If you’re a vaper and you use an iOS device like an iPhone, you might not be too thrilled to find that Apple has officially banned vaping-related apps from the App Store, an online marketplace and repository for apps designed to run on iOS devices. What does this mean? It means you can’t download vaping apps from the Apple App Store anymore. So if you were hoping to download an e-liquid recipes app for DIY vape juice mixing, then you’re going to have to find another solution.
Already Downloaded Apps Continue To Work
If you already downloaded a vaping app to your iOS device, well, you’re in luck because apps that have already been downloaded will continue to work. Although, there’s a chance that the app might become unusable for another reason, such as a change on the developer’s side. Regardless, many vaping apps should continue to work, especially ones that don’t require a connection to the internet.
Why Apple Axed Vaping Apps
Here’s the complete statement from Apple regarding their decision to remove vaping apps from their app marketplace, courtesy of the website Axios:
We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We’re constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users’ health and well-being.
Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic.
We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.
Our Thoughts On The Matter
Was Apple right to remove vaping apps from the App Store? In our opinion, probably not. As it turns out, the suspected culprit behind the “lung injuries and fatalities” seen among vapers appears to be vitamin E acetate, which is not something that e-liquid manufacturers use in their products. It is, however, something that was discovered in black market THC oil cartridges. So because some fools decided to cut their THC oil carts with the stuff, resulting in injuries in deaths, Apple has removed vaping apps from their App Store. Does that make sense? If you’re thinking no, then you’re on the same page as us.
