The Sizzling Tub grownup content material browser can now be downloaded on iPhones by a third-party app retailer allowed beneath the bloc’s digital guidelines
US tech big Apple has condemned the launch of a brand new pornography app within the EU that’s now accessible on iPhones by way of third-party app shops beneath the bloc’s digital guidelines.
AltStore PAL, another app market enabled by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), launched Sizzling Tub this week, describing it as an grownup content material browser for iPhones. {The marketplace} developer claimed in a social media publish on Monday that Sizzling Tub is “the world’s 1st Apple-approved porn app.”
The US firm rejected the “false statements,” arguing that it “definitely” doesn’t approve of the app and “would by no means supply it in our App Retailer.”
“The reality is that we’re required by the European Fee to permit it to be distributed by market operators like AltStore and Epic who could not share our considerations for consumer security,” Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian was quoted as acknowledged by The Verge.
He mentioned the corporate is “deeply involved concerning the security dangers that hardcore porn apps of this kind create for EU customers, particularly youngsters,” warning that such apps would “undermine client belief and confidence in our ecosystem.”
Underneath the DMA adopted in 2022, Apple was required to regulate its enterprise practices and loosen App Retailer restrictions, permitting customers throughout the 27-nation EU to obtain iPhone apps from third-party shops.
As a part of its various app retailer course of, Apple mandates a baseline evaluation referred to as ‘notarization,’ which scans for cybersecurity threats comparable to identified malware however doesn’t assess or approve an app’s content material.
Apple is being extraordinarily disingenuous in attacking the European Union right here. The iOS App Retailer hosts the Reddit app, which offers entry to huge quantities of porn. Apple is aware of this, permits it, and gave Reddit a 17+ (!!!) ranking and Editors Selection award. https://t.co/voZOzK4Xx7
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) February 4, 2025
The corporate has pushed again in opposition to the brand new rules, arguing they open the door to extra dangerous providers, together with these providing pornography, unlawful medicine, and different content material it has lengthy banned from its App Retailer.
Responding to Apple’s criticism, AltStore accused the corporate of utilizing security considerations as a canopy to keep up its dominance. “Apple continues to make use of security as a pretext to guard their monopoly energy and evade compliance with the DMA,” {the marketplace} acknowledged.
Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney additionally slammed Apple, declaring that platforms comparable to Home windows, Mac, and Linux permit builders to launch apps with out restrictions. He additionally argued that the iOS App Retailer hosts the Reddit app, which offers entry to porn.
“Apple is aware of this, permits it, and gave Reddit a 17+ (!!!) ranking and Editors’ Selection award,” Sweeney posted on X on Tuesday.
Apple bans “overtly sexual or pornographic materials” on its iOS retailer. Former CEO Steve Jobs as soon as mentioned the corporate has “an ethical duty” to maintain porn off iPhones, urging customers to “purchase an Android telephone” as a substitute.
