Apple has long maintained a strict policy against p*rn content on its devices.
Everything feels more convenient when there’s an app for it—just a quick tap on an icon, and you’re instantly where you need to be, without the hassle of searching online.
These days, there’s an app for nearly everything, offering solutions our 2000s selves couldn’t have imagined. Except until now, there’s been one big thing in particular that there’s not been an app for. P*rn, of course.
Now, Apple has issued an official warning as users begin downloading the first-ever app of this kind onto their devices.
Given Apple’s longstanding stance against hosting p*rn material, this development comes as a surprise. The company has consistently enforced a ban on “overtly s*xual or p*rnographic material” in its App Store.
However, the app isn’t actually available through the official App Store. Due to regulatory changes in the EU, independent app stores are now permitted, allowing different policies on what content is acceptable.
Which also means it’s unlucky for Brits, as it’s only over in the EU where this app has been launched on iPhones.
The independent marketplace AltStore PAL has introduced Hot Tub, an ad-free “adult content browser” that launched on February 3. According to reports, the app has passed Apple’s notarization process, which checks for fraud, security threats, and functionality.
Hot Tub reportedly allows users to access and stream videos from platforms like P*rnhub and XHamster.
Apple remains firmly opposed to apps like this being available on its devices and would not typically approve such content. However, with the rise of independent app stores, Apple has now spoken out against the app’s distribution.
Apple’s Response
Apple said in a statement to Forbes:
“We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore p*rn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids.
“This app and others like it will undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world.
“Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store.
“The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety.”
The reality is that we are required by the European Commission to permit distribution through third-party marketplaces like AltStore and Epic, which may not share our concerns for user safety.”
So, basically, had this app came through Apple’s official App Store, it absolutely would not have been approved.
Apple also highlighted that AltStore is backed by Epic Games, whose CEO, Tim Sweeney, later stated on X (formerly Twitter) that: “the Epic Games Store doesn’t carry this app, doesn’t carry any p*rn apps, and has never carried p*rn apps’
However, Hot Tub’s developer, Riley Testut, has described the app as a “thoughtfully designed and ethically made native app.”
Source: ladbible.com