Bitcoin Wallets

Earlier this month Apple decided to update their guidelines in the App Store regarding Bitcoin Apps and the requirements needed in order to be distributed on the iOS store. Since then there seemed to be a number of Apps that have since placed their appearance in the store. Apple is doing a good job with their policy shift and adding Bitcoin wallet Apps.

Coinpocket is an app that is described by the developer as simply a wrapper for a different HTML5 version wallet that was available. As quoted by the developer Mike Enriquez on Reddit:

Apple just accepted a native iOS version of CoinPocket into their App Store. It is mostly the same as the HTML5 version (https://coinpocketapp.com) except for a few UI changes and of course a built in QR code scanner.

Now it is wrapped for the iPhone and looks something like this:

It has all the functionality that a Bitcoin wallet should have. It also has a modern design and is using the Google App Engine as the backbone.

Available Features

It has some added features such as a function that sweeps private keys into the wallet, it is a quick way to transfer funds from many different wallets quickly without doing tedious copy pastes of private keys. It also has the ability to generate a BIP38 which is an encrypted version of the private key.

Now that Apple is approving Bitcoin related apps it is a race for iOS developers to come up with the next Blochain app. The controversial app that was removed and caused the damage of many iPhones. Now the wallet app that will have the edge is one with great support, features, and a sleek modern look that Bitcoiners will like. Perhaps a wallet that would include other coins in addition to Bitcoin would make a great feature.

Bitcoin purchases

There are other types of apps that received approval from Apple. The first type is the wallet type apps which let you store Bitcoins. The other type is those apps that allow bitcoin purchases form within the application. The eGifter app  is an app that allows users to purchase gift cards directly with bitcoin. So now you are able to spend Bitcoin in Walmart, Target, and all your favorite big retailers.

For the record, the first app that was available on the Apple store after the announecement regarding the new regulation was the simple betting game Betcoin

Betcoin is a classic simple casino game.

› Choose the amount of coins you want to bet on.
› Select one of the two options: Under 5000 / Over 5000
› The app will choose a random number between 1 to 10,000.
› If you choose correctly, your bet will be doubled. Otherwise, you will lose your money.

The Future

It looks like we will be expecting many more Bitcoin apps come to the iOS store. It is nice to know that Apple is swaying to the direction of Bitcoin and not against it, hopefully Bitcoin will continue to climb after the Marshals finish their 30k Bitcoin dump.