Damus, a Bitcoin-friendly app, avoids Apple deplatforming after a two-week battle over ‘Zaps’ tipping.

Bitcoin-friendly social media app Damus has received approval to remain in the Apple App Store. This comes after a two-week battle that began on June 13, when Apple threatened to remove the app from the store for violating in-app purchase guidelines. Damus allowed tips or “zaps” on content paid for with bitcoin instead of Apple Pay.

The new version of Damus will no longer have zaps on posts, as Apple considers this equivalent to selling digital content. However, users will still be able to send zaps to each other at the profile level.

Apple has faced criticism from the Bitcoin community, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who argue that the company’s strict guidelines hinder bitcoin adoption on the App Store. Apple stated that it reviews all apps against the same set of guidelines.

Some Damus supporters see the approval as a small victory, despite the compromise to restrict zaps to posts. One user tweeted, “The most important thing is that the concept of zaps exists. In the medium term, it will revolutionize social media. Patience.”

Damus creator William Casarin expressed frustration with Apple’s review process but has already moved on to adding new features to the app after reaching a compromise with the tech giant. Casarin posted on the decentralized social media app, “Damus v1.5 approved. Onward.”

Edited by Bradley Keoun.