Apple Adds 'Explicit' Category for New App Store Submissions

[ChazUK]

Apple suddenly turn a negative into a positive. Well done! 😎

For those that this doesn't appeal to, you can now stay away from these seedy apps at your own will. 😉

 

[koobcamuk]

I will gladly take that honor, because I absolutely HATE that filth being pandered to my kids.

Prefer them to shoot each other?

 

[cmaier]

can we get a special app store category for all the religious apps, too? I hate having to wade through all the fascist cultist brainwash christian crap mixed in with all the useful or entertaining apps. god forbid some impressionable young mind get unsuspectingly warped by accidental exposure to that stuff.

+1000 (though I might have expressed the sentiment a little more charitably.) The reference section is full of books involving invisible being(s) in the sky. Hard to find anything useful in that pile.

 

[rumplestiltskin]

It's about time!

Finally a level of sanity! Let the parents of under-age iPhone owners decide what their kids may or may not see in the Store but don't penalize adults who, presumably, are mature enough to know what to do when they see such apps. (Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em!)

Frankly, I'm getting weary of the bluenosed wackos presuming to speak for everyone. Just go away. 😡

 

[kresh]

Prefer them to shoot each other?

I doubt that would happen. They are not exposed to violent games, and only a select few tv shows and movies. As a plus, my 14 and 16 year old sons are well versed in how to safely handle their shotguns. My 2 daughters have not expressed an interest in shooting, but I don't discriminate if they want to learn I will teach them.

 

[farmboy]

Maybe you should be a better parent and not just allow your kids free run of the internet and the app store.

Why does the rest of society have to suffer and be censored because of your irrisponsibility?

"Suffer"? Little overwrought, don't you think?

And there are literally thousands of laws limiting freedom of speech (IOW, censorship). We seem to be doing OK regardless.

 

[skate71290]

This alone does nothing to cure the problem.

If Apple still leaves the rating determination up to the developer, then it defeats the purpose of parental control!

Some of these apps were rated 4+, which breaks the parental control lock. There are developers who could care less about parents trying to keep their children from it, and actively market these apps to under eighteener's.

I will have zero problems with this if Apple sets the rating during the approval process, better yet they could even form an independent ratings board, answerable only to the board of directors at Apple and a council elected by developers. The board could be paid for by the developer fees.

To leave the application rating in the hands of the developers, whose main incentive is to reach the largest market possible, is pure madness!

i thought that Apple App 'God-Like Powered Approvers' were the ones too set the ratings for the Apps... surely that would make more sense....

 

[atticus18244fsa]

My kids are never unsupervised, as I said in the thread yesterday I keep a screenshare open on all of their computers, I filter all of their emails and chats with my own eyeballs. They do not visit the appstore without my presence.

To deny that this smut was mixed in where it should not have been, and was impossible to avoid, is disingenuous.

You have some serious trust issues. If these kids are under 12 that's fine, but if they are older than that then there is a problem.

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

I doubt that would happen. They are not exposed to violent games, and only a select few tv shows and movies. As a plus, my 14 and 16 year old sons are well versed in how to safely handle their shotguns. My 2 daughters have not expressed an interest in shooting, but I don't discriminate if they want to learn I will teach them.

You don't think you're children haven't seen any sexual images or even looked at porn? Hells, even had sex yet?

 

[yodaxl7]

Bravo!!! This is a great move!! Censorship was a bad thing. now parents can lock that category off. Yay for single adults who can enjoy porn!

 

[KnightWRX]

Yeah like my right as a woman not to have a company promoting something that objectifies me as an object and not a person.

So what was the name of the app with those pictures of you in an objectified manner ? 🙄

Please, get over yourself. You're going to tell us right here, right now, that you've never stared at a man that you found physically attractive ? There you have it, you are guilty of what you claim is a basic human right violation.

My right as a parent to not have my 6 year old exposed to such things as well because someone changed the rating on their app to all audiences when clearly it is not. and so on.

Which Apple just found a good common ground for. And your rights as a parent stop where mine as a consumer start. You do have a choice, get your child some other device that is not subject to an App store, or does that argument only work when you're getting your way and I should be the one to change devices ?

"Think of the children!" Crowd, gotta love 'em.

+1000 (though I might have expressed the sentiment a little more charitably.) The reference section is full of books involving invisible being(s) in the sky. Hard to find anything useful in that pile.

Yeah, I keep getting things about this guy and his fish logo that made some wine by using deposits of empty wine casks at a wedding because the hosts failed to plan ahead.

I'm a pastafarian myself, I just want to read things about my beloved Flying Spaghetti Monster.

 

[kresh]

You don't think you're children haven't seen any sexual images or even looked at porn? Hells, even had sex yet?

Not only do I think that, I can absolutely guarantee it.

My kids are never not in the presence of me or my wife.

Granted, they may have seen the cover of a porn magazine at a convenience store or something like that.

 

[ugp]

To each their own. If you wanna buy it buy it. if you don't then stay out of the Explicit section. But I can bet everyone of you will go into to the section to peak around and see what they have. Maybe this is going to open the door for more Explicit content then has been allowed previous.

Apple may see that they can make a lot of money on these Apps.

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

Not only do I think that, I can absolutely guarantee it.

My kids are never not in the presence of me or my wife.

Granted, they may have seen the cover of a porn magazine at a convenience store or something like that.

That's a pretty bold statement.

So you're kids aren't allowed to do anything without you and or your wife? Wow, no trust eh?

