Skip to main content

Apple has banned all vaping-related apps from the App Store

Following months of mystery surrounding vaping-related illnesses and deaths, Apple has made the decision to remove all vaping-related apps from the App Store, Axios reports.

While Apple has never allowed apps within the App Store that market vaping-related products, it has allowed apps that serve as news sources on vaping to exist on the store as well as apps that can control the lighting and temperature control of vaping devices, and even control how much vaping liquid is burned in a single session on the device.

On Friday, November, 15, Apple said it was going to remove all of the vaping-related apps from the App Store in the name of safety. An Apple representative sent the following statement to Axios:

“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.

“Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic.

“We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.”

If you already have a vaping-related app installed on your iOS device then the app will remain on the device and remain functional until you choose to delete it. While the apps will remain functional, however, manufacturers will not be able to push out updates to those existing apps.

According to the CDC, more than 39 people have died and over 2,000 have become ill from vaping-related lung illnesses this year. The ongoing health crisis has led municipalities and states to ban some (or all) vaping products. The Trump Administration plans to enact a nationwide ban on flavored vaping products, though it’s not clear when that would go into effect.

Last week, the CDC announced that it has identified the cause of the illnesses to be Vitamin E acetate. The compound is used frequently in food and cosmetic products but causes damage to human lungs when inhaled. The majority of the illnesses occurred in individuals that were vaping using THC products, while a few involved nicotine users.

Editors' Recommendations

Emily Price
Emily is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Her book "Productivity Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Accomplish More at…
Everything Apple didn’t add to iOS 17
iOS 17 logo and renders on Apple's website.

Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote has come and gone, and with it came one of the biggest new announcements in years: Apple Vision Pro, which is Apple’s first foray into the VR/AR headset space. Of course, we also got software updates for existing products that we already have right now, including iOS 17 for the iPhone.

Before WWDC 2023 kicked off, there were a lot of rumors and speculation revolving around iOS 17 and what we would end up seeing —with the possibility of some “highly requested features from users.” Now that it’s been announced, it’s actually not as exciting as we thought, and some of the features that did get announced weren’t leaked.

Read more
WWDC 2023: everything announced at Apple’s huge event
Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.

As regular as the tides, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) has become a big and highly anticipated part of our calendar. As is usual, this year’s keynote announcements will include all the usual improvements for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and more — but this year is also different, thanks to the reveal of a brand new area for Apple, the Vision Pro headset.

The keynote was jammed full of content, as usual, and there's plenty to talk about. Here's a recap of everything Apple announced at WWDC 2023!
Vision Pro VR headset

Read more
Apple is adding a brand new app to your iPhone with iOS 17
Journal app for iOS 17.

Apple is adding a new first-party app called Journal with the introduction of iOS 17, the company announced today during WWDC 2023. Journal is, as its name simply states, a new place for iPhone users to keep track of their daily activities, log their emotional health, and jot down anything else that they want to write about.

Apple has continued to lean into its first-party health and wellness iOS apps with things like Fitness, Sleep, and Breathe, and now Journal will be joining their ranks as the company's first attempt at an app that focuses on mental well-being.

Read more