Zac Hall writing for 9to5Mac: Apple Responds After Being Forced to Approve Porn App on EU iPhones Due to DMA

The bottom line for parents, though, is that the “Apple-approved” messaging around the porn app on iPhone omits the fact that Apple is legally required to approve the app due to the DMA policy, which the company has campaigned against. Suggesting the app is endorsed by Apple also violates the company’s notarization policy.

Well this is a mess, huh?

Of course Apple doesn’t “endorse” this app, although they did technically “approve” this app for distribution, so when AltStore says that the app is “Apple -approved” they’re technically telling the truth. Apple got themselves into this situation by forcibly putting a human reviewer at Apple with veto powers between apps distributed on other stores and the users who want those apps. While Apple will point the finger at the EU for forcing them to approve this app, the simple fact is Apple demanded to approve these apps. They will say it’s more of a notarization process like they have on the Mac, but it’s plainly different in that the Mac version has no human review at the time of submission and Apple has used this new “notarization process” to reject apps they don’t like as well.

All that said, I really wouldn’t have advised this marketing from AltStore since it’s intentionally poking Apple, and while they may win the “technically accurate” argument for saying the app is “Apple-approved”, they know what they’re doing and I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple could successfully sue over this.

But also like, does Apple “approve” or “endorse” every app on their store? Do they endorse gambling apps and predatory games? Do they endorse Meta’s apps? If DraftKings said their gambling app was “Apple-approved” would Apple get into a fight with them over that?

Beyond that, what is the difference between this and a kid using the internet to see things their parents don’t want them to see yet? Screen Time has controls that allow parents to prevent their kids from using alternate app stores, so wouldn’t a discerning parent who blocks adult content in their kid’s phone also block them from installing random apps from random marketplaces?

And finally, kids always find a way, so we can argue about this all we want, but kids these days are just as clever at working around restrictions as we were when we were kids.

Anyway, I don’t have kids and maybe I’d feel differently if I did, but to me this feels like a situation Apple made for themselves, and AltStore was likely too reckless throwing that back in Apple’s face.