Apple has hit out at a newly launched pornography app available on the iPhone in the EU, warning digital competition rules in Europe could undermine user safety and consumer confidence.
Earlier this week, AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace now accessible on EU-based iPhones because of European competition laws introduced in 2023, unveiled an adult content browser called Hot Tub.
In a social media post, AltStore called Hot Tub “the world’s first Apple-approved porn app”.
Apple rejected that description and hit back at AltStore, saying it would never allow such an app on its own App Store, and that it is required by the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act to allow other marketplaces to operate in the EU.
Under Apple’s rules, apps on alternative app stores still have to go through a certification process called notarisation to ensure they meet “baseline platform integrity standards”, but after that it is the decision of the marketplace itself whether to publish the app in question.
“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.”
Under the Digital Markets Act, tech giants are required to open up their services to more competition, including allowing smartphone users to access content and apps from alternative sources, instead of being limited to the native Apple App Store or Google’s Play Store.
AltStore hit back at Apple in a further statement of its own, saying it was “not true” that it had made “false statements about the approval of Hot Tub”.
“All apps distributed with AltStore PAL must be submitted to Apple for ‘notarisation’,” it said in a post on its social media channels.
“Unlike macOS, iOS notarisation involves a human-review process where Apple employees manually review apps before they are ‘approved’ or ‘rejected’ for distribution (in Apple’s own words).
“Unfortunately, Apple has rejected several apps from our store in the past for dubious reasons, so the phrase ‘Apple-approved’ in our marketing is a reference to the fact that Hot Tub was approved, not rejected, by Apple for notarisation.
“To be perfectly clear, Apple has not endorsed Hot Tub in any way. However, they did approve it.”
AltStore is backed by Fortnite maker Epic Games, which has been embroiled in a years-long battle with Apple over app distribution and App Store commission fees for developers.
Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney also took to social media to comment on the incident, saying “this isn’t how platforms should work”.
“On Windows, Mac, and Linux, developers can make and release apps without the platform maker adding junk fees and rendering moral judgments on their decisions. On iOS, Apple forces its processes on developers against their wishes,” he said in a post on X.
“We’ve argued to the European Union that Apple should be forced out of developers’ way, because when Apple are allowed to be the gatekeeper of competing apps and stores, they grossly misuse that power to disadvantage competition.”
