Apple Removing Vaping-Related Apps From App Store Today Amid Public Health Concerns

[WannaGoMac]

You realize vaping isn't about drugs? Yes you can use it for drugs but that’s not the common use. Don’t worry though apps for illegal drugs are allowed in the App Store. If you worry about public health cost then perhaps they should remove fast food apps because that’s the number one killer in America

Edit: In case you’re wondering I don’t vape because it’s silly in my opinion

I meant by drug both legal and illegal drugs. And I realize fast food is bad but we can’t remove it as public hasn’t been educated to see that’s also bad like tobacco and illegal type drugs

 

[az431]

I can watch porn and buy not appropriate things on Safari. Why not banning that one?

Not sure what porn or safari has to do with vaping apps on the App Store. There are no porn apps. Safari is a web browser, and Apple does not own the internet so you can access whatever content you want (just like you can watch porn on third party browsers from the App Store).

 

[GuruZac]

Vaping is bad. Shocker: inhaling substances not intended to be inhaled damages pneumocytes. I see so many young people vaping or using the Juul (what's the difference), sad.

 

[Plutonius]

I'm not sure why since I believe vaping is legal ?

Does Apple ban all apps that refer to alcohol ?

 

[az431]

Apple is concerned about your lungs. But Chinese nationals persecuted by their government? Not so much. I can't take any of their virtue signalling seriously. But it must work on some people.

Under your flawed logic people who donate their time to homeless shelters can’t be taken seriously unless they also work to stop persecution of Chinese nationals by their own government.

Maybe the more sensible conclusion is people do whatever they can under the circumstances, and that we should be grateful when anyone does something to make the world a better place.

what have YOU done to end the problem in Hong Kong?
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I'm not sure why since I believe vaping is legal ?

Does Apple ban all apps that refer to alcohol ?

• 1.4.3 Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn’t allowed.
• 1.4.4 Apps may only display DUI checkpoints that are published by law enforcement agencies, and should never encourage drunk driving or other reckless behavior such as excessive speed.

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It’s whatever is socially acceptable. You can have apps on using illegal drugs but vaping is bad LMAO

Apple does not allow apps about using illegal drugs..

 

[definitive]

"those who don't agree can build their own iphone and ecosystem for it."

am i doing it right?

 

[McTaste]

Are alcohol or tobacco related apps allowed?

I love the concept of banning vaping, while leaving cigarettes available for consumption.

 

[jonnysods]

Does that mean they are going to get rid of that app where you can tip your phone and it looks like you're drinking beer? Because that makes people into alcoholics, crazy apps like that. Or they could get addicted to water or soda!!

 

[smaffei]

Lemmings. 15 years of vaping and overnight people start dying this is all way to fishy to me. On top of it all has anyone found the vapes bought from reputable retailers to be the cause??? Since those are the ones being banned all over so you know people will move back to black market vapes. Ughh.... Well executed big tobacco ppl are stupid..... no I dont smoke or vape either.

The CDC has determined that the vapes causing the "vaping illness" are THC ones bought off the streets that also contain vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate is extremely toxic when inhaled.

Legitimate nicotine vape companies should not be punished because of this underground activity. Nicotine vaping has safely been around for almost 15 years now. Only now, when these THC vapes hit the streets, do we have this problem.

But, of course, Apple isn't going to factor that into its thinking. It's just gonna take the "ban everything" PC approach that is prevalent in today's "let's not think too hard about it" society.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

I never have and never will vape but seems Apple is slipping down that slope they started long ago

 

[sinoka56]

How about ban all mindless games and only allow educational ones? youth epidemic?

 

[MistrSynistr]

Apple is concerned about your lungs. But Chinese nationals persecuted by their government? Not so much. I can't take any of their virtue signalling seriously. But it must work on some people.

This. haha. Wow.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Just Tim being Tim..

Tim probably had nothing to do with this.
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I don’t smoke. (Or why id need an app for it if I did)But the only concern is Apple censoring. You agree with this one. How about the next one that Apple thinks is bad for you?

