iPhone welcomes its first alternative app store: we tested it

Finally! Publisher AltStore had to check its third-party Apple app store, and it did. AltStore is available on iPhone!

The iOS app landscape has changed dramatically in recent weeks thanks to the DMA (Digital Markets Act). This new ruling forced Apple to revise its rules and allow the installation of third-party app stores within the European Union. A revolution similar to the one that has already happened on Android. Alt Store, the first alternative app store, is now available on iPhone.

Paid downloads are fraught with pitfalls

The alternative store, launched on April 17, has been reviewed by Apple’s team and is available online. However, downloading is carried out not through the App Store, but directly on the official website altstore.io, for a fee. In fact, purchasing this alternative curtain will cost you 1.5 euros per year or 0.125 euros per month. This low price is likely intended to discourage impulsive downloads and prevent potential high costs for the Alt Store if it exceeds one million downloads, per Apple’s rules.

But the obstacle course doesn’t end there. Apple creates several barriers to dissuade users from installing a third-party app store. From installing the “online store” to logging into iPhone settings, including confirmation and warning windows, you have to go through six different screens before successfully installing AltStore.

Classic interface and new features

Once installed, Alt Store looks like a fairly classic app with five tabs: News, Sources, Browse, My Apps, and Settings. The main difference from the App Store is the Sources tab, which allows you to install different application sources. Users of Linux and other systems are familiar with this feature.

Currently, the Alt Store source code only offers two apps: Deltaapplication based on GBA4iOS, a popular emulator for NES, SNES and N64 consoles, and Clip, a clipboard manager that allows you to group all the items copied to your iPhone. You can also connect your Patreon account in your Alt Store settings to gain access to betas and become a “patron.”

Humble but historic beginnings

While the launch of the Alt Store is modest in terms of available apps, it marks a historic turning point for iOS. Indeed, it is the first official alternative app store approved by Apple for installation on the iPhone. It remains to be seen whether this opening will herald the arrival of new third-party app stores and more diversity in the iOS ecosystem. It’s also quite funny because we already tested AltStore in 2019 thanks to TestFlight through the App Store Connect portal.