Apple Inc. has removed Cigar Aficionado’s Where To Smoke app from its store. Despite the best efforts of Cigar Aficionado to change Apple’s decision, the app is no longer available. Apple claimed Where To Smoke, which points users to cigar-friendly locations and does not sell cigars, was in violation of its policy.
“This is David versus Goliath, and it’s a disgrace,” said Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado magazine. “Where To Smoke is a reader service, provided free of charge, to allow our fellow cigar lovers to find cigar-friendly locations. The fact that Apple banned it is an outrage. It’s not only a disservice to our large readership, but an affront on free speech and the rights of Americans to enjoy a legal adult product.”
Apple continues to allow apps that promote, among other things, the procurement of marijuana. Weedmaps is described as “the largest and most comprehensive marijuana directory and discovery resource on the planet,” and Leafly claims to be “the world’s cannabis information resource,” that allows users to “explore thousands of marijuana strains and access the map to find a dispensary nearby that carries the cannabis strain for their medical needs.”
Apple said it made the move because Where To Smoke violated the rules of its App Store. “We continue to find that your app promotes the use of tobacco or nicotine-related paraphernalia, including but not limited to cigars, cigarettes, pipes, hookahs, or e-cigarettes, which is not permitted on the App Store,” a representative from Apple wrote in an email to M. Shanken Communications Inc., the owner of Cigar Aficionado and other magazines.
Cigar Aficionado fought the removal, but the argument failed to sway Apple. The app was removed on October 30.
Users who have already downloaded the app onto their iPhones can continue to use it, and they will continue to see new locations that Cigar Aficionado adds, although they will not get other updates, such as new designs or bug fixes.
While you can no longer get the app from Apple, you can still access Where To Smoke via other methods. Where To Smoke is available free of charge on our website. Simply go to wts.cigaraficionado.com and you can find more than 2,600 cigar-friendly locations near you. It works just like the app.
If you have an Android phone, you can get the Where To Smoke app in the Google Play Store. Again, it is free of charge.
This article first appeared in the November 7, 2017 issue of Cigar Insider.