Apple Removes Bitcoin App from Store

Blockchain, a tool to send and receive the virtual currency

Apple Inc. removed Blockchain, an application for iPhones used to send and receive Bitcoins, from its App Store, the developer of the program said.

Blockchain.info, the developer of the software, received an e-mail from Apple saying that the app was withdrawn "due to an unresolved issue," Nicolas Cary, chief executive officer of the London-based company, said.

As a virtual currency, Bitcoins exist only as software and transactions are completed via computing devices. With merchants from car dealers and Web stores accepting the digital money, mobile apps have become a popular commerce tool. At the same time, some governments including China and India have questioned Bitcoin's legal status. Since Apple requires apps to be legal in all territories that they're offered, many Bitcoin-related programs for Apple's iOS mobile software don't offer the ability to send money.