Digital gift card provider Gyft updated its iOS app today, adding the bitcoin payments option that was previously exclusive to its Android customers.
launched last year, supporting retailing majors like Whole Foods, Starbucks, Groupon, GAP and Nike. Users who choose to pay in bitcoin receive 3% back on their purchases, which is added into a points system, earning them discounts for future purchases.
The news comes shortly after reports of Apple’s revised stance on apps that “facilitate transmission of approved virtual currencies”. The tech giant angered its iPhone users in February by removing the Coinbase and Blockchain apps from the iOS app store.
Earlier this month, it issued a statement saying that such apps may now run so long as they “do so in compliance with all state and federal laws for the territories in which the app functions”.
“Our users are ecstatic about it,” said Gyft’s chief executive Vinny Lingham. “The moment we heard the rules were being relaxed we wanted to get it up and running as soon as possible.”
Citing DISH Network and Expedia as recent adopters of the digital currency, he said:
Lingham and his clients are not alone. Blockchain CEO Nic Cary revealed on Twitter yesterday that his company's wallet app would soon return to the iOS store.
Reddit asks. Reddit gets. #sneakpeak #bitcoin iOS @apple coming soon pic.twitter.com/pmdlO4KAyb— Nic Cary (@niccary) June 18, 2014
He told CoinDesk: “We were very encouraged by Apple's recent policy adjustment and immediately dusted off our original app. Ever since January we've been hoping Apple would change it's stance and it seems like they've finally listened to their users … Finally, millions of bitcoin enthusiasts will get to experience bitcoin on their iPhones.”
Last week, a new bitcoin wallet app appeared for download in the iOS App Store. The Coinpocket app has a number of basic features, but also enables users to generate a BIP38 encrypted version of their private key.
Gyft CEO Vinny Lingham will be speaking at CoinSummit in London on July 10-11.
Image via Gyft