Google Play eases restrictions on blockchain apps

Blockchain apps will be required to comply with local regulations, and no promotional activities will be allowed

article-image

rafapress/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

In a move that piqued the interest of crypto developers, Google Play on Wednesday gave the inaugural greenlight to select blockchain-based applications on its platform. 

Supported app categories, according to Google, include games that use NFTs as rewards, crypto exchanges and wallets. Crypto mining apps did not receive a reprieve from their ban. 

Blockchain-related apps looking to list and launch on Google Play are required to comply with jurisdictional regulations in the regions where they’re based.

If an app enables digital asset trading, developers are required to issue a clear disclosure — and those products cannot be promoted or advertised. 

Apps must also ensure compliance with Google’s gambling eligibility requirements. When it comes to NFTs, Google said that digital collectibles with unclear valuations can not be offered up for sale.  

John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games said in a press release that Google’s change of pace will “move these new economies forward.”

“We think these new policies are steps forward for both players and developers alike and will positively impact the adoption of new technology while also protecting consumers,” Linden said. 

As large traditional app stores begin opening up to blockchain technology, competition could increase for crypto-natives, such as Solana which has recently rolled out Saga, a mobile phone with a crypto twist. 

Saga was created as a Web3 alternative to Android and Apple phones, which had strict rules around their payment systems. 

Beyond Google Play, Saga also offered its own crypto app store, where users could download dApps and connect directly to a seed wallet already integrated into their phones. 

Between its launch on May 8 until June 22, almost 10,000 Sagas had been sold. Although the figure is still significantly less than any Google or Apple phone — which earn the companies billions each year — neither of Saga’s competitors are yet to seamlessly integrate payments with dApps.

Representatives for Google Play and Solana Saga did not immediately return requests for comment.


Don’t miss the next big story – join our free daily newsletter.

Tags

Upcoming Events

MON - WED, MARCH 18 - 20, 2024

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will take place March 18-20, 2024 at The Hilton London Metropole. Why London? Momentum.  London has become one of the world’s hottest crypto hubs.  Innovation is thriving, new institutional investors are flocking in, and regulators like […]

recent research

l1 cover.png

Research

This analysis focuses on financial metrics for general-purpose L1 blockchains. In many ways, L1s should be viewed as an entirely new asset class more comparable to digital economies than traditional businesses. L1s are the core infrastructure enabling the creation of new-age businesses like onchain protocols.

article-image

The coming weeks are set to bring clarity on whether the regulator appeals its court loss to Grayscale — a decision that could impact the timeline of bitcoin ETF approval

article-image

Various iterations of the popular social media tokenization app cropped up in September

article-image

Marathon’s error occurred at block height 809478, and Foundry ended up snagging the reward

article-image

The report comes almost a year after the collapse of FTX, which also plotted to offer such a service

article-image

The possibility that user-intent based applications could theoretically censor user activity is a “potential threat,” Chase Chapman says

article-image

I unequivocally believe Bitcoin will go down as one of the most pivotal innovations in history, and that has nothing to do with price