Why are Apple and Epic facing off against each other again? Premium

Apple and Epic Games are in a tussle yet again because of a new porn app that claimed to be approved by Apple.

The story so far: On February 3, an app platform AltStore introduced a new app as “the world’s 1st Apple-approved porn app.”  The new pornography app and the way it was cheekily advertised has reignited a long-time feud between iPhone-maker Apple and the game-maker Epic. Though Apple does not allow pornography apps on App Store, users in the European Union can still download this particular adult app on their iPhones. That’s because of the bloc’s anti-competitive policy that allows non-Apple app marketplaces to offer their own line-up of products to Apple customers. Previously, they could only download apps from the App Store.

‘Hot Tub’ app is at the centre of this new discontent between Epic Games and Apple. The adult content browser app provides its users privacy and security without sending ads or tracking their location. Rated for users aged 18 and above, the is available for download through the AltStore PAL—an open source, alternative app marketplace in the EU. 

AltStore enjoys financial support from Epic Games, per AP. The Fortnite videogame maker’s founder and CEO Tim Sweeney is a strong critic of Apple as the iPhone maker collects 30% commission from app developers that charge their users for in-app purchases. In 2020, Epic sued Apple on antitrust grounds in the U.S. and the two companies faced off in court for more than a couple years.

Meanwhile, in the EU, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) sought to foster competition by making Apple let its iOS and iPadOS users install apps from alternative app marketplaces or even from an authorised developer’s website. Apple was reluctant to allow this.

Apple is deeply unhappy about the recent developments. The iPhone-maker stressed that AltStore’s statement about the porn app being “Apple approved” was false, and that it would never offer Hot Tub through its own App Store, per AP. “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,” Apple was quoted as saying. 

The iPhone-maker also expressed concern for children’s safety in the EU due to the presence of the porn app. Apple has in the past raised concerns about the security risks of opening up its app marketplace ecosystem to rivals, but the process is not a free-for-all. Instead, Apple has a review mechanism called “notarization” to ensure that all apps from diverse distribution channels meet fundamental accuracy, functionality, safety, security, and privacy standards. However, Apple warned that “even with these safeguards in place, many risks remain.”

AltStore, in turn, claimed that Hot Tub was indeed “approved” by Apple since it passed the tech company’s notarization process and was not rejected. “To be perfectly clear, Apple has not endorsed Hot Tub in any way. However, they did approve it,” said AltStore in an X post on February 5. AltStore further noted that users will have to add Hot Tub’s source (URL) to make it appear in the AltStore PAL marketplace, meaning that people who do not wish to see the porn app cannot stumble across it by accident.