Apple Drops The Final Bomb On Smut – All ‘Overtly Sexual’ Apps Removed

In case you missed our previous coverage, Apple has reversed their policy and is in the process of removing once approved smut applications from the App Store. Below is an overview of Apple’s efforts:

Friday, January 29: As detailed in our “Apple Reverses Policy, Begins Removing Smut” article, Apple sends developers a short email explaining their app(s) have been removed from sale due to customer complaints of inappropriate content … showing too much skin. While the exact criteria for “too much skin” is unknown, it seems only the most extreme apps were pulled … pasties and hand bras.

Thursday, February 11: Reported in our “Apple Continues War On Smut” article, Apple begins rejecting apps for displaying objectionable preview screenshots. Apple informs developers that … “the application screenshots must meet the requirements for a 4+ rating since these images are visible on the App Store by all users even when purchasing is restricted by the application’s rating.”

iPasties-BANNED

Yesterday, in what probably will be considered the most significant day in Apple’s war on smut, developers received the following email from the iPhone App Review team …

From: appreview@apple.com
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 x:xx PM
To: <COMPANY NAME>
Subject: <APP NAME> Removed from Sale

 

Dear <COMPANY NAME>,

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, <APP NAME>, contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

 

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

 

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that <APP NAME> complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review.

 

Sincerely,

iPhone App Review

As noted, in January, Apple only removed the most extreme smut apps. This time around … in a rather apologetic tone … Apple is removing “any overtly sexual content from the App Store.” KRAPPS received numerous emails from developers stating their apps were  removed. Most were tame … you’d see more titillating content in a Maxim magazine.

asian-bikini-fart-FINAL The Asian Bikini Fart app, along with its Sexy, Black and Latina counterparts, have all been removed. These apps showed no excessive skin … they were simply still images of farting girls in bikinis.

The Dirty Fingers Screen Wash app has been removed. As detailed in our review, this app is a virtual iPhone screen cleaner … a girl, in a bikini, spraying and cleaning the screen.

Launched 13 months ago, the Wobble iBoobs app has also been removed. This app contains no sexual content. It’s photo manipulation software that lets you jiggle selected areas of images uploaded to the application. Static pictures become dynamic … jiggling Jell-O, swaying bridges and of course, bouncing boobs.

So it appears Apple is not just targeting photo smut apps. Sexy slider puzzles, sex positions, sexy scratch offs and many more … all have been removed. What remains to be seen is how consistent Apple will be with their new “overtly sexual content” policy. Will removals be arbitrary and subjective … or will Apple have the balls to remove such big name apps like Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Maxim and FHM … these apps certainly contain overt sexual content, yet still remain for sale (and considering the iPad, probably will always remain for sale).

Sports-Illustrated-iPhone  Playboy-iPhone

Or better yet, developer On The Go Girls published both the Dirty Fingers Screen Wash and Hooters Calendar Sexy Screen Wash apps … Dirty Fingers pulled, Hooters remains – huh? Stay tuned for further developments.

Dirty-Fingers-iPhone-FINAL  Hooters-Wash-iPhone

Comments

  • Its all fun and games until you realise that a) the big names continue to be able to sell their apps, and b) not being able to sell mine costs me MONEY and I don't see why I have paid the development fee to produce apps on iPhone to be arbitrarily judged. But hey what do you know? People Who Already Have A Lot Of Money = different set of rules! Viva la revolucion – careful I don't start my own.

  • hey how come the KRAPPS App was approved and this apps got the chop? WTF? hehehe

  • you are correct … being the smut peddlers that we are … guess we just
    got lucky 🙂

  • Exactly Mister Fung … money “talks”, so to speak … and as we eluded in
    the article, iPad magazine subscriptions should be a significant revenue
    stream for Apple … doubt Apple will cut these cash cows off, even if their
    content is of a sexual nature like the other banned apps.

  • John Adams

    When are they going to remove all those GANGSTA RAP songs from their iTunes Store… those promote violence towards women and shooting police officers. This is ridiculous! I hope there will be a big backlash again Apple! CENSORSHIP in any form is horrendous!

  • We are not only that but we are also adicted to sex and stuff……..LOL

  • and there is an argument against violence in videogames … it's all very
    subjective … seems better just to designate an adult section in the App
    Store and properly program the Parental Controls so that access to even
    preview those apps are shut off

  • Android is totally going to corner the market on iBoob apps now..

  • funny you mention that … although we did not include this info our
    article, at least 75% of the banned devs we spoke with said they are going
    to start going in the Android direction … can't say we blame them

  • These apps reflect a very poor quality of develpment and they pollute the app store with garbage. I run a development shop and hate that apps my clients build don't get recognized because there are 1000's of soft porn apps in front of them. Granted they are getting downloaded there are plenty of places to view these pictures via a web browser and this isn't an app it's CRAP!

  • I really had to comment on this. You must be out of your mind to blame your apps 'not getting noticed or selling' because of 'smut' apps. You are just making excuses for why your crap sucks. People who are buying these 'smut' apps' probably aren't the same people who are looking to buy your apps. Plenty of people make a hit app and get into the top 100 with 'smut' apps around. It all depends on the quality of your work. Im sure there are plenty of websites which do the same garbage your peddling in the app store as well. But in the end, it's up to the CONSUMER to decide. That's what free market is all about. If your junk stinks it will fail, if it's good they will buy it. Apple needs to get a grip on itself and realize they need to finally make an adult category and implement proper parental controls. Censorship is what's going to finally break Apples monopoly and give rise to Android and alternative solutions.

