Apple expressed outrage over the emergence of the first porn app for iOS in Europe

Apple has expressed deep concern over the emergence of the first porn app for iOS named Hot Tub, which is available for download in the EU through alternative app stores. This was stated by the company's representative, Peter Ajemian, to The Verge.

The porn app poses risks to child safety and undermines consumer trust in Apple's ecosystem, which the corporation has been building for over a decade, according to the statement. Apple, contrary to the developer's claims, "absolutely does not endorse this app and would never offer it in our App Store."

"The fact is, the European Commission requires us to allow its distribution by app store operators like AltStore and Epic, who may not share our concerns about user safety," Apple stated.

Apple's policy prohibits the distribution of pornographic or overtly sexual content through the App Store.

The company's founder, Steve Jobs, explained that Apple has a "moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone," suggesting that those interested in such content should "buy an Android phone."

The Washington Post and TechCrunch note that this stance has elements of hypocrisy, as Apple has not banned apps like Reddit and X, which freely distribute pornography for years.

For a long time, Apple resisted allowing apps to be installed on its mobile devices outside of the App Store. This situation changed in 2022 with the adoption of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which compelled Apple to permit alternative app stores, thereby making AltStore and Epic available to EU residents.

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Apps distributed on iOS through third-party stores must still undergo Apple's notarization (www.support.apple.com/en-lamr/118110#notarization) process to ensure they meet "basic platform integrity standards" regarding malicious code and other potential issues. However, this does not prevent third-party stores from releasing apps with pornography, hate speech, and other content.

Hot Tub functions as an aggregator of video content, allowing users to search for and play videos from major porn sites. It started distributing through AltStore, branding itself as a "private, safe, and elegant way to watch adult content," as well as "the world's first porn app approved by Apple."

The management of Hot Tub disagreed with Apple's complaints, stating that the law does not require Apple to review apps before distribution; Apple itself introduced the notarization process, so the claim of having been "approved" by Apple is not misleading.