Apple Adds 'Explicit' Category for New App Store Submissions [Updated]

Just days after Apple removed over 5000 "overtly sexual" applications from the App Store, the company appears to have taken a curious turn that could result in the reinstatement of many of these applications.

Cult of Mac reports and MacRumors has confirmed that Apple has added a new "Explicit" category in the iTunes Connect system for App Store submissions. The category is included in drop-down menus that allow developers to select categories for their applications to be placed in, and appears alongside the traditional App Store categories such as "Books", "Entertainment", and "Games".

The reason for Apple's addition of the new category is unknown, although it seems possible that the company may have reconsidered its decision to remove the "overtly sexual" applications in the face of backlash from developers and users and has decided to create a dedicated category in an attempt to find a middle ground in the controversy. The use of a dedicated category for explicit material could supplement the age-rating system used for all App Store applications to easily make the entire category invisible to certain users using Parental Controls.

Update: Gizmodo reports that the "Explicit" option is no longer appearing as a category option in iTunes Connect. It is currently unknown why it appeared only briefly today and whether it will return in the future.

According to the developer, Apple said that, while they are thinking about it, "it's not going to happen anytime soon."