The drama in iPhone porn world continues. Yesterday, Hottest Girls, the first app with nudity was accepted into the App Store. But early this morning it was made unavailable, and everyone presumed Apple was behind it. But apparently, the app has not been pulled from the App Store by Apple, but rather by the developers because of high demand.
The guy team behind the app, Allen the Geek, writes on its site:
The Hottest Girls app is temporarily sold out. The server usage is extremely high because of the popularity of this app. Thus, by not distributing the app, we can prevent our servers from crashing. Those who already have the app will still be able to use our app. To answer the question on everyone’s mind: Yes, the topless images will still be there when it is sold again. -ATG dev team
So is this BS? Is this just them covering up for Apple pulling it? I don’t think so.
While everyone is assuming that Apple pulled the app from the App Store, when it has done that in the past, you often see the entire page disappear. That’s not the case this time, as the page remains intact on the App Store several hours after the app has been made unavailable. And you can actually click to buy, enter you password and get the pop-up warning you that this app is rated 17+. But when it is about to download, a pop-up comes up saying, “The item you tried to buy is no longer available. The availability of the item changed while you were using the store. The same item may be available with a different price or elsewhere on the store.”
Allen the Geek’s wording is odd because apps can’t actually “sell out,” but it makes sense that if high demand for the pictures is crashing their servers, they might pull it.
But perhaps more importantly, there are other apps still live that claim to have nudity. Here’s one — it even has “Topless” in the title. I just bought it, with no problem. (Though, to be clear, the app apparently doesn’t have its topless pictures ready yet just yet.)
And other developers are reporting that there is a “nudity” check box when you submit an app for approval, so it doesn’t make sense for Apple to have that if it’s going to reject these apps.
This matters because now that Apple has parental controls for apps built into the iPhone, it would seem that Apple has nullified the reason it needed to reject apps containing things like images of topless women. And removing that restriction would presumably free up app screeners to do their jobs better, something which has been an issue for several months. And so while it may appear that this is Apple being prudes again, I don’t that is actually the case.
I’ve contacted the developer about this removal, and will update when I hear back.
Update: Okay, this gets weirder and weirder. Now a spokesperson for Apple tells CNN that it did remove the app. It is now gone from the store. Here’s the statement:
Apple will not distribute applications that contain inappropriate content, such as pornography. The developer of this application added inappropriate content directly from their server after the application had been approved and distributed, and after the developer had subsequently been asked to remove some offensive content. This was a direct violation of the terms of the iPhone Developer Program. The application is no longer available on the App Store.
So, apparently, Apple has a rating system that includes nudity, but it doesn’t plan to allow nudity in any app? And it’s letting apps in that both have nudity and claim to have nudity. I’m not sure Apple knows what is even going on at this point.
[thanks Corey]
One of the oldest and most tried and true business models for the web . . . Porn.
Reminds me of that song from that musical. What’s it called again?
http://www.trad...spx?symbol=aapl
oh yes:
http://www.yout...=PL&index=4
OL, I’m not surprised ! Now there’s iphone free hot vod mins http://bit.ly/8S78j
Yeah, I’m not sure why people thought it was “pulled” due to content. When you submit your app it now has check boxes for nudity, and such an attribute shows up in the app’s description…
Drama over nothing, as usual.
Its interesting because what is actually deemed as being porn and what is not? For example, if Model Mayhem (popular website for photographer, models, hair and makeup artists, and other photography related people) decided to create an App that will allow users to browse their databases of models and their pictures, how would Apple treat it? Many of the models on that site have nude pictures but they are modeling pictures and not porn.
Apple will eventually need to play the moral game and decide what it wants to do. Porn will undoubtedly make money for Apple, but will also bring controversy.
Bikini Inspector’s got hotter girls
Check out Bikini Inspector as well
We got hotter girls
techcrunch: bringing porn spam to business news
You are not reviewing the app? Waiting for @loic to do it?
this is a most unhappy rollercoaster!
if “art/model” apps are made available, that’s one thing…but should “true porn” makes its way onto the App Store Stage, God help us all.
Wow such a goldmine!
I am curious about the NC 17? I always thought porn was exclusively 18 or over thing. Does this help avoid the X rating that theoretically defines porn.
Regardless, if they can take 30% of the post application sales, holy revenues!!! At least in the short to medium run.