But Apple is only "censoring" in the AppStore that they own. You can still use the worldwide web, and use vaping utilities whenever you want.

 

[xalea]

We need less nanny state and more personal responsibility.

 

[Glideslope]

It’s whatever is socially acceptable. You can have apps on using illegal drugs but vaping is bad LMAO

While I understand your point, you must admit there are not bubble gum flavored cannabis products, meth, or crack.

 

[iLoveDeveloping]

Why is everyone so against this? Vaping and smoking are disgusting and should be banned. Apple don’t want to have content related to this on THEIR platform. Good! It shouldn’t be there, I’m so sick of second hand vaping in my face. Go away!

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I understand why they did this. The government is going after vaping. It starts by getting the government’s science arm to make up lies about vaping. Then they seize the money of vaping businesses. Once this happens anyone associated with vaping can be held liable and have their assets seized by the state or private citizens in ridiculous civil lawsuits. So Apple decided to limit their liability.



Porn is a huge epidemic destroying lives. It is funny how the government doesn’t do anything at all to stop it. It is freely available to not just minors but the very young. So it isn’t like the government really wants to protect citizens, especially the very young.

A few years ago, people were in a tizzy because they removed some p0rn apps. Same thing here.

 

[Mike Oxard]

Legitimate nicotine vape companies should not be punished because of this underground activity. Nicotine vaping has safely been around for almost 15 years now. Only now, when these THC vapes hit the streets, do we have this problem.

Absolutely, in the UK the NHS still advocate vaping as a way of quitting cigarettes, pointing out that "In the UK e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality. "

 

[citysnaps]

Good on Apple.

 

[JosephAW]

If Apple wants to do something innovative to stop people from dying design iOS NOT to show an onscreen keyboard when a device is within 4 feet of a steering wheel of a moving car. That would save thousands of teen lives a year. Now that we have NFC tech in an iPhone, car manufacturers need to place a chip in the steering wheel that will disable texting for all moving vehicle drivers.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I meant by drug both legal and illegal drugs. And I realize fast food is bad but we can’t remove it as public hasn’t been educated to see that’s also bad like tobacco and illegal type drugs

We have been educated.
We don't care.
If you can't stop people from smoking and vaping, what makes you think that there going to stop eating fastfood?

 

[iOS Geek]

If they're going to take this step for the reason of "public health" they might also want to remove any apps that relate to alcohol, tobacco and weed.........

All or nothing. I'd be for getting rid of them. If you want to find info on vaping, alcohol, tobacco, or weed...the internet is a click away. It's not like they're outright preventing you from finding this information.

 

[JosephAW]

I wonder if Google will follow in lockstep.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

Under your flawed logic people who donate their time to homeless shelters can’t be taken seriously unless they also work to stop persecution of Chinese nationals by their own government.

Maybe the more sensible conclusion is people do whatever they can under the circumstances, and that we should be grateful when anyone does something to make the world a better place.

what have YOU done to end the problem in Hong Kong?

Wow, what an amazingly bad false analogy. Using your example if the people who worked in homeless shelters were exercising two-faced behaviour to gain profit at the expense of other people while dictating to the world the ethics of helping the homeless, you would have a shadow of a point. But you don't! So here we are.

It's one thing to do nothing (as you are implying Apple is doing with that analogy), its another thing entirely to bend the knee and be complicit in oppression to maintain a profit (which is what Apple is actually doing). See the difference?

So I will be damned before I get lectured to by Apple about its "concern" for my lungs, eggless salad emoji, water gun emoji, veterans day websites, rainbow watch faces. Or anything else Apple makes out its a good guy on. While it HELPS the Chinese government persecute its own people, all to maintain a business in the country. Make no mistake removing the vapourware *giggles* is only to protect Apple from possible litigation in the future, because it's currently a hot topic. Not your safety, but profit.

 

[JosephAW]

Apple needs to do a health study on various addictive items to see what the long term effects are.
Add a watch complication for every time you vape, smoke or drink. People might not realize how many times they are doing it.