Hot Tub – which is described as an "adult content browser" – became available on iPhones and iPads in the bloc yesterday (02.03.25) through the AltStore PAL app marketplace after Apple agreed to the EU's Digital Markets Act, which forced the tech company to allow users in the region to install content outside of the App Store.
Now, Apple has said it is worried Hot Tub will pose "safety risks" to its users – especially children – and emphasised the business "certainly [does] not approve of this app".
In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said: "We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore p*** 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 that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world.
"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 truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic [Games Store] who may not share our concerns for user safety."
Responding to Apple's comments, AltStore PAL developer Riley Testut said it would donate all of its Patreon earnings from February "to causes supporting sex workers and those in the LGBTQ+ community".
