Apple has allowed the first pornography app onto the iPhone.
“Hot Tub” markets itself as an “adult content browser” that allows people to find and watch sexual material.
That kind of content is still explicitly banned under the App Store rules. That restriction began with Steve Jobs, who said Apple had a “moral responsibility” to keep pornography off the iPhone.
But Apple was forced to make it available because of new European regulations. The new EU Digital Markets Act required that Apple give users the option of using alternative app stores that don’t have the same rules as its own.
Apps distributed through those stores must be checked by Apple to ensure they are not scams, weaken the iPhone’s security and function as they should. But otherwise it does not limit the kind of content that would be available through those stores.
That allowed the new pornography app – Hot Tub – to apply to be available on AltStore PAL, the alternative marketplace.
Apple made clear that it did not endorse or approve of the app and claimed that it would bring risks to users in Europe.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,” Apple said in a statement. “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.”
