store policies on June 2nd to allow bitcoin-transmitted applications with the addition of the following regulation:
11.17 Apps may facilitate transmission of approved virtual currencies provided that they do so in compliance with all state and federal laws for the territories in which the app functions
Since then, the community’s attitude toward Apple has changed as well, seemingly from hatred to indifference over night.
Blockchain.info is also planning to get their application back on the App Store as soon as possible themselves. CEO Nic Cary told NEWSBTC that his company “will definitely be resubmitting the Blockchain iOS app and look forward to the day where [they] can invest and improve the experience.”
The application is available by following [this link].
