SaruTobi, the First iOS Game Where You Can Earn Bitcoin

SaruTobi

Players can earn satoshis—the smallest unit of Bitcoin—while playing or spend them for in-game features like retries and power-ups. All transactions use the Lightning Network, enabling low-cost, instant payments. Apple approved the feature under its existing App Store policies by allowing the app to use an external payments provider for crypto, a method permitted following recent legal and regulatory shifts.

Epic Games v. Apple

ZBD CTO André Neves called the approval a turning point, describing it as a signal that digital payment models on iOS are beginning to shift.

Apple’s decision to approve Bitcoin Lightning payments follows rising global pressure on its closed ecosystem. The company is now complying with new that demand broader payment system flexibility for app developers. These changes have also forced Apple to relax its control over how in-app transactions are processed.

SaruTobi

The update shows that developers can now work within the current legal boundaries to add Bitcoin-related functions for Apple users. SaruTobi uses the Lightning Network for both its payouts and its transactions, without holding any user funds inside the app itself.