Vaporizer Manufacturer PAX Calls on Apple to Rethink Vaping-Related App Ban

[MacRumors]

Apple last week removed all vaping-related apps from the App Store and updated App Store guidelines to prohibit apps that facilitate or encourage the use of vape-related devices.

Apple never allowed apps that sold vape cartridges, but it did allow apps that offered up vape-related news or provided controls for vape devices. Some companies, such as PAX, relied heavily on Apple's App Store to add technology to vaporizer devices and those companies are unhappy with Apple's recent ban.

PAX today penned a missive calling on Apple to rethink its decision as PAX creates several vaporizers that are designed to be controlled and customized through iOS and Android apps. The now-banned PAX Mobile app, for example, let PAX vaporizer users do things like adjust the vaporizer temperature, set parental controls, verify the authenticity of cartridges, and change the colors of the lights on the devices.

PAX says that while it respects Apple's leadership, it is concerned with Apple's ban because it prevents consumers in legal stages from "having access to important information and the ability to better control their cannabis experience."

Apple decided to ban all vaping-related apps after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,172 lung injury cases linked to e-cigarette or vape products containing vitamin E acetate, found primarily in products "informally" sourced from friends, family, or in-person or online dealers.

In a statement, Apple said that it agrees with the CDC's opinion that the spread of vaping devices is a "public health crisis and youth epidemic," which is why the apps were pulled.

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.

According to PAX, it aims to deliver technology to allow adults to make "educated, informed choices." The company cites its new PodID feature, which is designed to offer consumers "unprecedented access" to the information about what is in vape pods, including strain information, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and access to state regulated test results, which could ultimately help vaporizer users avoid illicit and dangerous cartridges.

PAX says that it is hoping to work in partnership with Apple to reconsider the decision and make the PAX Mobile app available once again "in the interest of public health and safety."

Those who have already downloaded the PAX Mobile app on iOS can continue to use it for the time being, and it's still available on Android devices. PAX says that all PAX devices can be used without the app and temperature can be changed on the device alone.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Vaporizer Manufacturer PAX Calls on Apple to Rethink Vaping-Related App Ban

 

[A MacBook lover]

I’m by far the biggest fan boy. But this is the dumbest thing Apple has ever done.

 

[ersan191]

Wonder if they broke their app out into flower vaporizers vs. pod vaporizers that Apple would still ban both of them.

Their products don't really need a companion app anyway, it's mostly a gimmick.

 

[jclo]

Wonder if they broke their app out into flower vaporizers vs. pod vaporizers that Apple would still ban both of them.

Their products don't really need a companion app anyway, it's mostly a gimmick.

PodID seemed like a pretty useful feature, though. https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/12/vape-maker-pax-launches-podid-to-explain-whats-in-your-cannabis/

 

[480951]

The problem was an ingredient (Vitamin E acetate I believe) in black market THC vape cartridges. Banning all of them, when it had nothing to do with the ones that are regulated is dumb. I don’t even use vapes but Apple should reconsider this.

 

[ersan191]

PodID seemed like a pretty useful feature, though. https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/12/vape-maker-pax-launches-podid-to-explain-whats-in-your-cannabis/

Don't really need an app for that though - could do it on the web.

 

[jclo]

Don't really need an app for that though - could do it on the web.

Yeah, fair enough. I don't use vapes so I have no idea how much of a convenience factor it is and whether it makes any material difference in people paying attention to what's in their pods.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I can’t believe vaping is now a political subject. Smoke a proper cigarette and join the cool kids.

*punctuates sentence with a worryingly hacking cough*

 

[pika2000]

Not sure why the complaints. These things don’t need apps anyway.

 

[swamprock]

I can’t believe vaping is now a political subject. Smoke a proper cigarette and join the cool kids.

*punctuates sentence with a worryingly hacking cough*

Well, when falling cigarette tax and Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement revenues, and failing tobacco bonds (which came about when some states sold out their TMSA cash for a quick payout. This cash is based on shipments of cigarettes to the states and the health care required for smokers who can't afford it; another pot that they can dig into for whatever they want) rear their ugly head, the states had to latch on to something (illness and deaths from black market THC vapes) to make vaping look bad, and attempt to get former smokers and kids back on cigarettes. They already tried and failed to tax nicotine vape juice as tobacco and failed, so this was the next logical step. Let's not forget that the various anti-smoking groups get their funding from the states... from tobacco taxes, and have seen a huge drop in their funding, so they and their lobbyists are complicit in this propaganda/smear campaign as well. The State of Michigan is being particularly disingenuous, refusing to even address the real culprit when asked for comment, and sticking to "TEH KIDZ LOVE TEH FLAVERS!" as the issue. Michigan has some of the highest cigarette taxes in the country, by the way...

