Apple bans all vaping apps from its store
Company says programs that have already been downloaded will still work
Amid reports of health problems and deaths tied to vaping, Apple has decided it wants no part in the increasingly controversial e-cigarette market.
On Friday, Apple said it was immediately pulling all 181 vaping-related apps from its App Store. None of the apps allow sales of vaping cartridges or tobacco, but, instead, let e-cigarette users do things such as control the lighting and temperature of vape pens, get vaping-industry news and play games related to vaping.
According to a statement provided by Apple, the banning of vaping apps is part of an update to the company’s App Store guidelines.
“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. “As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.”
Apple said it had been moving in the direction of banning vaping apps for several months. In June, the company added vaping products to the list of items prohibited for promotion on the App Store, and the company said it hasn’t approved any new vaping-related apps over the last five months.
Apple said that customers will still be able to use any vaping apps they have already downloaded.
The company’s move comes as illnesses related to vaping use are on the rise. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 42 people have died, and another 2,172 have become sick due to a condition called EVALI—or, e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. Most of the patients showing symptoms of EVALI are said to have used vaping products that contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Apple’s removal of vaping apps from the App Store also follows a report that a Marin woman died earlier this month of suspected lung injury related to vaping. So far, four California deaths have been tied to vaping usage.
Matthew Myers, president of the anti-smoking group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called Apple’s decision to remove vaping apps “an important step” to address what he called the “youth e-cigarette epidemic.”
“By taking e-cigarette related apps off the App Store, Apple will help reduce youth exposure to ecigarette marketing and discourage youth use of these products,” Myers said.
It’s been a busy week for Bay Area companies and the vaping issue. On Tuesday, San Franciscobased vaping-device giant Juul said it would cut 650 jobs and slash $1 billion in spending over the next year as it curtails nearly all of its advertising campaigns. Juul has come under fire from federal regulators regarding how it has marketed its flavoredvaping pods and whether it promoted such products toward minors.