Apple and Fortnite maker are fighting again. This time not over the App Store billion, but over a porn app. To give context, Apple recently slammed the European Union (EU) over a porn app. The iPhone maker warned that the bloc’s digital rules opening the way for third-party app store downloads undermines consumer confidence in the tech giant.
The app in question here is the Hot Tub iPhone app, available on AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace made possible under Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).The Hot Tub app is described as an adult content browser. AltStore PAL claimed in a social media post on Monday that Hot Tub is “the world’s 1st Apple-approved porn app.”
Apple slams the app’s claim
Apple reportedly rejected that description, saying the availability of such an app would “undermine consumer trust and confidence” in its mobile ecosystem. “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 company said in a statement. “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 Europe’s Digital Markets Act rulebook forces Big Tech companies to open their services to more competition, including allowing phone users to download from alternative app stores instead of being limited to the official app stores from Apple and Google.
How Fortnite maker Epic Games comes in picture
AltStore is backed by a grant from Epic Games, which has spent years battling Apple over the way iPhone apps are distributed and the fees for digital transactions that occur within them. AltStore fired back at Apple, saying the iPhone maker “continues to use safety as a pretext to protect their monopoly power and evade compliance with the DMA.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also took to social media to blast Apple, saying that on other platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux, “developers can make and release apps without the platform maker adding junk fees and rendering moral judgments on their decisions.”
Epic Games CEO says Reddit app provides massive amounts of porn
In a series of posts, Tweeney slammed Apple. Even Reddit got caught in his crossfire against Apple. “Apple is being extremely disingenuous in attacking the European Union here. The iOS App Store hosts the Reddit app, which provides access to massive amounts of porn. Apple knows this, permits it, and gave Reddit a 17+ (!!!) rating and Editors Choice award,” wrote Sweeney in a series of posts.
