Apple has pulled a whole bunch of third-party Reddit clients from the App Store, ostensibly for displaying NSFW content.
It seems as if Apple has pulled all third-party Reddit apps, including the likes of Narwhal and Eggplant, from its iOS storefront. Only the recently launched official Reddit app remained available to download until recently.
So was this a case of dirty tricks from the Reddit team, trying to push its new app at the expense of unofficial alternatives? No, it seems not.
One recent Reddit post features testimony from Narwhal and Reddit developers stating that this move didn’t come at the request of Reddit. Rather, it was Apple itself that made the sweeping move.
Apparently, these third party Reddit apps contravened Apple’s App Store guidelines – specifically point 18.2, which states: “Apps that contain user generated content that is frequently pornographic (e.g. “Chat Roulette” Apps) will be rejected.”
Reddit, of course, is home to a lot of NSFW content, but there are filters in place in all the major apps to prevent you from stumbling across such content if you don’t wish to.
Indeed, it seems as if Apple wasn’t happy with the way these very filters were operating in third party Reddit apps. It turns out that Apple asked Reddit app developers – both third-party and official – to remove any toggles for blocking NSFW content on mobile devices.
See also: How to shut down haters and harassers on Reddit
The official Reddit app uses the account holder’s settings to determine how to display NSFW content, so it got to stay on the App Store. Third-party Reddit apps weren’t so quick to adopt this system, and so were banned.
Once this NSFW toggle has been removed and the approved NSFW filter applied, it seems all of these Reddit clients will be allowed back on the App Store. Narwhal, for example, is already back up and running.
It’s unclear why these NSFW toggles were so objectionable to Apple, but at least there’s a clear path back to the App Store for third-party Reddit app developers.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