 

[firestarter]

I doubt that would happen. They are not exposed to violent games, and only a select few tv shows and movies. As a plus, my 14 and 16 year old sons are well versed in how to safely handle their shotguns. My 2 daughters have not expressed an interest in shooting, but I don't discriminate if they want to learn I will teach them.

Holy stereotypes, Batman!

Prudish parent who lets their kids have guns, but goes ape if they view a bit of nudity of the web.

What is this world coming to?

 

[eastcoastsurfer]

Because they have passed the obscenity test.

Is that what they call we're a huge company and have lots of pull nowadays? SI and Playboy were mysteriously exempt from the app pulling. It highlights yet another problem with the closed app store - favoritism.

 

[kresh]

Holy stereotypes, Batman!

Prudish parent who lets their kids have guns, but goes ape if they view a bit of nudity of the web.

What is this world coming to?

That's a pretty bold statement.

So you're kids aren't allowed to do anything without you and or your wife? Wow, no trust eh?

Neither guns, nor being in our presence will cause me and my wife to be grand-parents, suffer through our children doing drugs, or wringing our hands in worry wondering where and what our kids are up to.

 

[guzhogi]

I doubt that would happen. They are not exposed to violent games, and only a select few tv shows and movies. As a plus, my 14 and 16 year old sons are well versed in how to safely handle their shotguns. My 2 daughters have not expressed an interest in shooting, but I don't discriminate if they want to learn I will teach them.

How versed are they in taking responsibility with their sexual sides? I'm all for teaching responsibility, but many people I've met don't want to teach sexual responsibility. If you do, kudos! While I do find porn objectifying to both genders, I know sometimes couples like watching porn to help them get in the mood. Not sure if that makes thing better, but it's not just guys who like porn.

Neither guns, nor being in our presence will cause me and my wife to be grand-parents, suffer through our children doing drugs, or wringing our hands in worry wondering where and what our kids are up to.

However, guns can prevent you from becoming grandparents. I remember this one quote that says "I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our children's children because children should not be having sex." I find this appropriate. As I said, I'm all for teaching responsibility. Make sure to teach your kids to take responsibility in their relationships with their boy/girlfriends.

I just find that people in America have many double standards. Violent games are fine, but not sex. Plus, a man who has sex with several girls is "The man" while a girl who has sex with several guys is a slut. And how guys like watching 2 girls make out, but 2 guys making out is evil & wrong. ANd these are just the sexual double standards. People are weird.

 

[kiljoy616]

well said

The Haters™ will just find something new to complain about

Truer worlds where never said.

I wonder if apple lawyers came back and said, you know porn is one big ass revenue stream. 😉

 

[citi]

Bad Press Is Still Good Press

So, they pull all of these apps siting, "For the Family, keep it clean for the kids", then what happens? The web gets ahold of it and screams Apple is the Devil!(BAD PRESS, but people are talking about the IPAD), the news gets ahold of it and the parents see it and think, wow Apple, thanks for thinking about my family! I'm buying an IPAD! (MARKETING, GOOD FREE PRESS).

Then the next day Apple comes in and changes their position. The bad press people say, good job apple and forgive them. Here is the kicker, the Parents don't know that they put an explicit category in because the news won't air that. GENIUS

So it leads me to either 2 conclusions:

1. They knew they were going to do this the whole time. They got rid of those crappy apps because they were crap and needed a reason to justify eliminating them, now when they resubmit, they can say, "Where is your license to show these images?" Denied. "You have 100 apps that have the same functionality (Asian Women, Latin Women, Black Women) Please put these in ONE app." The rest? DENIED

2. They are really that stupid.

I think #1

 

[Friscohoya]

so don't download them/buy them? you have a choice. putting them on the app store does not force them on to your phone, and the fact they showed up in unrelated searches was as much apples fault as it is the developers, the approval system gives them the final say. for most the people angry about the removal it was never about the content (i completely agree with you on that part), it was about apple making the decision for its users. if i don't want it i wont download it or pay for it.

There were a bunch of really bad apps that did nothing and got bad reviews. WHile one could say ok dont buy them, but on the other hand perhaps some minimum quality standard should be applied. Even Walmart doesnt just sell everything that is proposed to them.

 

[NIPRING]

They might as well have not done anything then.

 

[*LTD*]

Turning lemons into lemonade. Nice!

 

[kresh]

How versed are they in taking responsibility with their sexual sides? I'm all for teaching responsibility, but many people I've met don't want to teach sexual responsibility. If you do, kudos! While I do find porn objectifying to both genders, I know sometimes couples like watching porn to help them get in the mood. Not sure if that makes thing better, but it's not just guys who like porn.

I just find that people in America have many double standards. Violent games are fine, but not sex. Plus, a man who has sex with several girls is "The man" while a girl who has sex with several guys is a slut. And how guys like watching 2 girls make out, but 2 guys making out is evil & wrong. ANd these are just the sexual double standards. People are weird.

I am not against porn per se. I just believe that there is no way that a child of 14 or 17 has the wisdom to make the decision for themselves as to it being harmful to them.

 

[KnightWRX]

There were a bunch of really bad apps that did nothing and got bad reviews. WHile one could say ok dont buy them, but on the other hand perhaps some minimum quality standard should be applied. Even Walmart doesnt just sell everything that is proposed to them.

Your comment can be applied to many apps that are not "overtly sexual". Why you think it should just apply to a particular category of apps is beyond me.