AltStore : History, Features, Further reading, Notes Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AltStore

App store for unavailable apps

github.com/altstoreio/AltStore

Operating systemiOS, iPadOS (client) Windows, macOS (server)TypeApp storeLicenseGNU Affero General Public LicenseWebsitealtstore.io

AltStore is an alternative app store for the iOS and iPadOS^[1] mobile operating systems, which allows users to download applications that are not available on the App Store, most commonly tweaked "++" apps, jailbreak apps, and apps including paid apps on the app store. It was publicly announced on September 25, 2019, and launched on September 28.^[1]

History

Riley Testut is an American developer who began to work on AltStore after Apple declined to allow his Nintendo emulator Delta on the App Store. Since Xcode allowed him to temporarily install his Delta app to his iOS device for 7 days of testing, he created AltStore in 2019 to replicate this functionality, which could be extended to other .ipa files. As of 2022, AltStore had been downloaded 1.5 million times.^[2]^[3]

Features

AltStore exploits a loophole in the Xcode developer platform, which allows developers to sideload their own apps which they are working on without needing to jailbreak. Sideloaded apps are signed like a developer project for testing and will expire after 7 days with a free account or one year with a paid developer account, by which they will need to be refreshed or reinstalled.

References

^ Testut, Riley (2019-09-25). "Introducing AltStore". Riley Testut. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
^ "AltStore". altstore.io. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
^ Testut, Riley; riley (2024-04-17). "Introducing AltStore PAL". Riley Testut. Retrieved 2024-05-18.