Brave Browser for iOS Updates App to Remove Reward Features That Violated App Store Rules - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Brave Browser for iOS Updates App to Remove Reward Features That Violated App Store Rules

by

The developers behind the Brave browser today announced some changes for the iOS version of Brave, which are being implemented to comply with Apple's App Store rules.

brave browser rewards
A new version of the Brave browser being released today for the iPhone and the iPad removes features that allowed people to earn rewards for browsing and to tip creators. Brave has a system that allows those using the browser to earn money for viewing ads, which can then be given to preferred content creators.

Brave Rewards is built on the Basic Attention Token (BAT) and is a new way to value attention, connecting users, content creators, and advertisers. Users are rewarded in BAT with 70% of the ad revenue share of the privacy-preserving ads they opt into viewing, and they can support content creators they love by rewarding them with BAT. There are currently over 985,000 Brave verified content creators.

With the release of iOS 14, Apple told Brave that the Brave Rewards system was not compliant with ‌App Store‌ guidelines 3.1.1 and 3.2.2. The 3.1.1 rule prevents apps from giving a tip to a person unless what's provided is purchased through in-app purchases, while the 3.2.2 rule prevents "tasks for cash." Brave's developers say that this guideline is aimed at preventing apps from asking users to give 5 star ratings in return for points, and that Apple has likened the opt-in viewing of Brave Ads as tasks for cash.

Though there is no path for earning rewards from viewing Brave ads on iOS going forward, Brave says that it hopes that users will continue to opt in as Brave still plans to provide creators with monthly donations.

Brave's developers are "disappointed" with the update, but say that Brave users can continue to enjoy the "same fast and privacy-preserving iOS browser they know." These changes will not apply to the desktop version of the app or the Android versions.

Tags: App Store, App Store Review Guidelines, Brave

Popular Stories

apple india

India Refuses to Let Apple Pause App Store Antitrust Case

Tuesday May 19, 2026 4:52 am PDT by
An Indian court has ruled that Apple must cooperate with a government investigation into its App Store practices, rejecting the company's attempt to put the case on hold (via Reuters). The Delhi High Court ruling keeps a probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) alive, which found in 2024 that Apple had abused its dominant position in the iPhone apps market. The CCI wants Apple's...
Read Full Article • 16 comments
fortnite apple featured

Fortnite Returns to the App Store Worldwide as Epic Signals 'Final Battle' With Apple

Tuesday May 19, 2026 6:08 am PDT by
Fortnite is back on the App Store in every country except Australia, Epic Games announced today, as the company declared it is entering the "final battle" of its long-running legal dispute with Apple. Epic said the decision to push Fortnite back onto iOS globally was prompted by Apple's own words to the U.S. Supreme Court, in which Apple acknowledged that "regulators around the world are...
Read Full Article • 130 comments
Apple App Store Awards 2025

Apple Provides Update on App Store, Highlights Key 2025 Safety Stats

Wednesday May 20, 2026 8:33 am PDT by
Apple today shared stats that paint the App Store as a safe and trusted place for both customers and developers, even though the reality is that fraudulent or deceptive apps continue to make it past Apple's review process from time to time. In 2025, Apple said its App Review team evaluated more than 9.1 million App Store submissions, with a mix of human review and AI. The company rejected...
Read Full Article • 14 comments

Top Rated Comments

O
ozzymo
72 months ago
App Store guideline 3.1.1: No tip can be given to anyone unless its purchased through IAP as we want our 30% cut
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
O
ozzymo
72 months ago

So Apple doesn't want internet sites to monetize via tracking (which is good for privacy), and they won't allow monetization using Brave on iOS either (??). Seems like a non-tracking-supported internet should be something Apple either allows to happen or actively encourages. I don't get it.
Apple doesn't care about any of that. They only care that they're not getting their 30% cut
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
O
ozzymo
72 months ago

I don't like the idea of a privacy browser with adware built in that can be enabled with a switch flick. It's a positive change imo.
Adware is something sneaky that is on your system without your knowledge. Brave tells you up front hey if you want to enroll in this program and view ads you can earn a little revenue and gift it to a creator or whoever. I didn't want to and chose to decline the program and never saw an ad. I don't think it's adware if they tell you up front and give you a choice.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bsamcash Avatar
bsamcash
72 months ago

I found Brave, on both desktop and mobile, very spammy with its cryptocurrency ads via notifications. Took a dislike to it as a result.
You can turn all of that off. I did and I cannot praise the experience enough.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
greenbreadmmm
72 months ago

How is the app destroyed? If it can’t survive unless it is able to violate App Store rules, that doesn’t say much about the app, in my opinion.

A browser supposedly geared towards privacy wanting to pay people to view ads seems rather hypocritical to me.
The entire Brave/Bat ecosystem is built around rewarding the user for ads (they choose to view) and paying content creators (Like MacRumors) for their offerings. So if Apple decides late in the game that it is no longer allowed to do that...it destroys the point of Brave browsing, as well as the appeal of the app.

How you got to "if it can't survive unless it violates apples TOS" is beyond a stretch and disingenuous of the timeline we are on. Apple changed the rules mid game and you somehow blame brave?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
tomtominson
72 months ago

I don't like the idea of a privacy browser with adware built in that can be enabled with a switch flick. It's a positive change imo.
Their browser introduces advertising that does not track users. No one else has done this. Calling what Brave is doing "adware" as if it's akin to scams or browser adware toolbars is a pretty unfair and unrealistic categorization.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments