Following the successful banning of cryptocurrency mining on the iPhone and iPad, American tech giant, Google has followed suit by proscribing cryptocurrency mining apps from the its play Store.
Although, the new policy still allows mining if the processing happens in the cloud, but it has been banned on Android hardware. The ban also follows a Google block on cryptomining extensions on the Chrome Web Store, following the rise in CoinHive-based in-browser miners.
“We don’t allow apps that mine cryptocurrency on devices. We permit apps that remotely manage the mining of cryptocurrency,” it wrote in the updated Google Play developer program policies.
Google’s move — first noted by Android Police — follows Apple’s decision to ban cryptocurrency mining on both iOS devices and Mac in June.
Also Read: Google is Bringing Blockchain Technology to Its Cloud Services
Google noted that this new policy is consistent with the industry’s approach.
Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin can be “mined” by using multiple devices to solve complex mathematical problems that lock and unlock information in the blockchain, with rewards coming as each transaction is secured
Mining requires a huge amount of processing power, so people have been investing in expensive graphics cards and using vast networks of devices.
Earlier this week, antivirus software pioneer John McAfee challenged hackers by offering a $100,000 bounty if they can break into his “unhackable” cryptocurrency wallet.