Skip to main content

Controversial ‘gay-cure’ app sparks calls for Apple removal

exodus internationalAn anti-homosexuality group is bragging that Apple approved its “gay cure” app for the iTunes store, and even rated the content for ages 4 and up. The app from Exodus International is described on iTunes as providing “access to current news, information, and resources from Exodus International.” Sounds harmless, right? Sure, until you learn that Exodus International is little more than cult-like group that rallies congregants around the idea of addressing “unwanted sexuality.” It claims it’s able to use “reparative therapy” to rid homosexuals of their desires.

Aside from the fact that former Exodus International chairman John Paulk was reportedly once photographed in a DC-area gay bar and that the intentions of the group are laughable and highly offensive, the app is also a joke. One of its touted features is “social media,” which according to its iTunes’ description includes podcasts and its Facebook page. And of course, it does include a way to donate to the cause.

So its content borders on insane and its presentation is laughable – so why does the app deserver a 4+ rating from Apple? The user feedback is critical, to say the least. “This is a hate-based initiative of the fanatical religious right intending to brainwash and emotionally destroy gay and lesbian people by coercing them to hate themselves based on their natural sexual orientation…I am outraged and disappointed that Apple would allow this hate group to operate on their iPhone and iPhone products,” writes one reviewer. Another takes issue with the app’s UI: “This app is little more than a glorified (yet still clunky) web browser to navigate around Exodus’ walled-garden of predictable anti-gay content.” One reviewer even asks if Apple’s next move is to approve a KKK-developed app.

Exodus has had some controversial scandals tied to its organization, including claims of kidnapping, abuse, and calling for the execution of homosexuals (all of which it has denied). But Apple is in a tricky position: The app’s content is anything but inflammatory, and instead is just a proclamation of beliefs in a poorly presented format. But Apple isn’t a moral judge by any means when it comes to religion and ethics – it is a judge when it comes to user applications. And this is a bad, hardly engaging one.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
UPS worker accused of nabbing $1.3M worth of iPhones and other Apple gear
A MacBook and iPhone in dark red light.

The desirability and high value of iPhones and other Apple devices make the gear a popular target for criminals looking to make a fast buck.

In the latest such case, a now former UPS employee is accused of stealing more than $1.3 million worth of Apple iPhones and laptops from the shipping company’s warehouse in Winnipeg, Canada, before selling them in an operation that continued for seven months, the Winnipeg Free Press reported this week.

Read more
YouTube TV just got even better on iPhones and iPads
Multiview on YouTube TV on an iPad.

If you use the most popular live-streaming service on an iPhone or iPad, things just got even better. YouTube TV — which boasts more than 8 million subscribers — just pushed multiview live on Apple's mobile devices, as previously promised.

It works basically the same way it does on a television. YouTube TV picks the programs available in multiview, and you get them all at once, with audio coming from one of the shows. Tap another, and the audio switches. And just as before, you can get multiview for sports, news, business, or weather. (Though we definitely don't recommend watching four news channels at once in an election year.) It's just in time for March Madness, which is great, though we hope you'll be able to pick your own games instead of just sticking with the multiple viewing options YouTube TV gives. This will be great come fall, though, when the new season of NFL Sunday Ticket takes hold.

Read more
How to use photo cutout to cut and paste images in iOS 17
The image background remover feature from iOS 16 being used on a photo of a dog.

The iPhone has so many clever and fun little features that it's easy to miss some of them. One of the most whimsical features to come along in recent years is the ability to lift the subject of a photo away from the background so you can use it elsewhere — whether that's sharing it in an email, pasting it into a photo editing app, or even turning it into an iMessage sticker in iOS 17.

What's especially fascinating about this is that it seems like such a simple thing to do — and Apple does make it really easy — but there's a ton of number crunching going on under the hood to make it happen. This means you'll need an iPhone with a reasonably modern processor, but the good news is that it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest iPhone 15 Pro. While the insanely powerful A17 Pro chip in Apple's flagship smartphone surely helps things along, this feature can be used on any iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later, which goes back to the 2018 iPhone XS and iPhone XR.

Read more