- IPhone’s first native porn -App is now available on iOS in the EU
- Hot Tub has arrived thanks to third-party EU app stores like Altstore
- Apple says it’s “deeply concerned about security risks”
Apple has angrily reacted to the arrival of iPhone’s first native porn app, Hot Tub, on iOS in the EU this week. The app has become available in the third-party app marketplace Altstore and an Apple Declaration says the company “does not approve this app” and that it is “deeply concerned about security risks.”
The arrival of the app was announced by Altstore, a third-party app store that arrived in the EU almost a year ago thanks to EU regulation that forced Apple to provide alternative app market places in the region.
Hot Tub describes itself as an “adult content browser” and will let iOS users living in the EU, both search for and play videos from adult sites, including Pornhub. It claims to be “the first Apple-approved Porn Appel,” but Apple has emphatically denied this, and is furious that it has been effectively forced to allow an app on iPhones that would otherwise be blocked under Apple’s App Store Rules .
In a statement, Apple said, “We are deeply concerned about the security risks that hardcore porn apps of this type of creator for EU users, especially children. This app and others like it will undermine consumer confidence and trust in our ecosystem, such as We have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world.
Apple added that the hot tub and other apps like it would not be allowed in the official App Store. “Unlike the false statements from the market developer, we certainly do not approve this app and would never offer it in our App Store. The truth is that we are required by the Europe Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like altstore and epic that Possibly do not share our concerns for user security, ”the statement added.
The mention of Epic that has funded altstore is remarkable because Fortnite Maker previously claimed that Apple had terminated its developer account after the fall of his antitrust case in 2020. But despite Apple’s concern about Altstore, there is currently little it can do to stop the arrival of like the hot tub at iPhones in EU. …
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Third-party app stores like Altstore are not a complete wild vest. As this Apple Support Doc explains, all apps are still undergoing an Apple “Notarization process.” It is effective a baseline check that ensures that they are “free of known malware, viruses or other security threats.”
There are also some barriers to apps such as hot tub that end up in the wrong hands. As Altstore mentions above, the app is not as default visible in its store and you have to take manual action to make it available. It is also not exactly the first time that porn has been available on iPhones as it has been possible to access via web browsers (like Apple’s own safari).
Still, the arrival of a dedicated porn file on iOS that has been through an official approval process is still significant and it is one that Apple’s understandably is not at all fond of, especially considering the app “.
Back in March 2024, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller expressed earlier concern about the security disadvantage of third-party app stores telling Fast Company: “These new rules while bringing new opportunities for developers also bring new risks. There is nothing to get around that.
Apple followed up with a whitepaper that detailed all the new protections it planned to roll out to protect iOS users from DMA (ACT Digital Markets). But it feels clear that this is not enough to protect iPhone users in the EU and its own brand, from the side effects of apps such as hot tub. And this is likely to be the last example of escalating tension between Apple, Altstore and the EU regulators.
