AltStore Plans to Launch iPhone App in Three More Countries This Year

[MacRumors]

AltStore today announced plans to make its iPhone app available in Australia, Brazil, and Japan later this year, followed by the UK next year.

AltStore is also gaining "Fediverse" support, via the ActivityPub protocol.

AltStore provides iPhone users with an alternative to Apple's built-in App Store, and it even offers some apps that would violate Apple's App Review Guidelines.

AltStore first launched on the iPhone in the EU last year, after the Digital Markets Act required Apple to allow alternative app stores. Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the UK are working to implement similar regulations, which would pave the way for AltStore to launch in those countries as well. However, the exact timing could shift.

Alternative app stores have been supported on the iPhone and iPad in the EU since iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 were released in April 2024. AltStore and other alternative app stores can be installed on these devices via Safari or another web browser.

Apple has yet to announce or implement support for alternative app stores in Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the UK, as regulations in those countries are still being finalized and/or have yet to be enforced. AltStore has simply announced its plans early.

In the U.S., the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple last year, but the case is ongoing and alternative app stores on the iPhone remain unsupported there.

Article Link: AltStore Plans to Launch iPhone App in Three More Countries This Year

 

[turbineseaplane]

Phenomenal!

This is the kind of real innovation that is enabled by competition in the App Store space.

 

[BonAce]

Alternative app stores have been supported on the iPhone and iPad in the EU since iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 were released in April 2024.

iPadOS only from version 18.

European Union are able to install alternative app marketplaces and install apps offered through alternative app marketplaces in iOS 17.4 or later, or iPadOS 18 or later

About alternative app distribution in the European Union - Apple Support

Users based in the European Union with an iPhone or iPad have the ability to install apps using alternative app marketplaces or web distribution, in addition to the App Store.

support.apple.com

 

[germanbeer007]

All of 6 people rejoice!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

All of 6 people rejoice!

Maybe one day there will be as many people that want to use the AltStore as there are Apple Vision Pro users!

 

[YourBoss]

I thought Brazil was a backward country, but recent events are making me change my mind.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Translation:
AltStore, completely incapable of producing desirable hardware, a performant OS, and tools for developers to use or anything else unique are going to bring their wannabe store to other regions.

Some people will call an app store with 15 apps “innovation”, but not, you know, all the other hard stuff.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

"AltStore is also gaining "Fediverse" support, via the ActivityPub protocol."

Thanks MR for sending me to Google rather than, you know, explain any of this in your story.

 

[patmondal]

Can't wait for this to come to the USA. Then very few use it and they complain that their app should be an option when setting up the phone since Apple has unfair advantage... or something like that

 

[turbineseaplane]

Do people not realize all the different places they get macOS software from, right now?

It's so odd to watch folks advocate against having those same consumer freedoms on iOS.

 

[yabeweb]

All of 6 people rejoice!

You can count me, you have 5 more to find

 

[xander49x]

when people download apps from this place do not blame apple when you get hacked or you phone starts messing up because you download a bad App. do not complain, you are to blame for using the altstore nothing good is going to come from this. They will point the finger at Apple when apple has nothing to do with it.

 

[TwoBytes]

Is altstore any good? Is there anything of interest on there?

 

[Starfia]

Thanks MR for sending me to Google rather than, you know, explain any of this in your story.

(Or linking the explanatory post in the first sentence or anything.)

 

[turbineseaplane]

when people download apps from this place do not blame apple when you get hacked or you phone starts messing up because you download a bad App. do not complain, you are to blame for using the altstore nothing good is going to come from this. They will point the finger at Apple when apple has nothing to do with it.

None of which happens right now on macOS.

 

[turbineseaplane]

All of 6 people rejoice!

Whether it's 6 or 6,000 or 6 million, the point is consumer choice, which we should all be fans of.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Is altstore any good? Is there anything of interest on there?

Go check it out!

AltStore

altstore.io

 

[Eorlas]

Do people not realize all the different places they get macOS software from, right now?

It's so odd to watch folks advocate against having those same consumer freedoms on iOS.

This is precisely why I actively refuse to acquire macOS applications from apple's official app. I really, really REALLY do not need a company deciding which programs I should be allowed to run on my machine.

They are welcome to warn me if it shows up in whatever malware reports that security researchers generate. They can warn me about potentially malicious code in the files. This is all fine.

I cannot stand Apple's insistence on gatekeeping my user permissions behind warnings that make it appear like I absolutely cannot install something they didn't approve of, only to be able to circumvent this by going into Security settings and clicking "install anyway" and giving biometric approval.

This is idiotic. If you as a user want Apple's hand-holding because elementary IT awareness isn't something you have the bandwidth to learn, fine. Go for it. Grandpa needs to not have to work so hard just to use their macbook air? Obviously this is helpful to him.

But for the love of god, stop endorsing a company's malicious behavior when it acts against the interest of the user just because you don't want to think harder than a button that says "Get." For people who can handle determining whether or not installing something is a good idea, this setup is irritating at best.

It's doubly ironic to me seeing people give AltStore the same treatment they gave Cydia & jailbreaking in MR forums, when this place is inundated with people who think Apple doesn't innovate any more. I mean, they're specifically creating certain limitations because they can control what constitutes innovation. Syncing with iPhones over WiFi waaaaaaaaay back in the day was something people with jailbroken devices could do before Apple called it a "new feature." Control Center introduced by Apple back in iOS 7? Had that on iOS 4.

An enormous amount of you will complain that Apple makes little effort to bring big changes, and then celebrate when they lock their OS' out of customization.

 

[Eorlas]

"AltStore is also gaining "Fediverse" support, via the ActivityPub protocol."

Thanks MR for sending me to Google rather than, you know, explain any of this in your story.

Back when Reddit angered its userbase with API changes that made a lot of people run away, the Fediverse was a thing that a lot of people tried to push support for. The word "Federated" popped up a ton, and yet no matter how many times I asked, no one could explain it without using the word.

I don't think it makes a ton of sense, but feel free to find a source that does a good ELI5 and I'm willing to learn.

 

[Starfia]

I still think it's wrong that any company is required to integrate native app marketplaces they don't approve of, so it's hard to imagine the core of that announcement not feeling somewhat perverse, even in Riley's mind, on some level.

The Fediverse integration is innovative; I'll give him that. And he's announced a (relatively meagre but existent) fund for contributions to other projects that are more primarily Fediverse-based, which I think is great.

 

[BGPL]

when people download apps from this place do not blame apple when you get hacked or you phone starts messing up because you download a bad App. do not complain, you are to blame for using the altstore nothing good is going to come from this. They will point the finger at Apple when apple has nothing to do with it.

Found Tim's secret MR account. 😂

 

[turbineseaplane]

I still think it's wrong that any company is required to integrate native app marketplaces they don't approve of

They don't have to ..

Just treat iOS like macOS and let folks install software from wherever they please.

The entire "App Store" concept is a fabrication.

No "store" is needed whatsoever, as all of us using Macs readily understand (I'm assuming you too).

 

[turbineseaplane]

But for the love of god, stop endorsing a company's malicious behavior when it acts against the interest of the user just because you don't want to think harder than a button that says "Get." For people who can handle determining whether or not installing something is a good idea, this setup is irritating at best.

As user @Comfortably Numb very nicely corrected me on some security issues lately, they also pointed out (or we came to mutually understand and agree) that the false sense of security in Apple's little walled garden for users actually creates some really ripe for the picking folks.

It's actually pretty dangerous in technology to just blindly put all your faith in any one entity (in this case Apple) for your protection.

@Comfortably Numb : Please, of course, step in and correct me if I relayed any of that inaccurately and certainly add your own piece if you're so inclined and interested. 👍

 

[ProbablyDylan]

The word "Federated" popped up a ton, and yet no matter how many times I asked, no one could explain it without using the word.

You know how I can send an email from a GMail address to an iCloud address? That's because email is federated. A bunch of servers and services ran by their own companies but are interoperable.

The "Fediverse" is like that, but for social media. This means I can have my account on Y social media and still see and interact with posts on Z social media.

 

[Eorlas]

Is altstore any good? Is there anything of interest on there?

It depends on what you're looking for. The devs are best known for their fantastic Nintendo systems emulator: Delta, though that can also be acquired easily from the standard app store.

Things like AltStore and SideStore can be used to install apps one cannot get a hold of through the standard app store, because of their various guidelines.