Downlad AltStore Windows & Mac
The best way to install apps from outside Apple's App Store was only made possible because Riley Testut wanted to play Pokémon on his iPhone.
Testut was still in college when he began building an emulator for playing classic Game Boy games on an iPhone. But when Apple wouldn't allow the app in its store, he began looking for workarounds. The result was AltStore, which allows iPhone and iPad users to install Testut's own Delta emulator for old Nintendo games along with any other app that Apple deems off-limits--a process known as sideloading.
AltStore has been downloaded more than 2.0 million times since its launching in 2022, and the service has more than 300,000 monthly active users. Nearly 6,000 of those users contributing to AltStore's Patreon, which brings in more than $14,500 per month and gives backers early access to new features.
As Apple faces more political pressure to let users install applications from outside the App Store, AltStore is preparing for its biggest updates yet. Users will soon be able to discover new apps to sideload directly through the AltStore, so they don’t have to wade through questionable download sites. Optimizations for the iPad are also on the way, and Testut recently hired a longtime friend, Shane Gill, to improve AltStore's documentation and work on developer outreach, allowing Testut to spend more time programming.
As Apple faces pressure to open up the iPhone to third-party App Store providers, one developer has been helping users sideload apps since 2019 — and has issues with overbroad legislation requiring users to be able to sideload.
Apple has been persistently consistent and clear on its view that sideloading brings malware risks, and it's going to take changes in the law to make it permit unapproved apps onto the iPhone. Yet developer Riley Testut has been using one of Apple's own tools to allow users to install applications from outside Apple's curated App Store.
Everyone knows that Apple is incredibly strict when it comes to the apps that they permit into their App Store. In fact, Apple's stringent regulations on applications are part of the company's appeal, as it ensures that the security of iOS users is not compromised when downloading apps from the App Store. Of course, not everyone likes Apple's strict limitations. Riley Testut is an app developer that decided to create an alternative to the App Store, properly calling it AltStore. With AltStore, users will be able to install apps without being restricted to Apple's selection.
One of the best things about this app store is that it doesn’t require jailbreaking your device for it to work. Using AltStore, Apple will think that the apps you installed are developed by the owner. As such, it would be very difficult to crack down on these apps because they may negatively affect users who are legitimately creating new apps. Of course, the AltStore is not a perfect app, as it requires a bit of advanced set up to get it started. For example, users will need to download the AltServer for the AltStore to work properly. It also requires advanced knowledge of firewall and Wi-Fi settings. AltStore also needs a Wi-Fi connection to install and refresh apps. That said, it is not necessary to keep AltServer running to use AltStore. But, it wouldn’t hurt either as AltServer doesn’t negatively impact the device when it is open. With the Testut’s AltStore, users will have more freedom to choose which apps to install into their devices. Although the very idea of the tool would be against Apple’s high-security appeal, having it as an option for other users would be highly appreciated. The fact that jailbreaking is not necessary is just a plus.
The AltStore team also says that support for adding any source will be coming in the future, but that it still demands more work. Today's Trusted Sources update works as an interim improvement as some users continue to wait for the ability to add sources themselves.
Some of the applications being promoted via Trusted Sorices include DolphinforiOS, UTMapp, and Flycast. The AltStore team says these apps have been decided because they utilize AltJIT, the new feature implemented into AltServer v1.5 earlier this week.
There are a bevy of other changes in AltStore v1.5 as well, but we'll let the change log do the taking with regard to that:
