- The iPhone’s first native porn app is now available on iOS in the EU
- Hot Tub has arrived thanks to third-party EU app stores like AltStore
- Apple says it’s “deeply concerned about the safety risks”
Apple has angrily responded to the arrival of the iPhone’s first native porn app, Hot Tub, on iOS in the EU this week. The app has become available in the third-party app marketplace AltStore – and an Apple statement says the company “do not approve of this app” and that it’s “deeply concerned about the safety risks.”
The app’s arrival was announced by AltStore, a third-party app store that arrived in the EU just under a year ago thanks to European Union regulation that forced Apple to allow alternative app marketplaces in the region.
Hot Tub describes itself as an “adult content browser” and will let iOS users who live in the EU to both search for and play videos from adult websites, including Pornhub. But Apple is furious that it’s effectively been forced to allow an app on iPhones that would otherwise be blocked under Apple’s App Store rules.
In a statement, Apple said: “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.”
Apple added that Hot Tub and other apps like it wouldn’t be allowed in the official App Store. “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”, the statement added.
That mention of Epic, which has funded the AltStore, is notable, because the Fortnite maker previously claimed that Apple had terminated its developer account following the fallout from its antitrust lawsuit in 2020. But despite Apple’s misgivings about the AltStore, there’s currently little it can do to stop the arrival of the likes of Hot Tub on iPhones in the EU…
Analysis: Apple’s Hot Tub anger isn’t a surprise
🙋♂️To answer some questions: Hot Tub is NOT visible in AltStore PAL by default, and it is not a Recommended SourceYou must explicitly add its source before it will appear in AltStore PAL — just like the majority of AltStore apps. This means you’ll only see it if you want to 🙂 https://t.co/4uCWL8MJSeFebruary 3, 2025
Third-party app stores like AltStore aren’t a complete wild west. As this Apple Support doc explains, all apps still go through an Apple “notarization process.” That’s effectively a baseline check that makes sure they’re “free of known malware, viruses, or other security threats.”
There are also some barriers to apps like Hot Tub ending up in the wrong hands. As the AltStore mentions above, the app isn’t visible in its store by default, and you have to take manual action to make it available. It also isn’t exactly the first time that porn has been available on iPhones, as it’s been possible to access via web browsers (like Apple’s own Safari).
Still, the arrival of a dedicated porn app on iOS that’s been through an official approval process is still significant – and it’s one that Apple’s understandably not at all happy about, particularly given AltStore cheekily described the app as “the world’s 1st Apple-approved porn app”.
Back in March 2024, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller previously voiced concerns about the security downside of third-party app stores, telling Fast Company: “These new regulations, while they bring new options for developers, also bring new risks. There’s no getting around that. So we’re doing everything we can to minimize those risks for everyone”.
Apple followed that up with a whitepaper that detailed all the new protections it planned to roll out to protect iOS users from the DMA (Digital Markets Act). But it clearly feels this isn’t enough to protect iPhone users in the EU, and its own brand, from the side effects of apps like Hot Tub. And this likely won’t be the last example of escalating tensions between Apple, the AltStore, and EU regulators.
