Microsoft just dealt a huge blow to Bitcoin with its new app store policy [Update]

Update: As it turns out, the information this article was based on is “inaccurate.” A Microsoft spokesperson shared the following statement with TNW:

We continue to support Bitcoin for adding money to your Microsoft Account which can be used for purchasing content in the Windows and Xbox stores. We apologize for inaccurate information that was inadvertently posted to a Microsoft site, which is currently being corrected.

Microsoft has stopped accepting Bitcoin payments for apps and content in its Windows 10 store for desktop and mobile, reveals an updated support page spotted by Softpedia.

That’s a bummer for fans of the cryptocurrency hoping for it to gain more mainstream traction. The company announced support for Bitcoin in December 2014. With Windows 10 becoming available across a wider range of devices lately, it could have been one of the largest platforms where you could spend your digital dough.

Microsoft says that your existing account balance can still be used to buy things from its store, but you can’t add more Bitcoin or get a refund of what’s left.

It isn’t clear exactly why Microsoft decided to shut down its experiment; low adoption could have prompted the move. There’s also been instability amidst the Bitcoin community: a debate among its developers concerning the size of blocks used to record transactions, prompted a group of them to break off from the core team and fork the original code.

We’ve contacted Microsoft for more information and will update this post when we hear back.

➤ Microsoft’s Windows 10 Store No Longer Accepting Bitcoin [Softpedia]