Apple bans vaping apps from App Store

Apple on Friday said it is banning vaping-related apps from its App Store due to concerns that e-cigarette use can dam lungs or even kill people.

Apple vets what is allowed on shelves of its virtual shop that serves as sole outlet for apps available to its popular mobile devices, including some 900 million iPhones in use around world.

Apple cracks down on vaping apps

"Recently, experts ranging from CDC to American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call spre of se devices a public health crisis an a youth epidemic," Apple said in response to an AFP query prompted by an Axios report.

"We agree, and we've updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating use of se products are t permitted." 

Apple has pulled 181 vaping-related apps from App Store worldwide. Tobacco along with vaping cartridges were never allowed at virtual shop, so apps involved social networks, news, games, hardware or stores, according to California-based company.

"We are grateful that Apple is joining with us and ors on this historic day to stand against big Vape and ir lies by removing all vaping apps in App Store," American Heart Association chief executive Nancy Brown said in a released statement.

"Our hope is that ors will follow our le and follow with ir own powerful mess that nicotine and nicotine diction caused by e-cigarette use are leaving thousands sick and dying across globe." 

People who alrey have w-banned apps on ir Apple ggets will be able to continue using m.

US President Donald Trump said this week that he plans to meet with vaping industry representatives as he considers wher to ban flavoured e-cigarette products following a dely epidemic of vaping-linked lung injuries.

Vaping, alrey criticised as a "gateway" to tobacco or or diction, is facing unprecedented scrutiny amid a mysterious epidemic linked to e-cigarette use that has killed 39 and sickened more than 2,000 mostly young people in US.

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