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Apple is cracking down on risqué iPhone applications, by removing "overtly sexual content" from the App Store.
The developer of an app called ‘Wobble iBoobs’ broke the story by publishing an email from Apple on its blog.
"The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), 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," the email read.
The same developer then followed up with a report of a phone call with Apple, giving more details on what is now unacceptable in iPhone apps, from bikinis to sexual connotations and innuendo.
Apple’s head of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller has publicly defended the move. He told the New York Times that an increasing number of apps with "objectionable content" had been submitted to the App Store in recent weeks.
"It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see," he said.
However, while some developers have seen their apps pulled, Sports Illustrated’s official Swimsuit Edition is still on the store.
"The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format," Schiller told the NYT.
