Apple has just removed the last bitcoin wallet app from their store.

Apple has been systematically removing bitcoin wallet apps, which let users manage their coins through their phone, and the last one was Blockchain. The app was the most popular wallet app for bicoins, with over a 100,000 apps downloaded.

Apple’s reasons for deleting the app was unclear as well, and they only told the developers that it had done so because of unresolved issues.

“Offering no explanation and no opportunity to address any issues, without any apparent change in circumstances other than the growing popularity of the independent and competitive payment system, Apple has eradicated their payment competition on iOS and left the bitcoin space entirely to competing mobile OSs like Google’s Android,” Blockchain said in a blog post regarding to recent incident.

“The blockchain application is the same one that has been on the App Store for two years, with more than 120,000 downloads, no customer complaints, and a broad user base,” it continued, and added that “there was no communication prior to removal of this popular app, no indication of any problems and no opportunity to redress any issues.”

Marc Warne, who is the found of Bittylicious, which is bitcoin purchasing business in the UK, was not surprised to heard about this recent development.

“This does not come as a surprise,” he said. “For some time, Apple have been removing apps from their store that are even remotely related to Bitcoins. It seems as though iPhone and iPad users are going to be left behind as the Bitcoin revolution takes off.”

“The Apple App Store seems to be a place where only squeaky clean applications are permitted,” he added. “While there is nothing wrong with Bitcoins, they have previously been linked to some dubious activities and it sounds as though Apple wants to distance itself. This subjective assessment of what is allowed on the App Store leaves app developers without any clear guidelines, and differs to the policies of, for instance, the Android Play store which has clear and relatively open guidelines.”

[via The Telegraph, image via PerfectHue’s flickr]