In May 2025, Apple made significant adjustments in the field of cryptocurrency application rules and privacy protection due to dual pressures from the law and the market. This transformation is both a response to the development of the encryption industry and exposes the complex trade-offs tech giants face between national security and user rights.
I. Relaxation of app store regulations: The opportunity for 'breaking the wall' in the crypto ecosystem
After a US court ruled that Apple violated antitrust injunctions, it was forced to adjust its app store policies, allowing developers to direct users to complete transactions through external payment systems without charging up to a 30% commission. This change is particularly crucial for cryptocurrency and NFT applications:
1. Payment cost reduction: Previously, Apple took a 30% cut from in-app purchases, causing high costs in scenarios like encrypted games and the NFT market involving high-frequency transactions. Under the new regulations, developers can freely link to third-party payment channels, reducing operating costs by more than 60%.
2. Breakthrough in functional restrictions: Web3 applications (such as NFT trading platforms) could previously only display products and could not directly guide purchases. Now, users can jump to external markets to complete transactions via in-app buttons, significantly enhancing user experience and conversion rates.
3. Innovation incentives: The lowering of entry barriers for developing mobile encryption games, DeFi wallets, and other applications may give rise to a 'generational consumer crypto bull market', such as Fortnite returning to the Apple Store and integrating NFT features, attracting traditional gamers into the crypto ecosystem.
However, Apple still imposes multiple restrictions: banning in-app mining, initial coin offerings (ICO), and task reward tokens, with the new regulations only applicable in the US, while other markets remain bound by old policies.
II. The 'double-edged attack' on privacy encryption: The UK backdoor incident
In contrast to the relaxation of payment rules, there is the controversy of Apple being forced to remove the end-to-end encryption feature of iCloud in the UK due to government pressure:
1. Government intervention: The UK invoked the Investigatory Powers Act, requiring Apple to create a backdoor for iCloud data to assist law enforcement. Apple refused to compromise and chose to directly remove the 'Advanced Data Protection (ADP)' feature for UK users, exposing user photos, backups, and other data to potential risks.
2. Global privacy concerns: This move has been criticized as a 'significant setback for digital rights' and may encourage other countries to follow suit, weakening the global standards for encryption technology. US legislators and privacy organizations have voiced opposition, emphasizing that 'backdoors are vulnerabilities' that could be abused or attacked.
3. Conflicting corporate positions: Apple has made concessions on payment rules but stands firm on privacy issues, reflecting its balancing strategy between market interests and user trust. For example, it established a benchmark for privacy by refusing the FBI's request to unlock an iPhone, and this UK incident again highlights its 'non-compromising' stance.
III. Industry impact and future challenges
1. Short-term benefits for the encryption market: The relaxation of app store rules in the US, combined with the SEC's termination of the investigation into OpenSea and other regulatory relaxations, may drive the recovery of the NFT market and growth in ETH on-chain activities.
2. Acceleration of mobile adoption: After reducing payment friction, more mainstream users may conveniently access encrypted products through their iPhones, such as scanning QR codes to pay with USDC for shopping, or binding on-chain virtual cards to Apple Pay.
3. Long-term risks persist: Apple may indirectly restrict encrypted applications through its review process, and the regulatory pressure exposed by the UK privacy incident may spread to other regions, threatening the decentralized nature of encryption technology.
Conclusion
Apple's adjustment of its 'encryption rules' is essentially a game of power and freedom: loosening payment restrictions injects vitality into the industry, while privacy compromises raise security alarms. Whether the encrypted economy can break through in 2025 depends not only on developers' innovation but also on being wary of the invisible shackles of regulation and tech giants. As Epic's CEO said, 'True freedom must be based on a framework of frictionless and non-monopolistic practices.'