Dive Brief:

• While it had previously blocked apps that accepted or dealt in bitcoin, Apple has changed its developer terms to allow bitcoin and other “approved virtual currencies.”

• Its earlier policy led several developers to abandon their iPhones, sometimes in quite an in-your-face way.

• Experts predict an explosion of bitcoin apps for the iPhone and iPad as a result of the change.

Dive Insight:

This move by Apple Inc. to allow bitcoin transactions via iOS apps is another signal that virtual currencies could have an easier time moving into the mainstream. The virtual currency has encountered several recent setbacks and is facing new government regulations from several countries, but nobody is writing it off just yet.