MetaMask co-founder wants to ‘dump’ Apple, calls iOS purchase fee ‘abuse’

MetaMask co-founder and former Apple employee Dan Finlay says he’s all for the crypto industry ditching Apple’s App Store altogether, calling Apple’s 30% app purchase tax “abuse of monopoly.”

“I certainly want to stand in solidarity here,” Finlay wrote in response to the news that Coinbase’s iOS Wallet app had previously been blocked by Apple until it was removed NFT transfer functions.

Coinbase’s wallet announced Thursday that users would no longer be able to trade or transfer NFTs through its iOS app, claiming that even if it wanted to comply with the “Apple Tax” it would not be able to due to Apple is not integrated with blockchains that Ethereum.

“I guess [MetaMask] and every other wallet is next,” Finlay tweeted today. “I’m ready to dump the Apple ecosystem. 30% tax is an abuse of monopoly.”

It’s unclear what this will mean for current users of the MetaMask iOS app, and neither Finlay nor MetaMask have responded to Decrypttheir requests for comment.

But Finlay is far from the first crypto campaigner to express disdain for Apple’s policies. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt have expressed similar levels of distaste for the 30% in-app purchase fee.

As crypto companies try to build out features for their mobile applications to give users an alternative to browser-only experiences, many are running afoul of Apple’s tax blockade and being rejected or removed from the iOS App Store.

Such guidelines can feel arbitrary in an increasingly digital world. While companies like Amazon are allowed to sell physical goods in their applications without being subject to the tax, crypto companies like OpenSea or Coinbase are not allowed to sell digital goods without being subject to the tax. Digital art (when traded as an NFT) is taxed, while physical art is not.

Instagramwhich recently launched in-app NFTs, will implement Apple’s 30% tax on every NFT sale – a move that makes mobile purchases much less attractive to users.

In response to an earlier request for comment, Apple said Decrypt that the guidelines apply equally to everyone who applies to be listed on the App Store.

It also pointed out section 3.1.1 of the App Store guidelines, which states that “Apps cannot use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality, such as license keys, augmented reality markers, QR codes, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets, etc.”

Apple’s policy states that apps are allowed to “use in-app purchases to sell and sell services related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as minting, listing and transfer,” but they will all be subject to a 30% tax .