Hot Tub Becomes iPhone's First Adult App Under Digital Markets Act Freedoms in Europe
There is a new day dawning right now for iPhone users — at least, those operating in the European Union. Last year, Apple finally responded to its obligations under the Digital Markets Act by allowing iPhone owners in Europe to install alternate app stores on their devices without needing to jailbreak. It wasn’t long after that historic step that we saw the first app store to take advantage of this access emerge, with AltStore PAL rising to new heights of legitimacy.
The Shift in iOS Content Oversight
First iOS porn app is just the inevitable consequence of opening access to app stores. Now it’s time for third-party iOS app stores to cross another critical threshold: the first Apple-reviewed porn app. When Apple agreed to support alternate app stores, it shared a process called Notarization, wherein the company would review apps for security and privacy concerns, but wouldn’t subject them to the same sort of content oversight as it does with the company’s own App Store.
AltStore PAL is serving up the first porn app that has passed official Apple Notarization, Hot Tub. Now AltStore announces on Mastodon that an app called Hot Tub has passed Notarization approval as the first iPhone app for finding and viewing adult content. It was really only going to be a matter of time before we crossed this threshold, as with iOS now supporting alternate app stores in the EU, Apple no longer has the same sort of moral oversight it enforces upon its ecosystem in other markets.
Hot Tub Features and Sources
Hot Tub offers what developers describe as a “private, secure, and elegant” way to consume adult content. And although both Hot Tub and AltStore have existed prior to Apple opening up access in this way, it’s still a bit of a hoot to finally see a reasonably mainstream approach to getting a porn app on your iPhone.
The following data summarizes the availability and content of the application:
| App Name | Availability | Primary Sources | Review Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Tub | European Union (EU) | Pornhub, XHamster, Xvideos | Passed Apple Notarization |
Hot Tub offers free adult videos from sources like Pornhub, XHamster, and Xvideos. In order to celebrate this debauchery milestone, AltStore says that it’s donating all of its Patreon earnings across the month of February to groups working with the LGBTQ+ community and those supporting sex workers.