Apple has let the first-ever “Apple-approved” adult content app, Hot Tub, launch in Europe via AltStore PAL, an alternative iOS app marketplace.
While iOS users can already access it, the iPhone maker is somehow “deeply concerned” about Hot Tub’s direction, citing that kids are not spared from its safety risks.
What is Hot Tub Adult App?
A new adult content browser has managed to be the first among adult-oriented apps to pass the strict Apple app review process. According to Engadget, the app, called Hot Tub, was created by AltStore PAL’s Riley Testut. It promises users an ad-free experience in consuming adult content sans the handcuffs of Apple’s traditional App Store restrictions.
With the changes going on within digital markets courtesy of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the app is now available for download to users in the European Union.
Did Apple Loosen its Adult Content Policy?
Historically, Apple has made its policy on adult content quite clear: It has regularly banned apps of a sexual or explicit nature from its App Store.
Steve Jobs famously defended this stance, stating that Apple had a “moral responsibility” to keep pornography off its devices, urging users who wanted such content to switch to Android. However, recent changes in the European digital landscape have changed the rules for EU-based iPhone users, The Verge reports.
The Digital Markets Act recently passed by the European Union has paved the way for iOS users in the bloc to download apps from third-party marketplaces such as AltStore PAL.
Apps blacklisted by Apple can now be installed on iPhones due to the change. This, in fact, has given a way for Hot Tub to completely sidestep Apple’s App Store and still get into the European market.
App Versus Apple: The Concern of Adult Content Apps
Although the app’s approval via AltStore PAL has been given, Apple is none too pleased about the development, TechCrunch has learned.
“We are concerned that some of these apps create serious safety risks to European users, particularly children,” a company spokesperson named Peter Ajemian said in a statement.
Ajemian also said that the requirements of the European Commission made Apple permit the distribution of such apps via third-party platforms like AltStore PAL and Epic Games. He added that the Cupertino-based giant would never approve an app like Hot Tub for its App Store due to the associated risks.
AltStore PAL: New Alternative iOS Marketplace
AltStore PAL is rapidly becoming one of the original alternative iOS app marketplaces to launch in Europe.
It opened its virtual shop doors in April 2024, enabling iPhone users to sidestep App Store restrictions to download apps banned by Apple: game emulators, torrenting software, and even Epic Games’ Fortnite. Because it has different applications, it created a niche for users wanting more freedom on their devices.
According to Riley Testut, a developer behind AltStore PAL, the platform was founded to provide users with an alternative to Apple’s strictly controlled environment of apps. The addition of Hot Tub is just one of many examples of how AltStore PAL fights against the boundaries set by Apple.
AltStore PAL’s Support for LGBTQ+ and Sex Worker Rights
In a statement published with the release of the app, AltStore PAL gave notice that it was committed to social justice: the platform said it would donate all Patreon earnings for February to organizations supporting sex workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
Testut added this donation is because of what they see as destructive policies by major players like Meta and others, which may affect marginalized groups.