This is actually kinda sad! People going to such measures to buy an app just for porn, seriously, just when you think the world couldnt get any more screwed up!
Yes the world is screwed up.
No not because of porn.
I wonder if the new screen coating on the 3GS keeps more than just fingerprints from sticking.
8=====D ~~~
LOL!
( . v . )
You know that turns you on.
Why are people buying this, have I missed something? I thought iPhone allowed internets, why doesn’t someone just run a free site with this crap?
Who’d pay for topless photos?
http://fapseek.com (obviously NSFW)
I love TechCrunch and read it daily, but has it ever occurred to anyone to, like, maybe call Apple — or any of your subjects — before accusing them of anything? Or would that be too much like being a journalist?
Gotta get that 3GS for the stain proof screen!
Wait a minute… did you just use this as an excuse to buy a porn app as a business expense?
No 2257 regulations on either, so I just reported Apple to the relevant legal departments. As sellers of potential paedophilia they are up for a lawsuit
see http://en.wikip...Enforcement_Act
I just made a formal complaint to the DOJ
I also got a response from Apple
“Amy here, I understand an application that you purchased has nudity. I can certainly appreciate your concerns and I am happy to provide you with the information you require today.
Apple welcomes and appreciates your comments and suggestions. Content found on the App Store may contain material that some customers might find offensive, indecent, or objectionable. The possibility that customers may encounter such content is addressed in the “Objectionable Material” section of the App Store Terms of Service.
I recommend that you review the Terms of Sales and Service:”
that reads to me like they dont mind it
ie. you buy porn you should have read the T&C’s
I’m surprised that AT&T would allow power over their network. They are hardcore (ha) about shutting down anything resembling porn when sent via SMS.
er, porn
This could be the start of something big.
So, yes porn, or no porn? The jury is still out?
Smartphone traffic share: iPhone share of U.S. smartphone traffic hits 69%
Coincidence? I think not.
Maybe it’s because I’m a lazy, decadent European, but I don’t see anything even remotely resembling “porn”.
Why does Techcrunch keep hiring writers that haven’t outgrown the “omg, titties!!” phase yet?
The born of a new porn industry…
This is the reason why it makes a lot of sense to have the pictures within the app itself than to try and bypass the Apple approval process by serving images from the server.
The Jens Ltd app has the images has the images on the device and hence it took them longer to get approval from Apple!
Just a funny note, the boys at Stanford my not be so bright after all, the can’t count to 20 or even 10, if you check out the Apple Apps store and look at the Standford iphone learning videos, they cannot seem to post them in any correct order. Check it out
Ok, so I have two problems with app porn. Number one! The app store is completely flooded with garbage already, how diluted will it be once its buried in boobie apps? Number two! Who needs porn-on-the-fly? Who are these people? Shouldn’t you be doing that sort of thing at home? Are there men in public stalls flogging the bishop w/ their smartphone? Yuck!
(Patrick is not only the president of internet porn…he is also a client!)
Techcrunch. A quick search of itunes would reveal the developer no longer appears in the search results, and his website no longer has any reference to anything iPhone related, just an email address. He’s been booted, and likely will not ever see a red cent of the sales revenue.
Whether or not topless images should be allowed, he tried to game the system by inserting nude images AFTER the review process, and so deserves what he got.
Got an ugly wife? There is an app for that
Couldn’t they have restrictions for content they consider pornographic while still allowing content with nudity? They’re not equivalent, which I think makes Apple’s pulling of the app more reasonable.
Well, personal opinion about this app aside, the App Store is Apple’s domain. They decide what goes on there, and if they don’t like something, it’s their call to change it whether or not the rest of us think they’re doing the right thing.
However, there are arguments for and against this app’s removal, most of which get covered in newsy’s video (at http://www.news...om/videos/iporn). I liked the additional point Patrick brought up, though, about the effect widespread acceptance of this app would have on the app store, and I think it’s a significant one as well.
Apple sure is prudish ..it took months and several rejections before “Sex Quiz” finally got approved for iPhone !
i doubt apple removed it because if its true that its sold out(too many downloads) and apple is getting a percent of the cash, then apples gonna lose a lot of money by removing it
Cool, but today there are so many Porn Apps out there like this one: http://www.iphonepornclub.com/
Jim