Due to regulatory measures enforced by Europe’s Digital Markets Act, Apple is now legally obligated to permit access to a pornography app for iPhone users within EU markets. Since the inception of the App Store in 2008, Apple has maintained a policy that prohibits the listing of apps specifically designed for distributing adult content.
As of now, however, users in the EU can seamlessly download Hot Tub, an app for accessing adult content, just as they would with Epic’s Fortnite or the popular Nintendo emulator, Delta.
This is made possible through AltStore PAL.
Prior to this point, AltStore PAL has been primarily regarded as a safe platform for developers to share their software for iPhones without having to comply with Apple’s revenue-sharing agreements.
The introduction of Hot Tub, which does not implement age verification measures, raises concerns that one of Apple’s apprehensions about a less-regulated app marketplace has come to fruition.
In a Fast Company article released exactly one year ago, Phil Schiller of Apple warned about the potential for pornographic apps to appear alongside games that are popular among children.
Schiller emphasized that despite the new security measures, there are limitations to the protections Apple can offer to users who opt for alternative app marketplaces on their iPhones. The company essentially has no oversight over the contents of apps from these marketplaces, regardless of whether that content may be considered objectionable or harmful.
“Ultimately, there are things that we have not allowed on our App Store—things that we didn’t think would be safe or appropriate,” Schiller stated. “It will not be our decision whether those other marketplaces have the same terms and limitations.”
Thus, for the first time, iPhone users can have dedicated pornographic apps. This situation is something parents should be informed about, as the DMA does not grant Apple the authority to restrict certain app stores from functioning on its platform, nor can Apple prevent a child from downloading such an app store to their iPhone.
A year after that article was published, an adult app is now available through the same platform as popular titles like Nintendo emulators and Fortnite.
Until last August, AltStore PAL required users to pay an annual subscription fee for access. This changed when Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, awarded AltStore PAL a grant to cover the expenses associated with running this alternative app marketplace.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has not publicly commented on the presence of the adult app alongside Fortnite, but it’s likely he supports the app’s availability as this situation was