"Apple decided to ban all vaping-related apps after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,172 lung injury cases linked to e-cigarette or vape products containing vitamin E acetate, found primarily in products "informally" sourced from friends, family, or in-person or online dealers. "

At least MacRumors got the text in the article correct, instead of making all vapes (nicotine included) look like the culprit, like the rest of the "news" media are doing. Bravo.

 

[x-evil-x]

So will Apple be ok when Marijuana is legal and being sold in stores. With apps relating to it? Just a matter of time when it’s legal imo. Apple doesn’t ban alcohol apps. How to make drinks. What’s so different about a vaping app to control your pen?

 

[iGeneo]

I could be wrong, and I have a Pax vape, but couldn't Pax prevent black market pods from working on it's device? If so, then Apple should allow it.

 

[citysnaps]

Nope...That's not happening. Apple's rightly going to stay clear of that.

 

[zorinlynx]

I don't think it is Apple's place to try to interfere here. It sets a bad precedent; today, it's vaping apps. What if something else that Apple's board thinks is morally questionable comes along? That'll get banned from the App Store too. They've already done this with pornography, but that isn't as big a deal because you can access that over the web using Safari.

If there were alternate app stores available, there would be no problem here. But the App Store is an effective monopoly for installing apps on iPhones, and Apple should wield that power responsibly and not censor things they personally feel are wrong.

Vaping is still legal. If it ever becomes illegal, then banning the apps would make sense. But until then, they should leave it to each user to decide whether they want to install the apps. Vape manufacturers aren't going to stop making their products because of this, they'll likely just add a built in UI for configuring the vape rather than depending on an app.

 

[AustinIllini]

So will Apple be ok when Marijuana is legal and being sold in stores. With apps relating to it? Just a matter of time when it’s legal imo. Apple doesn’t ban alcohol apps. How to make drinks. What’s so different about a vaping app to control your pen?

The problem is the immediacy of the vaping death crisis.

 

[az431]

I’m by far the biggest fan boy. But this is the dumbest thing Apple has ever done.

Disagree. Kudos to Apple.

 

[dazz87]

apple better not ban weedmaps

 

[az431]

So will Apple be ok when Marijuana is legal and being sold in stores. With apps relating to it? Just a matter of time when it’s legal imo. Apple doesn’t ban alcohol apps. How to make drinks. What’s so different about a vaping app to control your pen?

This marijuana/alcohol argument is tired and misplaced.

When used in moderation, neither will kill or harm you. The same is not true of vaping or smoking.

That’s what’s different about vaping apps.
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I don't think it is Apple's place to try to interfere here. It sets a bad precedent; today, it's vaping apps. What if something else that Apple's board thinks is morally questionable comes along? That'll get banned from the App Store too. They've already done this with pornography, but that isn't as big a deal because you can access that over the web using Safari.

Yes. It’s a private company and it can do whatever it wants. Just like Chick fil-a and Hobby Lobby close on sundays for religious reasons.

Not up to you to decide how Apple runs its own business, and if you don’t like it buy an Android phone.

 

[fairuz]

I don't think it is Apple's place to try to interfere here. It sets a bad precedent; today, it's vaping apps. What if something else that Apple's board thinks is morally questionable comes along? That'll get banned from the App Store too. They've already done this with pornography, but that isn't as big a deal because you can access that over the web using Safari.

It's not setting a precedent, it's following an earlier precedent. We've already seen them ban Civil War games for featuring the Confederate flag in a purely historical context. The banishment of vape apps is equally wrong. But I've already accepted that Apple is censoring these things, and I care about vaping the least. Actually I actively want it to die, so it's hard to care about the principle here.

I admire companies for trying to maintain the level of free speech the US Constitution grants to the public, but it's really hard. If a large company takes that position, the US government will probably penalize them for it ironically, foreign ones will do so even more, all the people banned from every other platform will go there, and even Americans will prioritize what they believe in over the principle of free speech. IMO, it's a surely losing battle without a law in place. Steam's attempt was the best example.

