studyguy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,282
9to5mac.com

Discord for iOS will block users from accessing all NSFW servers - 9to5Mac

Discord is making some changes to how it handles NSFW servers, and it will have a particular effect on users...

As first noted by the Verge, Discord made this announcement in a post on its support forums this week, with this additional clarification about the impact on the Discord for iOS app. Servers that get marked as NSFW will not be accessible at all from the iOS app:

Additionally, all users on the iOS platform (including those aged 18+) will be blocked from joining and accessing NSFW servers. iOS users aged 18+ will still be able to join and access NSFW communities on the desktop and web versions of Discord.​

Discord doesn't specifically mention that the change here is due to Apple's guidelines. Apple's guidelines around user-generated adult content are as follow:

Apps with user-generated content or services that end up being used primarily for pornographic content, Chatroulette-style experiences, objectification of real people (e.g. "hot-or-not" voting), making physical threats, or bullying do not belong on the App Store and may be removed without notice. If your app includes user-generated content from a web-based service, it may display incidental mature "NSFW" content, provided that the content is hidden by default and only displayed when the user turns it on via your website.​
 

Desi

Member
Oct 30, 2017
4,356
Noooooooo fuck apple at it again! They can say it's not apple but I don't believe them.
 

Serene

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
52,737
this seems like a bullshit excuse when you have countless Reddit apps available that don't restrict you in any way
 

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,811
For some reason I was surprised for like a split second that there are nsfw channels out there.

Didn't know about this Apple policy. Just had a look and it seems like the Steam app also does some filtering there.

Edit: that was just my content prefs, why did I do this to myself? 🙈
 
Last edited:

nsilvias

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,028
rip to those servers that are otherwise harmless but have that one channel just for porn
 

Zulith

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,037
West Coast, USA
Unacceptable. I love using my iPhone... but their policies block a lot of things that should be allowed. Adults can decide for themselves what they view on their own devices. Their policies go too far.

Yeah, let's block all those NSFW subreddits and let's block grindr and apps like that too while we're at it. Be sure to ban art community apps like PIXIV too since people post tons of drawn porn on there, no different from tumblr before it got zapped. If they go far enough, maybe we can finally get enough pushback to get them to change. Nobody wants to stick their neck out for adult content cause it makes them look like a creep, and that's part of why Apple keeps getting away with this.

I saw this coming because the Telegram app on iOS has blocked M-rated channels for years, when they were allowed on Android.

And no, the comment above about NSFW subreddits being blocked on the iOS app is not true.
 
Last edited:

NeonCarbon

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,483
The reddit app on iOS blocks nsfw subreddits. The website obviously works fine.
giphy.gif
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
22,112
It makes sense, I guess. I remember Tumblr got delisted for a time until they filtered stuff, and the Viz/Shonen Jump apps don't list some manga. I thought you could get around it by changing the age rating for your app but few apps really want to do that.
 

toa95

Member
Oct 27, 2017
259
Easily the most annoying thing about this is the fact that any Servers is in that are marked as NSFW is just for the sake of keeping children out. Things like a server for a musicians Patreon or a D&D podcast are things I wouldn't be able to access now from my iPad or phone unless I go through the web interface. And it especially seems like this is more Discord not wanting their app to be rated 17+ in the App Store and rather then doing like Reddit does and blocking NSFW stuff by default with an option to unblock in the web, discord is just going full scorched earth and blocking all NSFW servers from iOS devices.
 

Lampa

Member
Feb 13, 2018
3,886
That's really strange. I don't see why only Discord would have to change, if it was Apple enforcing a rule? Unless more companies/devs will follow with a similar announcement soon. We'll see, I suppose.
 

Serene

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
52,737
That's really strange. I don't see why only Discord would have to change, if it was Apple enforcing a rule? Unless more companies/devs will follow with a similar announcement soon. We'll see, I suppose.

It reads more like Discord being overly-safe to not step on toes than anything mandated to them by Apple. As has been said multiple times, Reddit has a litany of NSFW areas and those are easily-accessible on iOS with just a web toggle.
 

PeakPointMatrix

Self Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,214
This seems more like a preemptive blanket policy to combat child porn/illegal shit that would otherwise get the app delisted versus EW BOOBIES/PEENS.

It sucks they can't take a more targeted approach, but that would take precision moderation versus a bot or whatever it is catching this stuff.
 

Lampa

Member
Feb 13, 2018
3,886
It reads more like Discord being overly-safe to not step on toes than anything mandated to them by Apple. As has been said multiple times, Reddit has a litany of NSFW areas and those are easily-accessible on iOS with just a web toggle.
Yeah, I guess you're right. The posts from people saying iOS Reddit app is able to view nsfw communities is what makes it strange to me. I use a third party app for reddit on iOS (Apollo) and I'm pretty sure it lets me browse anything I want, as well.
 

Grath

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
483
According to the link, this was Discord's decision to this (new?) Apple guideline:

Apps with user-generated content or services that end up being used primarily for pornographic content, Chatroulette-style experiences, objectification of real people (e.g. "hot-or-not" voting), making physical threats, or bullying do not belong on the App Store and may be removed without notice. If your app includes user-generated content from a web-based service, it may display incidental mature "NSFW" content, provided that the content is hidden by default and only displayed when the user turns it on via your website.
 

Zej

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,055
I would imagine this to be a stopgap until they are able to interface with iOS Parental Controls.
 

Valanarro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
324
Why doesn't discord just implement a similar website/web app Google like Reddit has for this content?
 

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
40,813
Seems consistent with their policies blocking unmoderated platforms from the app store. There are differences between a browser where you go to a porn site and an app that serves unmoderated content. And by unmoderated I mean by the platform itself, not a channel admin. This was the pretense that apple used to ban Parler.