The first ‘approved’ iPhone porn app is coming to Europe

The first “Apple approved” porn app for iPhone is rolling out in Europe, via AltStore PAL’s alternative iOS app marketplace. AltStore PAL developer Riley Testut says that Hot Tub, which describes itself as an ad-free “adult content browser,” has made it through Apple’s notarization review for fraud, security threats, and functionality, and will be available for AltStore PAL users in the EU to download starting today. Apple bans “overtly sexual or pornographic material” on its own iOS store. Steve Jobs once replied to a customer email questioning App Store policing, saying that Apple has “a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone,” and said that people looking for such apps should “buy an Android phone.” Thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, iPhone users within the bloc now have greater freedom to install other apps. Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian emailed this statement to The Verge: > We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids. 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. The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety. Coinciding with the Hot Tub app launch, AltStore PAL says it will donate all of its Patreon earnings for February “to causes supporting sex workers and those in the LGBTQ+ community.” “We feel this is necessary to fight back against recent harmful policies by politicians, Meta, and others,” Testut told The Verge. The Meta inclusion is likely referring to Hateful Conduct policy changes being made in the US that will remove protections for LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. AltStore PAL was one of the first alternative iOS app marketplaces to launch in Europe. It went live in April 2024 and has grown to include utilities and apps like game emulators (once banned by Apple), torrenting software you won’t find on the App Store, and even titles like Fortnite from Epic Games. Update February 3rd: Added a statement from Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian.