Apple recently released a statement criticising the availability of a pornographic app being made available on the iPhone in the European Union (EU). The fruit company says that the blame lies with the European Commission after it forced the company to open up its App Store on iPhone to third-party stores.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn 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.”
Since the adoption and adherence to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) in 2022, the fruit company lost its gatekeeper status to the App Store and opened up the gate The third-party app store Apple is blaming, in this case, is Altstore. At the same time, it is also placing part of the blame on Epic Games, by virtue of the Fortnite creator having provided funding for the app’s development or more specifically, Altstore PAL.
The difference between Altstore and Altstore PAL, if any of you are wondering, is that the latter is a version of the original that is available for iPhone users in the EU, running iOS 17.4 or newer. While it initially charged a subscription fee, the aforementioned funding by Epic Games allowed it to be used absolutely free of charge by users.
The porn app, known as Hot Tub, is being distributed by Altstore, and describes itself as a “private, secure, and elegant way to browse adult content”. Apple says that the app includes a “teen” channel and even features content from the popular pornographic site, Pornhub. Just so we’re clear, the “teen” channel is primarily a genre and more often than not, features female performers who look younger than they actually are, almost to the point that they could pass off as teenagers.
On another interesting and related note, Altstore claims that Apple signed off on the Hot Tub app, and even went so far as to say that it was the “world’s first Apple-approved porn app” which, as you can imagine, did not sit well with the fruit company.
“AltStore’s assertion that Apple approved the Hot Tub app is a lie. As we have made clear for a year, the European Commission prohibits Apple from stopping such repugnant content from appearing on alternative marketplaces.”
(Source: Reuters)
