Who knew that putting pornography on iPhones would cause such a controversy? After all, how many people use Private Browsing mode on their Safari browser, and how many Apple Geniuses have come across something they shouldn't while trying to fix someone's iPhone?
Pornography has never been banned from iPhones, although the late Steve Jobs was infamously against the idea of our iPhones being used to browse X-rated materials - even telling users to buy an Android if they wanted to look at that kind of stuff.
There's been a huge backlash after Hot Tub was launched as the 'first' porn app on iPhone and Apple said it was 'deeply concerned' about its release.
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At a time when the likes of Florida and other US states are clamping down on adult materials and banning Pornhub, iPhone users in the European Union are finding whole new ways to get their rocks off on the go.
Thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) being waved through in 2022, Apple has to allow third-party App Store alternatives in the EU. This has led to the rise of the AltStore Pal, which is where Hot Tub currently resides.
Responding to Apple's 'concerns' that children will potentially be able to access pornography on iPhones, AltStore Pal creator Riley Testut has posted a savage eight-word response on Threads.
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When someone shared a response from Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian, Testut shared his own email clapping back and simply writing: "The following app has been approved for distribution."
While Apple has tried to distance itself from Hot Tub and the notion that it's 'Apple-approved', the reality is that the tech giant only has limited control over third-party app store apps by checking them for malware and malware ensuring they can hit 'baseline platform integrity standards'. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has already called out Apple and pointed to how pornographic materials could technically be accessed through apps including X and Reddit.
Responding to Testut's savage response, one person said: "I just want to know how is this different from porn sites on Safari?"
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Elsewhere on Threads, Testut has thanked Apple for the 'Streisand Effect', saying that searches for AltStore PAL have spiked since the company brought attention to Hot Tub.
Testut isn't afraid of being vocal online, explaining how all of AltStore PAL's Patreon earnings will be donated to organizations supporting sex workers and the LGBTQ+ community in February 2024. The official AltStore PAL account said this is "necessary to fight back against recent harmful policies by politicians, Meta, and others, and we encourage everyone to help however you can."
It comes after sweeping changes from the White House have seen major tech companies change their stance on DEI initiatives and Facebook controversially overhauled what's deemed as 'hate speech'.
Even if Steve Jobs might not have approved of pornography on iPhones, AltStore PAL and Hot Tub could be about to open the door to it in a big way.