  • No_Tie

    “Apple has reversed their policy”. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times. Actually, 994,000 according to Google!

    Results 1 – 10 of about 994,000 for Apple has reversed their policy. (0.22 seconds)

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=en&q=App

  • ungeheier

    Funny, the people who made ForChan pipe in. That had to be one of the WORST apps to ever grace the app store. I can't believe it got the OK from Apple… For all the times I had that app running I NEVER actually tried closing it because i was done using the app. It just seemed to CRASH every other second.

  • Mr Plow

    poor mr. fung, just got into the smut game when apple shut it down! i feel your pain brutha.

  • I'm glad Apple is getting rid of these kinda apps.

  • mr plow

    ” … the free market has never been free, because the market does not regulate itself. It is manipulated like a puppet, and it survives because of its image. Destroy the image and the enemy will die.” -immortal technique

    calling the app store a free market is like calling iraq a democracy. you may wish the app store was a free market, but it isn't. apple is in control and this isn't going to change. it's in their DNA. you're not going to convince them they're wrong about it. frankly i doubt even market pressure will convince them they're wrong about it.

    so if you really feel strongly about this, get super vocal and let your voice be heard, and put all of your development energy behind android or another mobile platform. oh, i forgot, your crap hundred app “hustle” doesn't work on other platforms because they lack critical mass. well, good luck trying, we didn't want your apps in the app store anyway.

  • Oh trust me buddy, things ARE very well in motion :).

  • Well if you weren't spending your dollars on smut maybe you could afford a 3GS with more memory and play with us big boys 🙂

  • Yup and i'll be glad when all the gun apps which promote and glamorize violence go. Or maybe fart apps which promote bad etiquette or all the joke apps which i'm sure resulted in many little kids getting made fun of and crying at the playground only to end up an outcast and forced into a life of crime.

  • Before even Googling iHustleApp I knew it was a developer of one of the apps that were removed from the app store.

    Based on the comment here http://www.appstorehq.com/forchan-iphone-122028… it appears his app was one of the garbage apps polluting the app store.

    Funny it's an app that's not available on the app store so clearly it wasn't up to par, come back when you have an actual app that does something useful and isn't a web view.

    Please take your crap to Android I'm sure it will do just fine.

    I prefer the review process to eliminate apps like the one of the monkey above.

    The point I was trying to make is all of the crap taking up space on the app store that's making it hard for quality apps to be seen.

  • Far from a web view buddy.

    The point im trying to make is who the hell are you to judge what is crap and what isn't, what should be allowed and what shouldn't. From my eyes, your app is utter garbage. You can find more detailed info on many other websites via a 'google search'. Most, are free services as well. If I didn't know better I would think you were just exploiting the term 'seo' to make sales.

    But you know what, with all these apps removed. I have one final question for ya. When you still aren't selling shit… What's your next excuse?

  • Hey my apps will always be available and won't be removed for violating any of Apple's policies. How about you spend some of your time coming up with something useful and not a time waster that is USELESS.

    With regards to your SEO comment of which iSEO(sold under a previous company name) was taken down by me for UI updates, funny you should refer to that app as I have roughly 15 other apps that have been developed by my company for clients, as well as a few apps from my company that again will always be available because they are useful, and not some GARBAGE SMUT app.

    If you could produce an app worth anything you might still have something available for purchase however a quick search of iHustleApps in the app store results in 'nil' and if you aren't aware is empty in Ruby terms.

    Ahh and one last thing which is the kicker and somewhat ironic is this post on your own website http://www.ihustleapps.com/?p=1773 written less than a month ago. So much for 5 figures a month.

    I'm not one to judge but apparently you over looked the ones who are and that's Apple which is the reason why you don't have an app in the appstore.

  • You can't be 100% certain your apps will always remain approved. There aren't published policies for anyone to follow and even if there was Apple is inconsistent and unreliable at best given their history. For all you know you could be next depending on how Mr. Jobs' feels.

    Oh and don't worry about me, my friend. I'm still making a very healthy 5 figures a month. Can you say the same?

    And you neglected my other question as to what's your next excuse going to be. Let me take a guess… me.

  • This is definitely not the place to discuss my monthly earning but I will tell you I make enough to stay home with my kids and enjoy life everyday knowing that my apps are still available for download even if they aren't being downloaded a ton they are still available for download.

    I'll keep an eye on the comment thread and when you develop something worth downloading for the App Store let me know I'll download load it until then I hope you figure something out and find a platform that will allow your garbage, and just because people can download your apps doesn't mean they are of any use or quality. Cheereo

  • Ahh.. the definition of intelligence. I love the simple folk. Go on sheep, your almost ready for the slaughter.

  • Ahh.. the definition of intelligence. I love the simple folk. Go on sheep, your almost ready for the slaughter.

  • ungeheier

    Or, you could OPTIMIZE your code so it can load a f-ing JPEG without crashing. I mean seriously… Amateur city…

  • pokervsgirls

    Poker vs. Girls is gone.
    Poker vs. Guys, too.

  • Never fear – I will be covering the butts with PULSING HAM

  • Anton

    Thank you Apple~! what a refreshing, bold move.
    I'm sure Mr. Krapps disagrees of course but who cares. Krapps is Crap.

  • Never fear – I will be covering the butts with PULSING HAM

  • Anton

    Thank you Apple~! what a refreshing, bold move.
    I'm sure Mr. Krapps disagrees of course but who cares. Krapps is Crap.