Apple Update: Code of Conduct Clearly Prohibits Mining on iOS Devices

Tencent Technology News: According to foreign media reports, Apple updated its code of conduct on Monday, explicitly prohibiting the "mining" of digital cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

The new regulations will limit applications that consume batteries to light up, generate excessive heat, or cause unnecessary pressure on device resources, all of which occur in the process of mining digital cryptocurrencies. In a blog post on its official website, Apple stated that "applications and applications that display any third-party advertisements internally may not be able to run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining

Because it requires massive computing power and electricity, and it is difficult to successfully 'mine' Bitcoin with just an iPhone or iPad. But Apple's move may preemptively prevent future low energy intensive digital currencies from being mined on these devices, or prevent mining through "pooling" multiple devices.

Apple's Code of Conduct 2.4.2 states: "Application design should pay attention to energy efficiency. Applications should not quickly deplete battery power, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary pressure on device resources. Applications and applications that display any third-party advertisements internally may not be able to run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining

According to the technology blog Apple Insider, Apple had already established a code of conduct related to mining digital cryptocurrencies as early as 2014. Prior to this, the Apple App Store removed Coinbase and other digital cryptocurrency applications, citing "unresolved issues". However, the report did not specify when Apple updated this policy.

Mining digital cryptocurrencies is essentially a mathematical operation performed by high-performance computers. To trade Bitcoin, transactions need to be validated through complex mathematical equations and then added to a so-called 'distributed ledger'. Miners receive Bitcoin as a reward for solving equations.

Bitcoin mining company Coinmint stated that its mining machines generate 1400 watts of energy during the process of mining Bitcoin, equivalent to a hair dryer. Last year, the amount of electricity used for Bitcoin mining was roughly the same as the domestic electricity consumption in Ireland, at around 20000 gigawatt hours.

Currently, there are many apps in the iOS App Store that boast of allowing users to "mine" using their personal devices, such as "Crypto Coin Miner" and "Cryptocurrency Cloud Mining". The latter even stated that "users do not need to make significant investments in hardware or software to make money and obtain digital cryptocurrencies

Affected by the "network intrusion" on the system of South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinrail, the value of Bitcoin plummeted continuously over the weekend. According to data provided by CoinDesk, the trading price of Bitcoin on Monday was approximately $6726. (Compiled by Mingxuan)