New porn app for iPhone emerges due to EU antitrust law; Apple reacts

New porn app for iPhone emerges due to EU antitrust law; Apple reacts

New porn app for iPhone emerges due to EU antitrust law; Apple reacts ByHT News Desk | Edited by Abhyjith K. Ashokan Feb 04, 2025 01:41 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Though the official Apple App Store does not allow porn, the Hot Tub app is offered on AltStore PAL, an alternative marketplace created due to an EU law.

Apple called a new pornography app on its App Store in the European Union (EU) a ‘danger to children’, claiming that digital rules there allowed it to reach the store.

A 3D printed Apple logo is seen in front of a displayed European Union flag in this illustration taken September 2, 2016.(Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

This comes after Apple was accused of breaking a new EU law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and was forced to allow EU users to download apps from other stores.

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Before this, Apple had been protecting its own store as the sole gateway for apps to get onto its devices.

Though the App Store does not allow porn, the Hot Tub app is offered on AltStore PAL, which is one such alternative marketplace.

AltStore called Hot Tub, "the first Apple-approved porn app" in a post on X (Formerly Twitter).

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This is because the app had made it through an Apple review process for security and functionality, according to the AFP report.

However, the report quoted Apple as saying : “We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids.”

"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," Apple added.

AltStore PAL was launched early last year as an App Store alternative in the EU, according to a blog post by its creator, Riley Testut.

"All apps are welcome, but I believe AltStore makes the most sense for smaller, indie apps that otherwise couldn't exist due to App Store rules," the report quoted Testut as having said in his blog post.

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Though AltStore PAL initially charged users, a subscription of $1.55 (1.50 euros) annually to cover the fees charged by Apple, it gave free access in August after it received a grant from Epic Games, according to the report.