AltStore, one of the first and most popular third-party app stores, has just announced a Series A funding round, a new board member, and plans to expand its platform to at least three new countries. Here are the details.
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Update, August 28, 11:19 a.m. PT: In a statement to 9to5Mac, an Apple spokesperson said: “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”
When Apple was compelled to allow alternative iOS app stores in the EU, it adopted the notarization model familiar to Mac developers. This means that if Apple revokes the notarization of a certain app, its distribution and use get blocked, even though it was installed from outside the App Store. That’s exactly what seems to have happened to iTorrent. Here are the details.
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AltStore PAL, one of the first alternative app store available for iPhones in the EU after last years major DMA changes, has announced the release of AltStore Classic for AltStore PAL users – allowing hundreds of non-notarized apps, including those that require JIT compilation, to be installed with no hassle.
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Third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL is now free of charge, following a grant provided by Epic Games.
This means there will be no annual subscription fee for new users, and existing subscribers to the EU app store will not be charged when their renewal falls due …
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In April, developer Riley Testut launched an alternative version of AltStore as an App Marketplace for iOS users in the European Union thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) legislation. AltStore PAL was launched solely with apps developed by Testut, but users can now also find third-party apps in the store.
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Installing a third-party app store is now possible for iPhone owners in the EU – but it’s not exactly a quick-and-easy process.
It seems a safe bet that this is a deliberate move on Apple’s part to deter people from doing it – something which is likely to land the company in court on antitrust charges …
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With the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, Apple was forced to allow developers to distribute their apps through alternative app stores (or App Marketplace) in member countries. However, these developers are required to pay Apple a Core Technology Fee after they reach a certain number of downloads. To make things easier for small developers, AltStore will offer Patreon-backed apps.
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