Apple raises concern over first porn app on iPhone under EU rules
Apple on Monday criticised a pornography app newly available on iPhones in the European Union, saying the bloc's digital policy was undermining consumer confidence in Apple.
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Since it first opened the App Store on iPhones in 2008, Apple has controlled what apps could be downloaded to the devices, with then-CEO Steve Jobs saying in 2010 that keeping porn off the iPhone was Apple's «moral responsibility» and one of the company's major motivations for acting as a gatekeeper.
In the EU, Apple's gatekeeper status changed with the 2022 adoption of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which required Apple to allow alternative app stores. One of those stores, called AltStore, has begun distributing an app called Hot Tub, which describes itself as «a private, secure, and elegant way to browse adult content.»
In a statement, Apple said it is «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.»
AltStore said it had received backing from Epic Games, the creator of the «Fortnite» video game that pursued an antitrust complaint against Apple. AltStore said it used that funding to pay fees that Apple charges to alternative app stores that are under investigation by the EU, according to media reports.
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