iOS App Update: Encryption Matters

Good news! We have submitted the Gruveo iOS app to the App Store this weekend, and it is currently awaiting review. Fingers crossed for a speedy approval!

If there is one thing we learned during the submission process, it is that governments take encryption pretty seriously. Due to Gruveo encrypting all of your calls, we actually had to apply for a permission from the US government to make the app available worldwide. (This is because the app will reside on Apple’s US servers, and whenever someone downloads it from abroad, “export of encryption technology” will take place.) Thankfully, we managed to get the permission very quickly.

Things turned out to be different with the French government. France has very stringent laws for importing encryption products. Making an encryption-related app available in France involves mailing quite a bit of paperwork around (in French), and then waiting one to four months for authorization.

Unfortunately, this means that the Gruveo iOS app will not be available in the French App Store at launch. We will do everything possible to release it in France as soon as possible though.

Be on a lookout for the first screenshots of our shiny new iOS app!