Things are so much easier when there’s an app for everything. You just tap an icon, and bam! You’re exactly where you want to be, without wasting time searching the internet. It’s like a dream come true for our lazy brains!
Nowadays, it feels like there’s an app for almost anything. It’s something that people from the 2000s probably couldn’t have imagined. But, up until now, there was one major thing that didn’t have an app—porn, of course.
That has changed. Apple recently issued an official warning as people begin downloading the first-ever porn app onto their devices.
This may come as a surprise, since Apple has always been strict about not allowing pornography on the App Store. The company has had a long-standing rule against “overtly sexual or pornographic material” being available for download.
However, this app isn’t available on the official App Store. The reason for this is that new rules in the European Union (EU) have made it possible for independent app stores to exist, and each of these stores has different guidelines about what’s allowed.
This means that the new porn app is only available in the EU, and people in places like the UK can’t access it on their iPhones.
Apple explained its position in a statement to Forbes: “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.”
Basically, if this app had tried to come through Apple’s official App Store, it would have been blocked for sure. But because of the new rules in the EU, independent app stores have more freedom to offer apps that Apple would normally reject.
AltStore PAL, one of these independent app stores, has become the home for the first-ever porn app, Hot Tub. This app, which launched on February 3rd, is described as an ad-free “adult content browser” and has apparently passed Apple’s security checks, meaning it was cleared for fraud risks and other safety concerns.
Hot Tub allows users to watch videos from popular sites like Pornhub and XHamster directly on their phones.
Apple has made it clear that they don’t approve of apps like this being available on their devices. The company usually keeps strict control over the apps that make it to the official App Store, and they’ve been very vocal about not allowing pornography. But with independent app stores like AltStore, Apple no longer has total control over what gets released on iPhones.
This is why Apple has spoken out against this app being available, warning about the potential risks, especially for young users. They’ve also made it clear that they didn’t approve the app and would never allow it on the official App Store.
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