Discord is making some changes to how it handles NSFW (not safe for work) content on its platform and it seems that it’s all because of Apple.
All NSFW servers will not be accessible on iOS devices, likely due to Apple’s strict guidelines on adult content. That’s because NSFW servers will only be accessible on the Android and desktop version of the social network.
Discord is a social chat and networking app, more like WhatsApp and Telegram, where people can chat, via voice, video, and text in private or create groups with others with common interests. On Discord these communities are called “servers.”
The company announced the changes on its support forums. Going forward, servers will have to be marked as NSFW if they are “organized around NSFW themes or if the majority of the server’s content is 18+.” Servers that do not self-identify will be automatically marked as NSFW.
Once a server is labeled as NSFW, in theory anyone below the age of 18 cannot access it. Additionally, such servers will not be accessible via iOS devices. The stricter limitation on iOS devices is probably to comply with Apple’s strict guidelines on adult content in services distributed via the App Store. To comply with the rules, Tumblr had to remove all adult content on its platform.
Yet, it’s not known why Twitter doesn’t have to abide by the same standards.
“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,” Apple’s guidelines state.
On Twitter, Discord users expressed frustration with the changes, with some saying they could make them switch to Android.
