If the past few months have shown us anything, it would be that the cryptocurrency industry is very unpredictable. While banks and organizations from different industries are starting to invest their time, resources and money into projects related to the industry, other parties choose to take the opposite route. Google’s latest update to the policies regulating the popular Google Play Store has now announced a red flag for a number of cryptocurrency mining apps.

Google Play Store No Longer Allows Cryptocurrency Mining Apps

This week, Google has announced that the popular Google Play Store, a mobile application platform for devices powered by their Android operating system, will no longer allow developers to publish cryptocurrency mining apps.

The updated developer policy of the Google Play Store now clearly states that the platform will ban any type of mobile app that aims to mine cryptocurrencies directly on the device where it is installed. All existing mobile apps that violate this new policy update have been automatically banned from the app store, and the developers will not be able to publish their apps again.

Despite the updates banning apps that perform on-device cryptocurrency mining, it is important for platforms that provide off-device cryptocurrency mining management apps to know that they will not be affected. Google has stated that apps are allowed to provide a customer portal that allows the user to manage an account for processes where the mining is performed through cloud computing or another off-device technique, so as long as the mining happens on an external device, there should be no problem.

Other Updates To The Google Play Store Developer Policies

In addition to now prohibiting apps that mine cryptocurrencies directly on an Android device, Google’s new policies saw other updates as well. In particular, the policy now states that any apps that include videos, text, audio, images or any other type of content that may be classified as “child endangerment” or “the sexualizing of minors” will also be banned.

Several additions were also added under the category of “Inappropriate content,” and Apps that fall under this category will be banned as well. Such “inappropriate content” would include apps that promote content that can be classified as “sexually explicit.” The mobile app store now also bans apps that promote violence or hate speech, as well as those that are related to any type of dangerous products. The policy describes dangerous products as explosives, ammunition, firearms, and firearm accessories.

Google Not The First Announce This Ban

Google is not the only company to implement bans on cryptocurrency mining apps. Apple announced a similar move from their side over a month ago. The ban from Apple was somewhat stricter than the new policy from Google. In addition to prohibiting the publishing of apps that mine cryptocurrencies on the user’s device, Apple also made additional changes for apps related to the cryptocurrency industry.

After the changes by Apple, Apps related to ICOs are only allowed to be published by organizations that Apple views as being an authority, such as established banks. Apps that provide a way to transact with cryptocurrencies are also only allowed when published by an official cryptocurrency exchange. Furthermore, apps that allow the storage of cryptocurrencies may now only be published by organizations.

Google Play Store was the second mobile app platform to announce a ban against apps that focus on mining cryptocurrency. The ban does not extend to apps that provide a management portal for off-device mining, and it only targets apps that focus on mining cryptocurrency directly on an Android device.