Similar to how it’s restored some crypto Youtube channels after a lot of pushback from the crypto community, Google has now restored Metamask to the Play Store. Either the tech giant is sensitive to claims of hurting innovation and competition or it is simply not ready yet to enforce a ban on dapp browsers, as Apple seemingly has in its App Store.
Also Read: Google Bans Crypto App Metamask From Play Store
Metamask for Android Restored
Google Play, the official app store for the Android operating system which is used by billions of mobile devices, has now restored the crypto app Metamask after Google banned it for about a week. The company did not disclose the reason for the move, which was in contrast to a previous appeal that was rejected, but it might have had something to do with the uproar the original decision created within the crypto community.
“Thanks to all the believers in an open web for speaking out in our support!” the Metamask team stated on Twitter. “Also thanks to all the suggestions for alternate distribution methods. This experience has made us more resilient, and as a community we are stronger for enduring it.”
Happy New Year! Upon careful consideration, Google has permitted The MetaMask mobile app back on the Google Play (Android) store! Thanks to all the believers in an open web for speaking out in our support! https://t.co/Z8KOCtvHq0
— MetaMask (@metamask_io) January 1, 2020
Metamask is a decentralized apps browser for desktop and mobile built upon the Ethereum network. It also offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Brave that add an in-browser wallet for ETH and ERC20 tokens to be sent and received. Last week Google banned the Metamask app from the Play store under the policy that “we don’t allow apps that mine cryptocurrency on devices,” despite the fact that mining is something Metamask was never designed to do.
Tense Time for Tech Giants and the Crypto Community
One reason why the removal of Metamask from the Play store caused leading voices in the crypto community to react is that it followed the Google-owned Youtube removing content and banning channels devoted to digital asset markets. The company quickly claimed this was done by mistake and reinstated some channels but not before it already drove many in the community to start looking for ways to back up their content or even migrate to alternative platforms.
As for speculating over the reason the company restored Metamask, Google might have decided that it is not ready to follow Apple’s restrictive policy on dapps or that it will serve the company to differentiate itself from its only real rival in the mobile OS field for now. A few days ago Apple came under fire from the crypto community for apparently forcing the Coinbase mobile wallet on the App Store to remove the built-in dapp browser.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong commented that “If Apple customers want to be able to use Dapps, we may need to make this request know to Apple in some way. This is an important area of innovation in finance, and many developers and early adopters of this technology have millions of dollars worth of crypto tied up in these financial applications, which they will no longer be able to use on Apple mobile devices if this app store policy continues.” The public pressure Android crypto users put on Google to restore Metamask seems to show this approach can work if Apple is willing to listen too.
What do you think about Google restoring crypto app Metamask after an uproar by the crypto community? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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