Apple Pulls Cryptocurrency Mining Calendar App From Mac App Store

Cryptocurrency miners are being snuck into online ads and websites that essentially hijack a user’s CPU to mine digital currencies. Calendar 2, a macOS app, came with a cryptocurrency mining feature but it didn’t do that without the user’s knowledge. The app developer actually allowed users to decide whether or not they wanted mining to be enabled so that they could access the app’s paid features for free. The app was live for more than a day which led many to believe that perhaps Apple was allowing apps with cryptocurrency mining features but it turns out that it really isn’t.

The Calendar 2 app gave users the option to allow it to mine for the Monero digital currency in exchange for all paid features being unlocked for no additional charge. It wasn’t mining without their knowledge. Despite that, the app had bugs which caused the mining feature to run even if the users had opted out.

Nevertheless, many waited for Apple to comment on the matter as some found it hard to believe that Apple would allow an app with a cryptocurrency mining feature.

Apple later pulled the app and Qbix, the developer of Calendar 2, confirmed that the company had removed its app because it violated rule 2.4.2 which states that “Apps should not rapidly drain battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on device resources.” Cryptocurrency mining does put unnecessary strain on devices which is why Calendar 2 was in violation of this rule.

Qbix has now decided to remove this feature and it has worked with Apple to restore Calendar 2 to the App Store.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Computers
Tags: Apps, macOS