Apple has removed all 181 vaping apps from its App store. While Apple never allowed the sale of vaping related equipment from apps, there were apps that helped users customise their vape pens, let users control the temperature and lighting on their vape pens, as well as delivering news and other vaping related stories.
An Apple spokesperson said,
“We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We’re constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users’ health and well-being.”
Apple said anyone who already had a vaping app on their iPhone would be able to continue using it and transfer it to any new Apple device.
The move to eliminate vaping apps began in June when Apple decided to stop accepting any new apps related to e-cigarettes.
Research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into the causes of the respiratory disease that caused the deaths suggests one ingredient is to blame.
The CDC said it had found vitamin E acetate – a thickening agent used in many illegal vaping products – in lung samples from 29 patients hit by the disease.
Apple said,
“Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic.”
“”We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.”
