Google Sends Warning To Cryptocurrency Mining Apps

After Apple did a similar thing, Google have decided to update their Play Store policies which has resulted in banning apps which mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, XRP, and Ethereum. This move comes a few weeks after Apple introduced their own changes to the polices to the App Store Review Guidelines with a new section regarding the restriction of cryptocurrency mining apps. Google’s updated Play Store policies has been very clear and specific on the matter by banning apps from the Play Store which mine cryptocurrencies on handheld devices. Masahable has reported that despite this new policy being introduced, it is permitting apps which remotely manage the mining of digital currencies. This is similar to what Apple put in their updated App Store Guidelines saying:

“Mining is performed in the cloud or otherwise off-device.”

Google has also had a review on apps that have offensive material in them. They have started to restrict those apps which they believe promote, violence, self-harm, discrimination, hate speech etc. However, recently multiple apps on the Play Store have been reported as quietly using the smartphones processing power to mine cryptocurrencies. ‘Cyrptojacking’ is an issue that is affecting several apps today, when scammers insert the mining software into other apps. The Android platform has around two billion monthly users and in the first half of 2018, the Google’s Play Store saw over 35 billion app downloads.