 

[swamprock]

This marijuana/alcohol argument is tired and misplaced.

When used in moderation, neither will kill or harm you. The same is not true of vaping or smoking.

Agree with the private company observation. You're 100% correct about that.

However, my 8 years of vaping (a low amount of; at zero nic now in preparation to quit) nicotine with a clean bill of health at my last physical ("You have the lungs of a 25-30 year old and a healthy heart" at the age of 50) disagree with you about vaping. I understand that the media has shoved this notion that all vaping is bad in the face of the public (for nefarious reasons; see my post above), but the illnesses and deaths were caused by an additive (vitamin E acetate) in black market THC vape juice, not nicotine vape juice (which is flavor, nicotine, and either propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin). Yes, the CDC says they can't "rule out other factors", but that's the tobacco and anti-smoking lobbyists throwing some cash around, since their respective profits and funding have dropped considerably due to smokers switching to nicotine vaping. The states' flavored juice bans (which are dropping like flies before the courts) are all to do with this, rather than "OMG THE CHILDREN", who they'd rather have smoking cigarettes. The States and the CDC are complicit in these illnesses and deaths due to their exclusionary tactics.

This narrative is about one thing only- MONEY.

There is some insidious, disingenuous reporting going on in the "news" media these days, bordering on propaganda. Read my post above, and look up "Truth about Vaping Part 3" on YouTube if you wish to know why.

 

[fairuz]

Well, when falling cigarette tax and Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement revenues, and failing tobacco bonds (which came about when some states sold out their TMSA cash for a quick payout. This cash is based on shipments of cigarettes to the states and the health care required for smokers who can't afford it; another pot that they can dig into for whatever they want) rear their ugly head, the states had to latch on to something (illness and deaths from black market THC vapes) to make vaping look bad, and attempt to get former smokers and kids back on cigarettes. They already tried and failed to tax nicotine vape juice as tobacco and failed, so this was the next logical step. Let's not forget that the various anti-smoking groups get their funding from the states... from tobacco taxes, and have seen a huge drop in their funding, so they and their lobbyists are complicit in this propaganda/smear campaign as well. The State of Michigan is being particularly disingenuous, refusing to even address the real culprit when asked for comment, and sticking to "TEH KIDZ LOVE TEH FLAVERS!" as the issue. Michigan has some of the highest cigarette taxes in the country, by the way...

"Apple decided to ban all vaping-related apps after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,172 lung injury cases linked to e-cigarette or vape products containing vitamin E acetate, found primarily in products "informally" sourced from friends, family, or in-person or online dealers. "

At least MacRumors got the text in the article correct, instead of making all vapes (nicotine included) look like the culprit, like the rest of the "news" media are doing. Bravo.

Here's the thing, we've finally collectively made smoking cigs not nearly as cool as it used to be. In California, it's really uncool and banned in many private areas and college campuses, no laws involved. Heck, I could always guess someone was from Europe if they were smoking one. Usership was sharply declining, and the nation was following that trend. It was looking really bright until vaping came about.

I don't think vaping is more dangerous than cigs. There's probably a lot of BS being spread about that, I agree.

 

[AustinIllini]

I’m by far the biggest fan boy. But this is the dumbest thing Apple has ever done.

Someone missed out on the puck mouse.
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Here's the thing, we've finally collectively made smoking cigs not nearly as cool as it used to be. In California, it's really uncool and banned in many private areas and college campuses, no laws involved. Heck, I could always guess someone was from Europe if they were smoking one. Usership was sharply declining, and the nation was following that trend. It was looking really bright until vaping came about.

I don't think vaping is more dangerous than cigs. There's probably a lot of BS being spread about that, I agree.

Regardless of whether it's more or less dangerous than cigarettes, it's still extremely dangerous.

Good on Apple.

 

[luvbug]

You don't need technology to get stoned, for crying out loud. Back in the day we called it smoking mother nature, for a reason.

 

[bigandtasty]

Pax Era app shouldn't be banned as it doesn't do anything but control temperature. Not sure what the article is talking about "if you have the app you can use it FOR NOW", not going to disappear off my phone... Am curious how to change temps manually without app though. Have 4 of these and they are the FIRE!!!

 

[mannyvel]

Regardless of whether it's more or less dangerous than cigarettes, it's still extremely dangerous.

It's about as dangerous as having a pool in your backyard.