A porn app is now available natively on iOS, and Apple isn't happy

Summary

AltStore PAL, an alternative app store in the European Union (EU) for iOS devices, has announced a porn app is now available on its app store.
Apple released a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” about the “safety risk” porn apps create for users in the European Union.
The Digital Markets Act requires “gatekeepers” (tech giants) to allow third-party app stores on devices in the EU.

AltStore PAL, a third-party app store available on iOS devices in the European Union (EU), has announced the porn app Hot Tub is now available on its app store, touting the app as the “world’s 1st Apple-approved porn app” and Apple is not happy.

AltStore PAL is an approved alternative app store by Apple, which is now allowed on iOS devices because of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA enables app developers to release their apps on alternative app stores other than the App Store in an effort by the EU to reduce Apple’s (and other tech giants) monopoly on app distribution, which has led to this porn app becoming available natively on the iPhone.

Apple isn’t thrilled about the situation and released a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” about Hot Tub.

“We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,” Apple said in a statement to the media. “This app and others like it will undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world. 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.”

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AltStore says it didn’t make any false statements

Apple is not happy with AltStore or the DMA

This is the first time a porn app has ever been on the iPhone in the entirety of its existence, and it probably isn’t exactly what Steve Jobs had in mind for the revolutionary device when he first announced it in 2007.

Apple said AltStore PAL was making “false statements” about its approval. AltStore Creator Riley Testut denied this, saying in a statement to Engadget he was not making “any false statements” and that Hot Tub “was submitted to Apple’s own notarization process where it was then approved by Apple employees for distribution with alternative app marketplaces such as AltStore PAL.”

Apple isn’t too pleased with the DMA, which resulted in all this happening in the first place. The law was voted on and approved by the European Parliament in 2022 and came into full effect for “gatekeepers” in 2024. The law was designed to give consumers a choice when acquiring digital services, such as “installing preferred apps from the web or alternative app stores on your smartphone.” According to statcounter, Apple’s iOS has 33 percent of Europe’s mobile operating system market share.