MetaMask Abracadabra: DeFi Wallet's Temporary Removal From Apple's App Store Baffles Users

MetaMask, a popular decentralized finance (DeFi) wallet boasting 21 million monthly users, was temporarily pulled off the Apple Inc AAPL App Store on Saturday. While the wallet has now been restored, no official explanation has been provided for the brief removal.

What Happened: Reports began circulating on Oct. 14, with numerous users on the X platform revealing that MetaMask was no longer accessible on the Apple App Store. Additionally, Apple users were unable to download the DeFi wallet app directly from its official website.

Taylor Monahan, Lead Product Manager at MetaMask, addressed concerned users on X, assuring them that the team was actively managing the issue. Monahan said, “As far as I can tell, it happened a couple of hours ago and this was not something we ever expected to happen. Based on the limited information I have, it’s something procedural (?) with the Apple account (not the app itself) and thus should be resolved soon.”

Shortly after Monahan’s statement, a notification came from MetaMask’s official X handle, clarifying that the removal was unrelated to any malicious activity.

MetaMask stated, “FYI: We’re aware that MetaMask isn’t currently available for download on the App Store. This is not related to anything malicious, and our team is working hard to resolve it ASAP. We expect MetaMask to be back on the App Store shortly, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

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Why It Matters: MetaMask’s development team also issued a warning against downloading fake versions of their application from the App Store. This also comes as instances of users falling victim to fraudulent crypto wallets have been reported, with billionaire Mark Cuban recently losing $870,000 in cryptocurrencies after downloading a counterfeit version of MetaMask. Out of which, he had lost 5 Ethereum ETH/USD, equivalent to around $8,175 at current prices. 

An hour after MetaMask’s assurance, the crypto wallet reappeared on the Apple App Store. Nonetheless, the primary reason behind its initial removal remains largely undisclosed. 

As the news of MetaMask’s temporary absence and subsequent return spreads throughout the crypto community.

“Just another move against crypto ‘decentralization’,” expressed one crypto advocate, highlighting the perception that centralized authorities often impose limitations on the crypto environment to maintain their control.

Some individuals argue that the removal and eventual reinstatement of Metamask demonstrate the influence centralized platforms hold over the crypto ecosystem. "Apple has removed MetaMask from the App Store. Maybe it was an "accident". But events like these show the gatekeeping power of our tech overlords.  This was not the vision for the internet."

Price Action: At the time of writing, Bitcoin BTC/USD was trading at $27,214, up 0.56% in the last 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo by Iryna Budanova on Shutterstock