Hot Tub lands on iOS. Behind the first adult app on iPhone is a revolution in digital freedom

Hot Tub sbarca su iOS. Dietro la prima app per adulti su iPhone c’è una rivoluzione nella libertà digitale
Luca Cadonici
05/02/2025
Interests

For the first time, a pornographic application is available on the iPhone. It is called Hot Tub and was launched in Europe through AltStore PAL, one of the alternative stores to Apple’s official App Store.

If this news may seem like just a mouthy curiosity, it actually hides something much deeper: behind Hot Tub lies a revolution in digital freedom. Apple, which has always been against third-party stores, did not choose to endorse it, but was forced by the European Union to allow the distribution of apps outside its closed ecosystem.

This change is made possible by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European legislation that requires technology giants to open up their systems to real competition.

Who is behind Hot Tub?

The Hot Tub app was developed by an independent programmer known as c1d3r, who has been active in the jailbreak scene in the past. Jailbreaking is the practice of bypassing Apple’s built-in security protections to install unapproved applications on the iPhone.

Until the DMA came into force, jailbreaking was the only way to install alternative stores on iOS, bypassing the restrictions imposed by Apple. Now, thanks to the new European regulations, this possibility becomes legal and accessible to all, without having to breach device protection systems.

The Digital Markets Act: a law for digital freedom

The DMA is an EU law designed to limit the monopoly power of big tech and ensure a more open digital market. The companies defined as gatekeepersApple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Bytedance (TikTok) – are obliged to give users more freedom of choice about where and how they download applications.

The key point isArticle 6.4, which obliges Apple to allow iOS users to install alternative stores and download apps without going through the official App Store.

Thanks to this rule, Hot Tub can exist, because AltStore PAL, the marketplace that hosts it, is no longer bound by Apple’s strict guidelines, which until now had always blocked any app with adult content.

Apple forced to give in: is the App Store monopoly over?

Apple has always defended its closed system on the grounds of protecting users and ensuring the security of applications. However, with the DMA, the European Union has imposed that this protection can no longer coincide with a total blocking of competition.

Apple reacted with concern, stating:

“This app and others like it undermine consumer trust in our ecosystem, which we have built for over a decade as the best in the world. However, we are obliged by the European Commission to allow its distribution through marketplace operators such as AltStore and Epic, who may not share our concerns about user security.”

This statement confirms the revolutionary element of DMA: for the first time, Apple no longer decides what can or cannot be installed on an iPhone.


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The real revolution: unprecedented competition on iOS

The arrival of Hot Tub on the iPhone is only the first crack in the wall built by Apple around its ecosystem. But this forced opening means much more:

Freedom for developers, who can now distribute their apps without Apple’s strict rules.
✅ Choice for users, who can download apps from alternative stores without arbitrary restrictions.
New market opportunities, with the possibility of stores offering more favourable economic conditions for software developers.

Until now, those who bought an iPhone did not really own their device in terms of software: Apple decided which apps were available and under which conditions. The DMA is changing this reality, providing a digital freedom that until now has never existed in the iOS ecosystem.

If today we are talking about Hot Tubs, tomorrow we could be talking about innovative stores, applications that were prohibited until yesterday and new business models. The true impact of the DMA will be seen in the coming months, but one thing is certain: digital freedom has also entered the Apple universe.