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Users of high-tech vaporizer devices that pair with iPhones are out of luck when it comes to the latest in app-controlled cannabis consumption, thanks to a new anti-vaping policy update from Apple.
According to an exclusive report from Axios, Apple has officially banned all vaporizer and vaping-related apps from its mobile App Store. The new rule was implemented across all Apple devices on Friday, November 15th, ceasing the download and sale of 181 vape apps ranging from temperature and device control software to vaping news, games, and social networks.
For cannabis consumers, the ban will directly affect the use of popular vape devices from brands like Pax and G-Pen, which allow users to adjust temperature settings, lighting colors, and consumption modes from compatible apps.
In a statement to Axios announcing the policy change, an Apple spokesperson said that the anti-vape rule was a direct reaction to the country’s ongoing vape-related health crisis. But while government health officials have recently published updates tying the illness to a specific additive in unregulated THC and nicotine cartridges, Apple has decided to eliminate an entire category of products from their app offerings.
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“We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps,” the statement read. “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.”
Vape apps that have already been downloaded to Apple phones and devices will continue to work as intended, but for new users looking to keep up with the latest in vaping, it might be time to check out what Android has to offer.
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